O A Guilfoyle

Don't lie, kids.

The Cake Tree is a truly compelling yet disturbing read that reminds me of a twisted and dark children's tale, the kind where you try to figure out what the moral of the story is but find it a little difficult because you can't believe how the ending turned out.

Don't lie because even a little lie can lead to terrible consequences. Maybe that can be the moral?

The character referred to as 'the boy'(whose name the writer does not reveal to emphasize how little he means to Edissa- I may be wrong, I'm simply making assumptions) intrigued me the most. I think it was the way he simply watched her in silence and is referred to as her 'follower', making him come across as creepy to me. Though he doesn't intend for what happens to happen (I won't spoil it) I think it was clear that his actions would produce quite grisly consequences simply from the way he's presented to the reader.
What I love the most about this story is how powerfully the dark plot contrasts with the sweet, little children and lovely, fairy tale-like tree.
It's a simple yet powerful story and I would recommend it to anyone, especially to those who enjoy a quick read and like stories with both a sprinkling of 'sugar and spice' and 'snips and snails'.

-Olivia