A review by sabraena
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

the no quotation marks style for the dialogue took some getting used to but i think it added to the overall poignant, melancholy, stream of consciousness vibe of this book. I kinda liked it. If you enjoy stories about families (happy ones, sad ones, angry ones, emotionally stunted ones etc.) then you might delight in the complications of family life and growing pains present here. Definitely not a light read. More a, if-you’re-sad-this-might-make-you-even-more-sad type of read. But I did enjoy going thru the journey of Rose’s evolution and getting used to her special skill. I found myself rooting for her, for real. And the thing with her brother… sure was a thing. It was quite the shocker so, that was good, i guess?
Also, I wish there were more food descriptions when she was at George’s wedding, like, let’s unpack that!
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