Bitter in the Mouth
Several days after finishing Bitter in the Mouth, characters and flavors are still bouncing around in my head. I grew along with Linda to understand how to sort out the flavors from their corresponding words. Themes of abandonment, alienation within the family, and fear of discovery provided a strong bond between Linda and her favorite uncle, but I saw equal strength in the relationship with her best friend and the power of the written word. Attention to detail in word selection and emotional nuance made this an astonishingly good read.