The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

On the eve of her ninth birthday, Rose Edelstein discovers a startling ability: when she eats something someone else has prepared, she tastes their emotions instead of just the food.

What begins as an unsettling curiosity about her mother's lemon cake becomes a burden she cannot outgrow — each bite of bread or pie forces her to experience the grief, longing, and hidden pain of the person who made it.

As Rose grows older, this gift isolates her from others while drawing her closer to George, a classmate who senses something is wrong and helps her find ways to live with what she knows.