A Beautiful, Terrible Thing

Synopsis: Author Jen Waite met Marco at work. He was the new bar manager, and she was a new waitress, working to make ends meet as she tried (like millions) to “make it” as an actress or model in New York City. She fell for him HARD, and before long they moved in together. She invested in his dream of opening a restaurant, got married, and pregnant soon thereafter. Did I mention that he was undocumented? She helped him get a green card. The dream came to a crashing end when the author discovered evidence of his infidelity within weeks of the birth of their daughter. Yikes.

Review: This memoir was definitely raw and emotional. No doubt, I felt for this poor young woman. She describes, in excruciating detail, the post mortem of the affair and marriage. The obsessive dissection of it all, the need to UNDERSTAND. It’s painful. Not to be unsympathetic, but it was a little much. It made me think of how you might have a friend, or maybe even BE the person who can’t stop talking about the problems in their relationship. It made me wonder what her daughter is going to think of this when she has the ability to read it. I kept waiting for the shocking reveal, that would explain why this warrants a memoir. Not to cast aspersions, but affairs and divorce are not that shocking. Somehow, the “reveal” never came. Still, she has the ability to write. She describes her (soon-to-be) ex husband and his new girlfriend, noting that she is well aware that THIS relationship also will not last. “They will implode on the shards of a million bad decisions.” Well. That’s a line I will never forget, and if you can write even ONE unforgettable line of prose, you have my admiration. I wish her well.

Rating: 3/5

Recipe: Break up chocolate cake, courtesy of Dessert for Two. Or maybe just one, in this case.

1/2 cup all purpose flour

5 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup sour cream

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon warm water or coffee

handful freeze dried raspberries, crushed to a powder

powdered sugar for sprinking on top

1) Heat oven to 360.

2) Spray a 6” cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

3) Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

4) In medium bowl, stir the oil and sugar together. Add the sour cream and stir until blended.

5) Add egg and vanilla to the oil and sugar mixture, stir until combined.

6) Mix half of flour mixture into wet ingredients, then the water, then the remaining flour.

7) Put into prepared pan, and bake for 30 minutes.

8) Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove and place on cake stand.

9) Place a heart cookie cutter in the center of the cake and fill with raspberry powder.

10) Cover the heart with papeer, and sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the rest of the cake.