Continuing with this book, I read it Friday on the airplane and this afternoon on the airplane. I still feel I have not gotten to the meat of the matter with this book. Background: Rose, the main character (she just turned 9) tasted her favorite piece of Lemon cake and was disturbed by the empty feelings she did not identify with.
Well, this time, Rose tells about the relationship she has with her brother, Joseph. Joseph is their Mother's favorite. But Joseph is a bit odd. By odd, Rose means he's too smart for his own good. People cannot relate to him and he has very few friends. Even Rose recalls only a handful of moments that were meaningful around her older brother. She does remember, however, how her Mother would go to the school and pick up Joseph and they would run errands together and just talk. Their Mother talked to Joseph as if he was an equal, a friend she felt she could confide in, not her 3rd grade son. Joseph's teacher found out he did not have a series of doctors appointments, but that he was pulled out of school to go to the market and talk with his Mom. Even though Joseph was clearly bored at school and not challenged, did not relate to anyone but his Mom, she was on Mom probation. Rose and Joseph's father, an attorney, was very perplexed by the situation. He took notes as he asked his wife, why she took Joseph out of school.
This background information was provided because George, Joseph's only friend, takes an interest in Rose's peculiar problem. George proposes an idea to to take Rose to the neighborhood bakery on Saturday and investigate her feelings in the food. Much to Joseph's dismay, the 3 of them head to the bakery that Saturday. Rose discovers she has feelings for George, or so she thinks! She likes the attention George gives her; his interest in her food and identified emotions. When biting into a chocolate chip cookie she tastes instant anger. Sure enough, George finds out the baker hates his job, saying, "You'd be angry too if you just finished college and this was your first job." Next, Rose tastes an oatmeal cookie, and with it a rushing to finish it. Janet, who baked the oatmeal cookie, is always running late for work! The final bite was of the the angry baker's sandwich. His girlfriend had made it and as soon as Rose took a bite, she set it down immediately and says, "the sandwich was yelling for you to love it."
George concludes as they walk home that Rose can identify feelings that people don't know about or don't want others to know about. . .
November 4 - 40 minutes
November 6 - 50 minutes
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