BOOK: “The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake”
– C1-C2 (advanced) –
Practice Your Listening Comprehension
Practice Your Reading Comprehension
One of my favourite novels is by American author Aimee Bender. Her book is called “The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake.” It is a work of contemplative literary fiction and magical realism that focuses on the life of a young girl growing up with the special ability to taste the emotional state of the people who prepare the food that she eats. Having such an ability opens her eyes to a much broader life perspective, teaching her that the human experience is not limited to one’s personal understanding of life, but is in fact expansive, layered, and nuanced.
Themes in the book include perspectivism, identity, family, friendship, the self, the taboo, the absurd, mental health, intergenerational trauma, disordered eating, addiction, marriage, fidelity, fear, and so many more….
WHAT TO LEARN
While reading Bender’s book, there are a variety of English language elements that learners can practice and discover, including:
American English
literary language
descriptive language
comma usage
use of the first person
use of the third person
past simple
vocabulary related to:
growing up
family
friendship
change
food
symptoms
emotions (e.g., uncertainty, confusion, surprise, sadness, bitterness, anger, joy, love, etc.)
and so much more…!
