Review: From The Kitchen Of Half Truths By Maria Goodin

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Release Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN-10: 1402279485
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction

About The Book:
Infused with the delicious warmth of Chocolat and the captivating feeling of School of Essential Ingredients, From the Kitchen of Half Truth is the warm, tender story of Meg, whose cooking-obsessed mother has always regaled her with fantastical memories of their lives that can't possibly be true. As sickness threatens to bury her mother's secrets forever, Meg decides she must know the truth-but no matter how hard she tries, Meg can't convince her mother to reveal a thing. As the two spend one last summer together, savoring cooking lessons, Meg explores the power of the stories we tell ourselves in order to create the lives we want.

 My Thoughts:
Although this novel may appear to be a whimsical tale of the relationship between a  mother and daughter, it would be a tremendous injustice to simply categorize it as such. From The Kitchen Of Half Truths is a story of a mother's perseverance, a daughter's self-discovery, and a brilliant examination of the human psyche's coping mechanisms in response to tragic events. Throughout Meg's life, her mother has hidden the truth of  their lives behind a veil of whimsical fairy-tale creations....but Why?  Why does Val continue to invent fantastical stories of her life and Meg's childhood? Why is this world of "make-believe" so appealing to Val that she can no longer distinguish between reality and her world of whimsy?  And, the psychological effects this has on her daughter is just as profound.  As a child once ridiculed for believing in her mother's stories, Meg not only pushes aside these fairy tales but her own imagination as well.  As her mother's illness takes its toll, Meg is determined to learn the truth and to obtain a sense of her own identity. 

The overwhelming presence of food throughout this novel should not be taken lightly.  The symbolism of the various foods and the role each plays in this novel is extremely thought-provoking and would make for a great in-depth discussion and analysis for book groups. Food is often associated with nurturing and self-identity, as well as sexuality and oppression.  And in this novel, the association with food is profound on all of these levels and certainly worthy of further attention.  Maria Goodin has proven herself a talented storyteller with this debut novel and an author that I look forward to seeing more from in the future.  I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and easily give it a FIVE!