From the Kitchen of Half Truth

"An impressive and heartfelt debut that will appeal to many readers, this charming and sensitive mother/daughter story captures the struggle between protection and isolation."―Library Journal

Meg May's mother has created a life out of stories. Outlandish stories that can't possibly be true. And when sickness threatens to hide the truth of her past forever, Meg must convince her imaginative and free-spirited mother tell her what is real.

As charming as the stories she's been told are, they aren't enough for Meg anymore. As she and her mother spend one last summer together, Meg tries to convince her mother to reveal a thing about who they used to be―and who they are now.

Full of quirky humor and depth of feeling, From the Kitchen of Half Truth is a delicious debut contemporary novel. Fans of Chocolat (Joanne Harris), The School of Essential Ingredients (Erica Bauermeister), and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (Aimee Bender) will be charmed by this unobtrusive look at mother daughter relationships and the powerful exploration of the stories we tell ourselves to create the lives we want.

Full of quirky humor and depth of feeling, From the Kitchen of Half Truth is a delicious debut contemporary novel.

What reviewers are saying about The Kitchen of Half Truth

"[A] touching debut novel about the relationship between a mother and daughter" ―Publishers Weekly

"There are some novels that grip you with a story so unique, yet so heart wrenching that you can't stop reading. From the Kitchen of Half Truth was just such a novel."―Laura's Reviews

"Held me captivated from first to last word ... You'll find just a little piece of yourself in all the wonderful characters."―Long and Short Reviews

" Funny, tender, quirky, and heartfelt, From the Kitchen of Half Truth is for anyone who has daydreamed about the future or been shocked to find something unexpected in the past."―Booklist

"A gorgeous tale of love, loss and making sense of the past ... filled with energy and life."―RT Book Reviews

"A story about understanding and compassion and how people often distort the truth to protect themselves and others, Goodin's narrative contains moments of eloquence, wit and sensitivity."―Kirkus

Meg May, a genetics student, has always taken extreme comfort in the world of science. Facts are facts, laws are laws, and imagination has no place in the laboratory. Meg wasn’t always so levelheaded. Growing up with a mother who invented stories about everything from garden fairies to Meg’s own upbringing, Meg has only been able to piece together a few details about her father and where she grew up, but hardly anything else. When her mother becomes very sick, it’s up to Meg to figure out how much of her history she’s willing to uncover and how many of her mother’s fantastic stories may have held a shred of truth. Fans of Sarah Dessen and Carol Cassella will appreciate Goodin’s clear, lyrical prose and will relate to stubborn, strong-willed Meg. Peppered with fantastically descriptive stories from Meg’s childhood, Goodin’s debut novel focuses on identity, independence, and the importance of imagination. Funny, tender, quirky, and heartfelt, From the Kitchen of Half Truth is for anyone who has daydreamed about the future or been shocked to find something unexpected in the past. --Stephanie Turza