The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake discussion

I am so confused about what he did. Did he turn himself into inanimate objects?

You can send me a private message so it doesn't reveal anything, but I am really confused about that situation.

THANKS.

Yes he did. He turned himself into furniture because he couldn't cope in the real world. Very strange book. I never did empathize with the characters or appreciate the message/theme.

I took it as he had a gift that he was using, just like his sister had a special gift. He was going somewhere like time travel and using the chair as the source. Probably because the chair was old from his grandmother. Maybe he went back to when he was a little boy. This is how I perceived it yet. To each his own and whatever the reader wants it to be it is up to their imagination.

He turns himself to furniture, whenever he is fed up of the real world, but when he comes back to human form, each time it gets more and more difficult - and becomes frail and weak.
I was really disappointed with the book. I began it with great expectations

I was holding off on reading your comments, because I am in the middle of this book right now and I didn't want to give anything away. However, I am at the part right now where Joseph keeps disappearing, and I wasn't getting it. Maybe I haven't read far enough to understand, but now I am glad I decided to review the comments because maybe it will help me figure out what is going on.

I finished the book yesterday, and I think he was turning himself into inanimate objects to escape the world. It was his "gift". I think he had a very gifted mind, but not many social skills, which his Mother didn't help with by pulling him out of school and keeping him to herself. Each time he did it, I think it was harder for him to come back and then, finally, he didn't return at all. I gave the book 3 stars. It was not what I was expecting, but was definitely interesting.

Sandra wrote: "I finished the book yesterday, and I think he was turning himself into inanimate objects to escape the world. It was his "gift". I think he had a very gifted mind, but not many social skills, whi..."

Yes It was not what I was expecting either, however I did like that it kept me wanting to see what would happen next.

I thought it was the only way he felt peaceful. Like, when he is in human form, he is uncomfortable, like when she is when she tastes something unpleasant.

This was a very strange book. All the relationships were screwed up and no one could connect emotionally. I found the transforming into furniture part quite bizarre. I felt that Joseph transformed himself into a chair to escape his life. He wanted everyone to leave him alone. I think Joseph was a selfish jerk unworthy of all the love thrown his way. I really felt sorry for the father. He didn't seem to be such a bad guy after all. I had hoped for more from this book and boy was I disappointed.

Priscilla wrote: "This was a very strange book. All the relationships were screwed up and no one could connect emotionally. I found the transforming into furniture part quite bizarre. I felt that Joseph transforme..."

Wow. I'm a stickler for words so I'm going to say Joseph doesn't transform or turn into a chair, he more or less, fuses with the chair, but I'm pretty sure he isn't growing two chair legs out of his butt...

I think the reason why he does this is because he is, well maybe I will let Rose say it:

"I love them, I told him solemnly, gripping the bag. I am in love with them, I said. I was around twelve then. I did not know how I would get through the day without that machine at school; I prayed those thank yous to it, and whoever stocked it, and whoever had bought it, every night.

Was it so different than the choice of a card-table chair, except my choice meant I could stay in the world and his didn't?"

I just agree with Priscilla...the oddest book I've probably ever read and I can't say I took away anything from it...but I did lose a few good hours of my life reading this.

My reaction to the book when finished was physical -- I threw it across the room. Too bad it was a library book, or I would have just thrown it in the trash.

Thank you for those of you who clued me into what happened to Joseph -- b/c honestly, I was NOT following it. Sadly, I didn't put this book down half way through -- when my gut was telling me, "this is weird."

I wholeheartedly agree with Krystyn above -- a VERY odd book (probably the oddest I've ever read) and I lost time of my life reading it. The author had a decent premise, and told an awful story -- boring, werid, and not even something most of us can comprehend. It's like the movie Boxing Helena -- simply awful. If this person can get a book deal, chimps should be able to publish.

I didn't think it was a bad book but a book whose story really didn't move me. Someone must like it.

It was a strange book I agree, but sometimes I like a book that makes you think and do a double take.

Nicolle wrote: "It was a strange book I agree, but sometimes I like a book that makes you think and do a double take."

That can be nice. Not sure if this was the book but it wasn't painful at all. If I don't care for one book, I know another book is coming along and if I didn't know how I felt about a book I didn't care for, how would I know how it feels when a book comes along that really meant a lot to me. Every little book (or big one) helps.

I agree that his gift wasn't changing into the chair. That was his way of coping with his gift. His gift was a sensitivity to all of life. The gifts always involve extra perception, the ability to pick up on hidden things. In his case he couldn't deal with it and needed to regress into a static form to find peace. (His one goal in life being solitude).

Interesting, nice comment.

