Scan barcode
savvylit's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"Nobody, at the beginning, believes they will debase themselves for love. Nobody believes in anything else but joy."
Cursed Bread is a tale of violent obsession and the narrow line between hatred and love. Narrator Elodie is infatuated with Violet, a wealthy housewife who recently moved to town. Neglected by her own husband, Elodie focuses all of her sexual frustration into her obsession with Violet. As she and Violet get closer, Elodie covets every aspect of Violet's life, eventually hoping to become her.
Sophie Mackintosh is undoubtedly an incredibly talented writer. Her ability to create settings and characters is evocative and dreamlike. Cursed Bread, as a story, had a strong start with its unsettling and unreliable obsession narrative. Yet, as it progressed, I felt that something was missing. The entire narrative alludes to and builds towards a climax based on a real-life mystery. But the execution of that climax was rushed. I know that we, the readers, were only ever able to know as much as Elodie herself. However, the vagueness of the characters' motivations ultimately left me somewhat unsatisfied.
Thank you @netgalley and @doubledaybooks for the advanced reader copy of Cursed Bread in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Cursed Bread is a tale of violent obsession and the narrow line between hatred and love. Narrator Elodie is infatuated with Violet, a wealthy housewife who recently moved to town. Neglected by her own husband, Elodie focuses all of her sexual frustration into her obsession with Violet. As she and Violet get closer, Elodie covets every aspect of Violet's life, eventually hoping to become her.
Sophie Mackintosh is undoubtedly an incredibly talented writer. Her ability to create settings and characters is evocative and dreamlike. Cursed Bread, as a story, had a strong start with its unsettling and unreliable obsession narrative. Yet, as it progressed, I felt that something was missing. The entire narrative alludes to and builds towards a climax based on a real-life mystery. But the execution of that climax was rushed. I know that we, the readers, were only ever able to know as much as Elodie herself. However, the vagueness of the characters' motivations ultimately left me somewhat unsatisfied.
Thank you @netgalley and @doubledaybooks for the advanced reader copy of Cursed Bread in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Animal death, Stalking, and Sexual content
More...