The story is about a young girl, Rose Edlestein, who has the ability to taste the emotions of a person through the food they make.

"[1] The story begins before Rose's ninth birthday, when her mother, Lane, bakes her a cake for the occasion.

Rose makes negative comments about the food she is consuming and Lane seems to think that she has done something wrong within her cooking.

Rose's father, Paul, is oblivious to the fact that anything is going on per usual, and her brother thinks that his sister has gone insane.

Years go by and Rose has been able to avoid her mother's cooking, but by the age of 12 she decided to join the family dinner.

In the roast beef she is able to feel a culmination of things such as, guilt, romance, and lust because Lane is having an affair, which she deduces to be with her co-worker, Larry.

While Joseph is babysitting her, he seemingly disappears, to Rose's distress, only to reappear a few moments later outside his bedroom door.

This happens again while babysitting a different time, and again when Lane, Rose, George, and Joseph are supposed to leave for his high school graduation.

[2] A few months later, when he neglects to call his mother at the scheduled time and is unreachable for a number of days, she goes to check on him and finds him face down on the floor in his kitchen, nearly unconscious.

[2] Rose graduates high school and, rather than going to college, decides to stay home and take a job at an office.

[2] The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake was first published hardback in June 2010 through Doubleday, alongside an e-book edition and audiobook narrated by the author.

[6] Jane Ciabattari of NPR reviewed The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, calling it "high-hearted and soulful".