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challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The cursed bread almost seems quite peripheral until towards the end of the book. However, this is a gripping tale of a woman who becomes infatuated with a couple who move into the village. Disturbing, bizarre things start to happen and hilarity does not ensue. Highly recommend. Read trigger warnings though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Cursed Bread is set in a small village in France in the 1950. Elodie is the wife of the local baker and she’s very frustrated since her husband is obsessed with making the perfect loaf of bread and not at all interested in her. When the American ambassador and his glamorous wife Violet move into the village Elodie is soon fascinated with them and falls under their spell. Meanwhile strange and dark things start occurring in the village. This Women’s Prize longlisted book that was more of a miss than a hit for me. While I could appreciate its literary merits, the sometimes beautiful writing and imagery, this book is often described as a fever dream and I’m not the sort of reader who enjoys fever dreams. I knew the story was inspired by true events and the beginning of the book had me intrigued. The more the story progressed the darker and less easy to comprehend it became. It’s combination of desire, obsession, deceit, and violence plus the level of uncertainty about who to believe and what actually happened meant it didn’t align with my readerly tastes, but it will be perfect for other readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship