THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE

Rose Edelstein can tell people’s emotions from tasting the food they make—deeply if they’ve worked a while on it, but even a piece of toast can betray things she most definitely doesn’t want to know. Author-narrator Aimee Bender has a pleasant voice, and she does her best when delivering dialogue that expresses the emotions in the food Rose has just eaten. Gradually, other family members confide unusual and eerie “gifts” that help Rose put her own uniqueness into perspective. Bender delivers her book with a slow, somber delivery. One can’t help but wonder what a more expressive narrator might have done to bring this singular story to life. D.G. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2010]