The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

The story begins before Rose's ninth birthday, when her mother, Lane, bakes her a cake for the occasion. Rose knows that Lane is unhappy with her life, but Lane’s emotions show otherwise. From the looks of the way the cake was baked, Rose can tell that her mother feels oppressed. Once she realizes that she can taste emotions in the foods that she eats, she quickly comes to dislike it. Rose makes negative comments about the food she is consuming and Lane seems to think that she has done something wrong within her cooking. Rose’s father is oblivious to the fact that anything is going on per usual, and her brother thinks that his sister has gone insane.[1]

Rose’s brother whose name is Joseph has a friend named George. George is the only person who seems to think that Rose is not alright. He is very warmhearted towards Rose and designs an experiment to see how strong her abilities are. The conclusion of the experiment is that Rose is able to detect the emotion in the food she eats in those who cannot comprehend the emotions they are feeling themselves. One day Rose eats a pie that Lane baked and Rose collapses to the floor. Lane takes Rose to the hospital and Rose demands that they get rid of her mouth.[1] Once the shock from what happened is gone. Rose then realizes that if she is to speak about her ability she will come off as insane.

Years go by and Rose has been able to avoid her mother's cooking, but by the age of 12 she decided to join the family dinner. In the roast beef she is able to feel a culmination of things such as, guilt, romance, and lust because Lane is having an affair. A couple years go by and Rose finds out that Joseph has disappeared again. Rose decides to check on him and finds him in his bedroom. He is somehow metamorphosing himself into part of the chair that he was sitting on. When she steps back from the chair she finds that Joseph is gone.

Rose decides to stay home and take a job at an office. She finds a restaurant where the food tastes normal. The cook who makes the food is focused on the ingredients that are being used and how well the food tastes. Not long after, Rose gets a job as a dishwasher at the restaurant. One night, Rose sees that her father is looking at an old photo album. She sees that there is a piece of cloth tied over her grandfather's face in one of the pictures. She then proceeds to ask her father about it, and he says that his father wore it because he had the ability to smell other people's emotions so strongly that it was painful.[1] When Rose opens up to her father about her own ability, he instantly believes her and tells her that he thinks that he himself has a similar skill. Yet they would need to go to a hospital to find out. Paul feels as though this skill set that he possesses would be unbearable and because of this Rose realizes that her brothers skill to transform might also be something that is unbearable as well.

Finally, Rose, decides to embrace the skill that she has been given to help people, and provide insight to the food in restaurants. She also helps those with discovering their own emotions.[1]

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake was first published hardback in June 2010 through Doubleday, alongside an e-book edition and audiobook narrated by the author. A paperback edition was released the following April.[2][1]

Jane Ciabattari of NPR reviewed The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, calling it "high-hearted and soulful".[3]

Anna Scott of The Guardian concluded it is a "quirky, engaging tale".[4]

Susan Salter Reynolds of The Los Angeles Times also reviewed the work, concluding that it was "this century’s version of noir, or maybe it’s the opposite of noir", noting that "it’s about daily life that is increasingly impossible to navigate yet moving always forward."[5]