"An intoxicating read, set in a small town in France, that loses itself in the layered labyrinth of one woman’s mind during the 1950’s."
Deeply dark and complex, this fascinating novel teases into a downward spiral of obsession and delusion. Set after the Second World War in France, the baker’s wife Elodie becomes infatuated with a new couple who arrive in town. I began the proof of this novel just knowing that it was to be an” eerie historical mystery about desire, memory and madness”, once I reached the end, the Author’s Note made lightbulb sense and if there is no more explanation to come with the finished copy then I’m not sure whether to advise that you sneak a peak at the note or wait until you’ve finished the book. So, I would suggest that if you are happy to exist in a dream or nightmare-like world full of envy and desire not knowing where reality sits then wait, if you’d rather have a little knowledge before starting so you can make a somewhat ordered sense of proceedings, then take a look at the note. Personally I’m glad I didn’t have the pre-knowledge. At times I wasn’t sure whether I was existing in Elodie’s memory or delusion, so felt as though I was floating above the novel. It actually ensured that I didn’t overthink, I just soaked up the words. I loved knowing that this was written during lockdown, author Sophie Mackintosh uses those strange times to create the most fascinating of worlds. At times Cursed Bread was painful to read, I flinched and almost wanted to read between my fingers. With an ending that strikes with a powerful energy, Cursed Bread is a bewitching and darkly provocative novel.
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
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