Book Review: FATIMA TATE TAKES THE CAKE

Title: Fatima Tate Takes The Cake

Author: Khadijah Vanbrakle

Publisher: Holiday House

Pages: 304

My GoodReads Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

I really liked the name of this book. When La Niña first started speaking, she used to pronounce cake as Tate. I was reminded of her cute pronunciation with the name of the protagonist.

Fatima is an aspiring baker, but it is a part of herself that she keeps hidden from her traditional, orthodox parents. Mother Sharifa would like to take up a sensible profession like nursing. There is a Teen Baking competition that Fatima wants to participate in but her mom won’t let her. So she forges her mother’s signature and goes for the competition.

When Raheem Harris, a fellow volunteer at a soup kitchen on whom she has a crush, expresses a desire to marry her, she and her parents are thrilled. Only best friend Zaynab thinks there is something off about him.

The man of her dreams, however, shows his true colours after the engagement, threatening to tell her parents about the one time they had sex, a revelation that could destroy her reputation and ruin her prospects.

The book is written in the first person present tense PoV of Fatima. Even though the book is light-hearted, it manages to raise issues such as racism, freedom and culture, following one’s dreams and bullying.

I enjoy baking, even though I’m far from perfect, and I enjoyed reading the sub-plot relating to the baking processes, the competition etc, more than the main plot about Raheem.

Fatima was relatable. The issues that she faces are issues the average Indian girl is familiar with. Living in America, Muslims, like Indians, are torn between the contrary worlds of freedom and restriction. But she was also annoying, when she refused to heed Zaynab’s objections.

I appreciated the fact that even though Fatima’s mother disapproves of her dreams, she still nurtures them and fights for them. Her actions underscore the importance of making a career in doing whatever makes one feel alive.

The metaphors were linked to baking, which was cute at first, but began to feel gimmicky after a while. Here’s a sample:

You could hear yeast rise in the silence around the three of us.

Faster than a butane torch can burn sugar.

I’ve seen milk curdle in the time it takes for him to answer.

Zaynab’s mother Sarah Baker is very cool with her daughter’s relationship with white girl, Amber. She is in sharp contrast to Fatima’s own parents.

I was confused by one thing. Raheem’s plate is piled high with hamburgers. Do Muslims eat hamburgers? Isn’t pork frowned upon?

Also, the conclusion felt weak. I didn’t get a sense of Raheem as a menacing character. Also, the big reveal didn’t bring on the threatened consequences for Fatima.

(I read this book on NetGalley. Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley.)