The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

The Particular Sadness of Lemmon Cake by Aimee Bender was different than I expected, but I enjoyed it all the same. I first heard about the book several years ago on npr, and picked it up at a book store in hopes of fulfilling my memoir/nonfiction requirement. As I started reading, it followed the plot line I anticipated—a young girl claims to identify the feelings of the chef when she ate his or own food. Slightly bored by the narrator’s rants about how all food disappointed her, except for those from vending machines, the novel abruptly turned into a fulfillment of my fantasy requirement. I’m not sure exactly when it was that I realized that the book most certainly was not a true account of the author’s childhood—perhaps it was when she correctly discovered her mother was having an affair by biting into a homemade dinner. Maybe it was when she found her brother, after he disappeared for weeks, in his apartment with chair legs in his shoes, rather than his own flesh. Or maybe it was when her father told her that it seemed everyone in their family had a “power” of some sort, which caused him to never enter a hospital. He felt he would discover his power, which would bring unhappiness to him as it did to his own father.
As a reader, I never actually figured out what supernatural ability a hospital would bring about the father, nor did I really find out why the brother disappeared or why he was missing legs that one time. Similar to several other ideas in the novel, much was left unfinished. There were too many loose ends, in my opinion. Although the father’s issue was never divulged or even hinted, I admit I did enjoy pondering why the brother acted the way he did. From what the author did reveal, I drew my own conclusions which, looking back on, was part of the fun of reading.

Knife's Edge

Knife’s Edge by Malorie Blackman, a novel hypothesizing a world in which people with black skin (called Crosses) are superior than those with white skin (Naughts), was equally as exciting as its prequel, Naughts and Crosses. Although both books switched narrators with every chapter, the reader learned the aftermath of the first book from a different perspective. The first book was narrated by Callum, a naught and by his friend and love, Sephy, a cross. The book resulted in the execution of Callum, obviously eliminating him from the list of narrators in the sequel. Having the more one sided view of similar scenarios changed the readers’ minds as they read the sequel.
The only aspect of Knife’s Edge that I disliked was the very ending. After Sephy holds her baby, Rose, a bit too tight, she begins to choke. As Rose’s grandmother comes to perform CPR, the book ends with the grandmother shouting “please breathe, Rose”, leaving Rose’s vitality ambiguous. I understand the rationale behind leaving the reader with something to ponder, but I found this ending to be more of an annoyance than an excitement.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--- to the end.

The last few hundred pages of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson brought a much welcomed new intensity and excitement to the book. Although the book had its slow spots, the very end of the book had the reader on the edge of their seat. Although I enjoyed the surprise of finding out that Martin Vanger was the serial killer and rapist, I was slightly annoyed about the lack of foreshadowing up to the event in Martin’s basement. I realize the book is intended to be a thriller, rather than a mystery, but it would have been far more satisfying to be just slightly suspicious of Martin Vanger. I did, however, appreciate the surprise of Harriet being alive. I look forward to discover the interactions between Berger, Harriet and Salander in books to come. The three women seem to be polar opposites, but all seem to have unique relationships and feelings about one another. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series to see how this progression plays out.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo-- about 390 pages in.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson started out as a slow read, but has proven itself to be an interesting and complex mystery. I think that any book that has gained such a terrific reputation is bound to only skim the reader’s expectations. Extremely confused, initially, I wondered why my classmates and family were enjoying a book about financial and legal scandals. Once I got past that part, I started to really enjoy the book. I think the novel is so popular because it appeals to an audience not necessarily within the aimed demographic, like me. However, my eyes still do glaze over when dollar signs (or rather, Kronor signs) reappear.

My favorite character in the book is, of course, Lisbeth Salander. She intrigues the reader with mysteries she presents about herself, as she solves those of others. This causes the reader to question her past, rather than take interest in that of her cases. Salander is the outcast of the book, which makes her so relatable. I think this contributes to the books wide appeal. Everyone—from teenage girls, to my parents to my grandparents—can connect to being an outsider. She embraces this trait not as a flaw, but as something she just is. I look forward to finishing the book, hopefully learning more about Salander in addition to the Harriet case.

Eat, Pray, Love-- about 230pages through

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert has proven to be a somewhat cheesy, although meaningful novel describing the author's path to enlightenment as she travels the globe after a divorce. I think this book gained so much press and popularity becuase of how easily most readers can relate to it. Even as a teen not going through an early midlife crisis, I can connect to how the narrator (Liz) feels, when she describes this feeling of restlessness and need to just go somewhere. The difference between her and her empathetic readers? Liz actually gave into this restlessness and did go somewhere. She was at a breaking point in her life--everything seemed to be ending, while nothing was beginning. For Liz, the timing was perfect; for so many of her readers, it never will be.
What I found most interesting in this book is Liz's relationship with her sister. She often goes off on tangents about her sister's life and how it differs from her own. It seems as though it was "expected" that the rolls each of them play in this world was "supposed" to be reversed. This relationship alone describes the sentiment of the entire book.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon in order to fulfill one of my genre requirements—mystery. However, the book was more than just a mystery. In fact, the mystery stated in the title was solved just half way through the book. It was about a 16 year old boy named Christopher and his journeys: his journeys through taking “Math Level A”, finding out who murdered his neighbor’s dog and his ultimate journey of finding his mother. Each was a bit of a mystery in itself but together, each part of Christopher’s story created an interesting inscrutability.
The novel was narrated by Christopher, which is particularly interesting because of Christopher’s unique thought processes. It seems as if Christopher has a mental disorder, for he has difficulties with social skills but is an intellectual genius. His take on his world is different than how I would have ever viewed things. While reading, one must often look at something with different perspective, rather than Christopher’s, to discover the true significance of what is occurring. Because of Christopher’s distinct narration, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime is a fascinating book, putting the world in new light.

Nanny Returns

Taking a break from oppression in Afghanistan, I chose to return to New York and decided to read the Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. The book was mediocre in comparison to its prequel, The Nanny Diaries. Expecting a continuation of a college student’s journey after being forced out of the archetypal upper Manhattan nanny life style, I was surprised to be greeted by the same character, Nan, 10 years later and married. The book returns to the same family (the Xes) as its prequel, showing the results of a child growing up in such a life. It was interesting to re-meet Grayer, the child Nan nannied. He drops by unannounced, drunk, to uncover why the only person he looked up to as a child—Nan—had left him. I think while the neglecting of infants by their parents (creating the job of a nanny) is commonly acknowledged, the often unfulfilled need for love teenagers experience without parents that are around is often un-thought of. However, I would have liked to see the end of Nan’s struggles through college as she searches for a job after nanny-ing.