Review: From the Kitchen of Half Truth – Maria Goodin

Infused with the delicious warmth of Chocolat and captivating feeling of School of Essential Ingredients, FROM THE KITCHEN OF HALF TRUTH is the warm, tender story of Meg, who can’t convince her cooking-obsessed, fairy-tale loving mother to reveal a thing about their past, even as sickness threatens to hide those secrets forever. Driven to spend one last summer with her mother, Meg must face a choice between what’s real and what we make real, exploring the power of the stories we tell ourselves in order to create the lives we want.

Series:
Release Date: April 1, 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Source: Provided by Publisher
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Reviewer’s Thoughts

I tend to form friendships with the books I read; some are acquaintances, some pass through friends and others are keepers.  This book is a keeper.  Unfortunately, because of that it’s harder to write a review without sounding overly gushy.  But if I have to sing the praises of a book then this one is it.

First, the pacing and atmosphere of this book is spot on.  Goodin begins the book with what feels like magical realism and weaves it all the way through her narrative,  making it an integral part of her main character.  The pacing is slow without being boring, like the walk you take the first day of Spring soaking up the sun and flowers.

I immediately identified with and sympathized with Meg as she tried to balance the truth and fiction about her childhood.  She struggles to accept the stories her mother tells while trying to feed her need for truth.

One of the strongest parts of From The Kitchen of Half Truths is the love story.  Not the traditional boy/girl love story but it’s exploration of mother daughter relationships and their complexity.  I truly felt for these two women and wanted them to come together before it was too late.  The underlying romantic love story was a slow build and rang true.  However, I did find Mark’s condescending artifice a bit heavy handed.

I can tell you of you are expecting one of those quaint stories with recipes this is not the book, although good does play an integral part. The characters, are well drawn and “feel” very real.  From The Kitchen of Half Truths is well worth the time it takes to get into the story and know the characters.