This self-centeredness makes her relationships with other characters feel underdeveloped and even puzzling at times.

Eden narrates in a tightly focused present tense how she withdraws again from nearly everyone and attempts to find comfort (or at least oblivion) through a series of nearly anonymous sexual encounters. But, bizarrely, Kevin’s younger sister goes on a smear campaign to label Eden a “totally slutty disgusting whore,” which sends Eden back toward self-destruction. She begins her sophomore year with new clothes and friendly smiles for her fellow students, which attract the romantic attentions of a kind senior athlete. But when a friend mentions that she’s “reinventing” herself, Eden embarks on a hopeful plan to do the same. For the remainder of Eden’s freshman year, she withdraws from her family and becomes increasingly full of hatred for Kevin and the world she feels failed to protect her. Not ever,” and a chillingly believable death threat. In the three years following Eden’s brutal rape by her brother’s best friend, Kevin, she descends into anger, isolation, and promiscuity.Įden’s silence about the assault is cemented by both Kevin’s confident assurance that if she tells anyone, “No one will ever believe you. This sweet story shows that relationships don’t follow a recipe. Syd and Harley are White the supporting cast is racially diverse. Over the course of the narrative, Syd examines different types of romantic feelings, from infatuation to love, and considers what precisely is key to a healthy relationship. Syd’s love of baking shines throughout the text, with actual recipes that Syd uses interspersed throughout. While outright bigotry is not shown, Syd’s life demonstrates the difficulties of having to explain one’s orientation and gender and the burden of feeling unheard. LGBTQ+ characters take center stage in this work, led by agender narrator Syd (who does not care for pronouns) and demisexual Harley there’s a polyamorous triad among the supporting cast, and at one event, a nonbinary elderly person serves as a reminder that queer people come in all ages. This may seem simple at first, but Syd soon discovers that no relationship is entirely cookie cutter. Aided by genderfluid delivery person Harley, Syd is determined to repair these broken relationships. Unfortunately, Syd has also just unlocked a magical power, and the customers who buy the brownies start to go through breakups of their own-including the gay couple who own the bakery, putting its very survival at risk. Syd navigates relationships and discovers a magical power.Īfter a rough breakup, 17-year-old Syd, who works at the Proud Muffin in Austin, Texas, bakes all the negative feelings into a batch of brownies.

The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta