Bitter In The Mouth Sparknotes

For this week’s assignment, we were assigned to read Bitter in the Mouth by Monique Truong. An exquisite novel, many of the themes and motives relate closely To Kill a Mockingbird from earlier in the semester. Additionally, Monique Truong’s background was captivating. Born in Saigon, Vietnam, Truong moved to Boiling Springs, North Carolina when she was seven years old. She spent the next four years in North Carolina learning English as well as experiencing first hand racism and discrimination. On many accounts, Truong mentioned names she was called including “Jap” and “Chink.” Truong later moved to Huston, Texas, where she came to the assumption that many people are defined by their appearance.
Bitter in the Mouth captures the life of Linda
Throughout the novel, Linda has had the ability, “secret sense”, to taste words. I find this trait to be very intriguing. Some of the tastes she mentions are: canned peaches, dill, and parsnip (one of my favorite descriptions). In many cases, this strange trait is used as a way of exploring the early estrangement between Linda and her adoptive mother. One quote I found to be very interesting is “Lindamint. Stopcannedcorn it!” Along the way, Linda fostered many relationships she had during her life, the first being with her Uncle Harper. Her uncle is one of the few people that loved her at the beginning of the novel. The text said her Uncle Harper loved to dance which I thought was interesting. Another one of her relationships that was interesting was with her best friend, Kelly. Linda and Kelly exchanged letters to each other daily and Kelly reminds Linda of canned peaches. Next, the novel examines an insider and outsider’s perspective of a tight knit community. As Linda leaves Boiling Springs and then returns, she is able to shed light on these different perspectives of her rural town. I too feel this same way as I go home to my rural town after spending months in