OK, here is what I thought. His sister had a gift of taste, his grabdfather had a gift of smell, and I think Joseph had a gift of touch. He ciuld feel other people's emotions in the things he touched. That is why he didn't want to hold his sister's hand, and why he spent so much time in his room, and why his bed (a new one) ended up outside of his apartment and why finally, he could only sit in one particular chair that his grandmother gave them (either it felt like her when she was winning at cards or no one ever sat in that particular chair before. He ended up being so in tune with the things he touched that he became them. I think Rose's father knew he had a "gift" too which is why he refused to enter a hospital. Maybe he could hear emotions, which would be more intense in a hosptial setting. My problem with this book is that the author doesn't offer explanations that make sense withi the narrative which becomes troubling - for example, if Rose can taste emotions, why does that make her able to taste the state where a food comes from - that doesn't hold together in this narrative. Still overall I liked this book - you can see that in my review of it.

You have some really moving thoughts on the book.

Lormac wrote: "OK, here is what I thought. His sister had a gift of taste, his grabdfather had a gift of smell, and I think Joseph had a gift of touch. He ciuld feel other people's emotions in the things he tou..."

Great post. Thanks for helping it make so much more sense for me. I suppose one way of enjoying this book is to not overthink it, go with the flow a little more. It was certainly imaginative; a different take on life.

"I think Rose's father knew he had a "gift" too which is why he refused to enter a hospital."

I picked up on that too. The father says at one point that he knew something would happen if he went to the hospital so he just didn't go.

I thought the book was sad and beautiful. A little haunting. I think everyone was expecting "Like Water For Chocolate" but got something a little darker. I didn't mind.

Frankly I didn't like either all that much. But For Water for Chocolate, I only saw the movie. Heard the book was better.

This book left me with so many questions. I found Joseph's "gift" intriguing and would have liked to read more about it. Also Rose's father. It was a strange book, yet I really enjoyed it. I wanted more!

Carmela wrote: ""I think Rose's father knew he had a "gift" too which is why he refused to enter a hospital."

I picked up on that too. The father says at one point that he knew something would happen if he went t..."

I had a much better impression of the father after I understood the reason for his aversion to hospitals (i.e, his gift). Before I knew this he was a disconnected ding-dong type of guy, e.g., jumping on the sidewalk outside the hospital when his son was born. Really? But once I understood his malady for some reason I was able to give him more compassion. What I had previously interpreted as aloofness, I now respect as his just trying to install a sense of normalcy in a really kooky family.

Bonnie wrote: "What I had previously interpreted as aloofness, I now respect as his just trying to install a sense of normalcy in a really kooky family." Yes, and if you think about it, it is particularly sad (har har) that the members of the family could not talk to each other about their 'gifts.' Only after Joseph disappeared did Rose's father explain to her about her grandfather which helped her connect the dots between herself, her brother, her father and her grandfather. If they had been open about things, maybe they could have supported each other.

I am about two thirds of the way through and can't bring myself to go on. Joseph makes me so sad and I want someone to try to help him out of his isolation. Everyone in the family seems so far apart and sad, it makes me want to turn into an inanimate object too.

So sweet. I wish I had gotten into the book that way.

I was deeply troubled by the book, especially Joseph turning into a chair. Then, after discussing the book with a friend I have come to think that Joseph's gift was not turning into furniture. Turning into furniture was his escape. And he achieved his escape through his "work" in science with his friend, who's name I have forgotten. His "gift" was something like his father's, Rose's, or his grandfather's and it was unbearable to him. It is important to remember that the entire book is a metaphor for how sensitive people must deal with life.

It was interesting. Not sure if I enjoyed the book but I am enjoying the post discussions.

Yes, this was one of those books that you just had to discuss as soon as you finished. It was that strange!

And got more out of the book if you discussed it with others!

I'll admit it, that I felt like the book might have been far more advanced for my pea brain. And I'm a pretty self aware over thinking analyzer, lol. But at most I can say it was poetically dreary in it's own way. And to some extent I was glad to see the main character come into her own at the end. But mostly I just felt sad with the book and other characters when I was reading it.

I was thoroughly intrigued by the "gifts" and curious and then sad about what was going on with Joseph, but what really made this book work for me was the common theme of coping - or not being able to cope - with who you are and your world around you. The characters go to great lengths to find ways to cope (or avoid) what makes them uncomfortable. Thought it was also intersting that mom was constantly baking, building, and grandma was mailing th emost common household objects from afar. Great quote Gregory; interesting insights Lormac - I did not think of the gifts in terms of the 5 senses and think you may be on to something. Really interesting to think of it that way.

Lormac wrote: "OK, here is what I thought. His sister had a gift of taste, his grabdfather had a gift of smell, and I think Joseph had a gift of touch. He ciuld feel other people's emotions in the things he tou..."

Great take on the book. Very insightful...I wonder what the author actually intended to convey...?

I'm curious about that as well Lindsey. I mean I get having/finding various ways of coping with a difficult situation. But at the same time not really sure if that was all the author was saying, if not something more.

hmmm...I might google her and see. Maybe she intended to create a stir, although turning someone into a chair in a book is quite a risky tactic!

Yea, especially in such a "normalish" world. I mean I'm used to paranormal, UF, and other such flexible genres where people turn into about anything and I wouldn't bat an eye. A chair, in a rather sad tale is saying something for sure.

