cover image From the Kitchen of Half Truth

From the Kitchen of Half Truth

Maria Goodin. Sourcebooks, $14.99 (352p) ISBN 978-1-4022-7948-5

Meg May's mother Valerie told the most fantastic stories, and as child Meg believed them, thinking it possible that she could blow up like a beach ball after drinking too much carbonated lemonade or capture fairies in milk bottles. At age eight, Meg was humiliated in front of her class after repeating a story about beans that could run and decided to rely only on common sense and logic from that point on. Now a scientist at the age of 21, Meg has returned home to care for her dying mother and attempts to seek the truth about her past. She realizes that the hunt for her father, a French pastry chef who died in a pastry-making accident, not only brings people back into her mother's life that she's unwilling to face, but may lead Meg down a road that she's not ready to travel. With the encouragement of Ewan, the attractive gardener, Meg opens her mind to Valerie's flighty thinking. In this touching debut novel about the relationship between a mother daughter, Goodin does effectively portrays Meg's annoyance at her mother's stories, but Valerie's obliviousness to Meg's frustrations grates. Nevertheless, Meg's love for Valerie is as clear as her logic. (Apr.)