Book Review: Sourdough
by Jenn Seiler-Patrick, Five Points West Regional Branch Library
Sourdough
Robin Sloan
“It was a fungal party hellscape.”
― Robin Sloan, Sourdough
I’m actually on my 2nd time through Sourdough, if that is any indication of my affection for the novel. I am a true lover of sourdough (any bread, to be honest), so I read this book for that reason alone. But it also spoke to my soul—because I like a little bit of magic thrown into real life. AKA the “magical realism” genre, if you’re trying to be fancy.
Lois moves to San Francisco to work a million hours a week creating coding that teaches robotic arms all kinds of tasks. Which is going fairly poorly, until she is gifted a sourdough “starter” that happens to be equal parts: magical, picky, moody, and delicious. Lois’ journey to happiness and self-discovery is funny and uplifting, while also being relatable to those of us who have struggled with the questions: “what are you doing with your life” and “can bread sing/am I crazy?”
Here are some other magical realism books at the library that might interest you as well:
Garden Spells (Waverley Family #1) by Sarah Addison Allen
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Robin Sloan
“It was a fungal party hellscape.”
― Robin Sloan, Sourdough
I’m actually on my 2nd time through Sourdough, if that is any indication of my affection for the novel. I am a true lover of sourdough (any bread, to be honest), so I read this book for that reason alone. But it also spoke to my soul—because I like a little bit of magic thrown into real life. AKA the “magical realism” genre, if you’re trying to be fancy.
Lois moves to San Francisco to work a million hours a week creating coding that teaches robotic arms all kinds of tasks. Which is going fairly poorly, until she is gifted a sourdough “starter” that happens to be equal parts: magical, picky, moody, and delicious. Lois’ journey to happiness and self-discovery is funny and uplifting, while also being relatable to those of us who have struggled with the questions: “what are you doing with your life” and “can bread sing/am I crazy?”
Here are some other magical realism books at the library that might interest you as well:
Garden Spells (Waverley Family #1) by Sarah Addison Allen
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
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