I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss for review consideration.
The Cake House by Latifah Salom Published by Vintage on March 3rd 2015
Genres: Coming of Age, Debut, Fiction, Ghost
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss
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Part mystery, part compelling coming-of-age tale, The Cake House is a riveting debut novel that re-imagines the classic story of Hamlet amidst the hills of suburban Los Angeles.
Rosaura Douglas's father shot himself when her mother left him . . . or at least that's the story everyone is telling. Now her mother has remarried and Rosie is trapped in a new home she calls "The Cake House," a garish pink edifice that's a far cry from the cramped apartment where she grew up. It's also the house where her father died—a fact that everyone else who lives there, including her mother, Dahlia, and her mysteriously wealthy stepfather, Claude, want to forget.
Soon, however, her father's ghost begins to appear; first as a momentary reflection in a window, then in the dark of night, and finally, in the lush garden behind the house where Rosie spends most of her days. After he warns her that Claude is not to be trusted, Rosie begins to notice cracks in her new family's carefully constructed facade. Dahlia is clearly uncomfortable in her marriage; her stepbrother, Alex, is friendly one second, distant the next, and haunted by troubles of his own; and Claude's business is drawing questions from the police. And as the ghost becomes increasingly violent--and the secrets of The Cake House and her family’s past come to light--Rosie must finally face the truth behind the losses and lies that have torn her life apart.
Latifah Salom’s debut novel, The Cake House is, supposedly, a modern-day spin on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Although I couldn’t say how much of a spin it is since I’ve never read Hamlet and I’m not at all familiar with the plot. Still, this did not have an adverse effect on my enjoyment of Salom’s book.
Beginning with a bang, a literal bang as Rosie’s father shoots himself, The Cake House is full of secrets and Rosie strives to find out the truth. Thrown in to a car by her mother, Dahlia, and forced to start a new life, with step-brother Alex and step-father Claude, Rosie’s life was turned upside down and she doesn’t understand why.
She sees things, not just her father’s ghost, but hush-hush meetings between her step-father and his associates. People who appear to be angry with him. How are they all connected and what did he do? Can the ghost help her figure it all out?
At the beginning of The Cake House, Rosie comes across as immature and as having led quite a sheltered childhood. But as the story progresses, she definitely grows more confident. Maybe a bit too confident when it comes to the questionable relationship with her step-brother. I found it hard to believe that Rosie’s mother would stand back and ignore a lot of the problems posed by Claude and his business, but in the end I kind of understood why.
After a slow start, partly due to my dislike of Claude and Dahlia, I soon reached a point where I couldn’t put the book down right the way through to its climatic ending.
I will absolutely be keeping an eye out for Latifah Salom’s sophomore novel.
I guess you have to be older than you are to kinda “get” Shakespere. Have you ever seen “Clueless”? It’s based on Shakespere as is “10 Thing I Hate About You”. All I know, is that although I’d read Hamlet in High School, I never really appreciated him until I was in my late 20s, and in doing so, I got a portable Shakespere and refer to it often as a pastor. I’ve got Cake House in my TBR now…thanx for the heads up
I think you misunderstood what I was saying. It’s not that I don’t “get” Shakespeare, just that I’m not familiar with (nor I have I ever read) Hamlet. Romeo & Juliet…yes, Taming of the Shrew…yes, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, I could list a few more. And I am well aware that 10 Things were based on Shakespeare. As was the recent TV show Empire. I thought Clueless was Austen though.
Anyway, I’m glad that I brought The Cake House to your attention.