Each had a means of coping with life
Rose- factory food
"I love them, I told him solemnly, gripping the bag. I am in love with them, I said. I was around twelve then. I did not know how I would get through the day without that machine at school; I prayed those thank yous to it, and whoever stocked it, and whoever had bought it, every night.

Was it so different than the choice of a card-table chair, except my choice meant I could stay in the world and his didn't?"

Mom- an affair
Dad - avoiding hospitals, even when it's where he desperately needs to be
Joseph - becoming invisible, a piece of furniture people don't notice, no need to think, react, or feel.

Turning into a chair was so satisfying, "good," for Joseph it was like a drug addiction. Joseph knew people wouldn't approve or understand, so he did it in private. Like taking drugs in secret. It felt so good that he did it to the detriment of his health. Like drugs. And he did it even though it ruined his life and killed him.

Don't know if anyone has read the book or even better listen to the audio book *which mostly dialog" but pair this book with Room. A 5 year old born in a garden shed where mom has been held prisoner by "Old Nick" and knows nothing but a the Room. The boy narrates the story and the items in the room have a personality - room, door, rug, wardrobe, toilet, sink and sink. He lacks the knowledge that there are other objects like them in world and even when he gets out, his personal reference is the Room.

Lormac wrote: "OK, here is what I thought. His sister had a gift of taste, his grabdfather had a gift of smell, and I think Joseph had a gift of touch. He ciuld feel other people's emotions in the things he tou..."

That is interesting. It could be. I don't think the author explained Joseph enough. Had she explained the "gifts" a bit more, it might have made the book more understandable and interesting and enjoyable.

Lynn I just read Room and I can't quite understand the comparison or pairing between this book and that one. Could you elaborate a little further on what you mean? As I think Jack had a narrowed protective view of the world in that shed. But Joseph had a narrowed view and could only cope with his one friend and merging with the furniture and that was his escape. But I'm still at a loss.

Lormac wrote: "OK, here is what I thought. His sister had a gift of taste, his grabdfather had a gift of smell, and I think Joseph had a gift of touch. He ciuld feel other people's emotions in the things he tou..."

This actually makes sense. As I did not understand his gift, this would be the one I would go with.

@Peggy - I, too, thought Joseph turning into a chair was the equivalent of a drug addiction.

@Dana - I think she explained their gifts as much as they understood them. Since the girl - whose name I have forgotten now - only really pieced it all together at the end of the story, she could really only tell the reader(s) as much as she herself understood ... which wasn't that much. Only that there were other gifts. Joseph couldn't and wouldn't explain his. Dad only had a feeling that something might happen, she only knew how her gift felt to her. Maybe a cop out from a literary perspective, but certainly an explanation.

Carmela wrote: "@Peggy - I, too, thought Joseph turning into a chair was the equivalent of a drug addiction.

@Dana - I think she explained their gifts as much as they understood them. Since the girl - whose name..."

Sandra wrote: "I finished the book yesterday, and I think he was turning himself into inanimate objects to escape the world. It was his "gift". I think he had a very gifted mind, but not many social skills, whi..."

The comments that say that Joseph had the gift of touch like his siter had the gift of taste and grandfather had the gift of smell makes sense.
I didn't think of that; I actually thought that Joseph was autistic.

Katy wrote: "The comments that say that Joseph had the gift of touch like his siter had the gift of taste and grandfather had the gift of smell makes sense.
I didn't think of that; I actually thought that Jose..."

I could see how you would think that since so many autistic kids have a tremendous sensitivity to touch. I know of some kids who cannot wear anything containing wool, or who need all the tags cut out of the inside of their clothes.

I just thought of the autism angle based on Joseph's inability to communicate combined with his intense focus on whatever "science/math" projects he worked on.
I did enjoy the book and it was an easy read I was able to slip in quickly between book club books, but it was definitely frustrating - the family is so dysfunctional, but no background is given. Grandmother doesn't want to visit and doesn't want her daughter and grandchildren to visit - why? What happened to her to make her cut herself off from her family? Did this contribute to Lane's inability to settle down with career or to bond with her husband? What caused Dad to hate hospitals to the extent that he did? I don't think one has that intense of a reaction to something without it being a response to something. Lots of unanswered questions...

I completely agree. I was told I would hate this book because I HATE loose plot points, but I actually enjoyed it (see my review). Maybe I went into it with lowered expectations, so the fact that I enjoyed it at all raised it in my eyes. I think the author had a great plot idea, but I agree with you that she should have spent more time thinking through the elements of the plot.

Elizabeth wrote: "I am so confused about what he did. Did he turn himself into inanimate objects?

You can send me a private message so it doesn't reveal anything, but I am really confused about that situation.
..."
That is the feeling I was left with.

I personally think he merged with the furniture. Like he had the ability to thin out molecules in his body some how so that he could become one with the furniture. Cause remember when the sister went over there she wasn't exactly sure what she was looking at when she saw the chair legs through the back of his legs. So I think maybe he was trying to concentrate enough to merge into the chair but then he heard her looking for him and he only partially was into the chair. But either way. I don't think I could read another story like this from this author. It was so sad, unexplainable on some levels, and just so dreary.