Book Review : The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

Pages :  292

Read on : Kindle

Goodreads Rating : 3.16/5

Review:  It's been a while since I posted anything on the blog. Not something I intended to do on purpose but it happened. Shamelessly,I'm not apologizing because I loved every minute I was away. However I can only neglect my blog for so long without feeling guilty.

I read this book last year and I profoundly remember It taking me longer than usual to finish this. Also I guess I can safely call it my first magical realism adult book I ever read. The story is about a young girl discovering and exploring her ability to taste feelings/thoughts/emotions in food. It mostly revolves around her mother's never ending despair, depression and an affair. It's extremely uncomfortable knowing the pain and loneliness of her mother since these are things we otherwise wouldn't have noticed in real life.
I would have expected Rose Edelstein ( the protagonist) to have taken her talent and secret and be much more adventurous with it. Sadly, that doesn't happen. If anything, she gets fogged down by an even more complex character - her brother. There isn't much said about him as he is by himself an absent character that we learn is part of who he is, discreetly hinting that he may have had a special ability too. Although his ability was strange and eccentric, losing him almost felt like a death in the Edelstein family. No one, including him, ever knew of his whereabouts and the duration that he would be away for or if he would ever return.
This book made me reflect on a few things. I began staring at my mother while she did mundane house work trying to understand what she was feeling or thinking at that moment. I would be lying If I didn't admit I was glad not to know. Food that we consume thoughtlessly on the basis of flavour may have been a painful and even taxing for young Rose Edelstein. Not being able to fully understand and reason with her brother and his subsequent absence will leave you with heartache.
Apart from that, the book is rampantly vague with way too many lose ends that I personally felt is not encouraging enough for a reader to stay on till the very end. Unanswered questions are tricky. Some books are loved for that one hanging, benefit-of-doubt element but not when it is clouded with a dozen of them.
I wouldn't highly recommend this to a lot people. I would,however, mildly recommend it to an older audience with caution just so that we can discuss what they gathered from the story.

Final Rating: 3/5

خُدا حافِظ

Book Review : The Mistress of Spice by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Pages :  338

Read on : Physical book

Goodreads Rating : 3.47/5

Review:  I'm very secure with my weirdness as strange as it may sound. But sometimes I can't help wonder what influences ratings on Goodreads. Books that seem to have a good 4 stars often don't go down well enough for me. I seriously detest hype. May be what I seek from a story-line is different from reading casually for leisure.

First , let me be clear. Living in Oman I don't have access to the best bookstores or libraries. I sorely miss Blossoms in Bangalore, Flora Fountain in Bombay and Flipkart ( My wishlist is ridiculously exorbitant tehehehe).

So I make it a point to buy hard copies of Classics and books by Indian authors ( Patriotism!) , fantasy/dystopian YA all go in the kindle. 

On with the review! This is my first time reading Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and I know it won't be the last. I had watched the movie years ago. Of course , Aishwarya Rai was her stunning self, All in all the film was very lukewarm however the concept seemed to stay with me. A little late in attaining this read but It did not disappoint. 

The plot is as the name suggests. An old woman , Tilo , running a small spices store in Oakland , knows the strength of each and every spice and secretly helps her customers get rid of their woes solely by infusing these spices in their cooking. Of course it doesn't stop there. Since Tilo is a 'Mistress' she lives a very restricted life. She isn't allowed to leave her store come what may , she mustn't use them for her personal need , she must not give in to beauty and most importantly she cannot be unfaithful to the spices. Translation : she must not , cannot fall in love. No points for guessing what happens next!

Majority of reviewers on Goodreads have rated this book with 2 to 3 stars , 4 being rare. Most of these reviewers, especially the ones belonging to the west have stated that this book gives them a peek at the Indian culture.  However , being Indian myself , more appropriately the book gives more insight on the traditional cooking than widely the culture itself.  Each individual spice has been justified in its culinary and metaphoric usage making this quite a fragrant read. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni does a fantastic job of getting down every detail of the spices that will tantalize your sense. Every page effervescent with their invigorating smell. 

As controller of the spices , Tilo's life is turbulent and initially plagued by issues faced by common rural India - the burden of an unwanted girl-child  and her skin tone being 'dark as mud'.

Personally I feel that in order to convey the aromatic magic of the spices , Divakaruni's poetic, metaphoric style of writing is justifiable. Most reviewers and readers have placed this is a down point stating it as overwhelming, unnecessary and even redundant. I do have to agree with one point though. The end of the story which was a very abrupt halt. You would expect Tilo to suffer some serious consequences for her heart-over-spices choices instead she was left with a very favorable and manageable situation. A bit too perfect for my liking. 

Overall , If you are someone who appreciates literature , enjoys descriptive writing and loves to be engulfed in magical realism, This book is a fantastic read. I can see the desire behind turning this book into a film , although that did happen , The Mistress of Spices is still more a literary adventure than a bewitching adaptation.

Final Rating : 4/5

خُدا حافِظ