For our September read, Ariel and I picked up Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi. This book is definitely worth reading for the writing! I had not thought about it previous to this book but gingerbread has a special place in classics. This book is about a family recipe that comes from the mysterious country of Druhástrana. We enjoyed reading it! Below is our quick discussion about the book. Ariel’s comments are in bold. Let’s take a look at the synopsis and then we will dive into our discussion.
Perdita Lee may appear to be your average British schoolgirl; Harriet Lee may seem just a working mother trying to penetrate the school social hierarchy; but there are signs that they might not be as normal as they think they are. For one thing, they share a gold-painted, seventh-floor walk-up apartment with some surprisingly verbal vegetation. And then there’s the gingerbread they make. Londoners may find themselves able to take or leave it, but it’s very popular in Druhástrana, the far-away (and, according to Wikipedia, non-existent) land of Harriet Lee’s early youth. In fact, the world’s truest lover of the Lee family gingerbread is Harriet’s charismatic childhood friend, Gretel Kercheval–a figure who seems to have had a hand in everything (good or bad) that has happened to Harriet since they met.
Decades later, when teenaged Perdita sets out to find her mother’s long-lost friend, it prompts a new telling of Harriet’s story. As the book follows the Lees through encounters with jealousy, ambition, family grudges, work, wealth, and real estate, gingerbread seems to be the one thing that reliably holds a constant value. Endlessly surprising and satisfying, written with Helen Oyeyemi’s inimitable style and imagination, it is a true feast for the reader.
Content Notes: Attempted suicide
Gingerbread – Whole book Discussion
Gingerbread works for our ‘food in title’ prompts on the bingo board. 🙂 That is one of the reasons we wanted to pick up this book. It had an interesting premise that piqued our interest. The fact that it is considered a retelling got me curious and thinking about the fairy tale being referred to here! It was Hansel and Gretel, mostly without a Gretel, and very loosely. Ariel, did you find any connections to old tales here?
It felt vaguely familiar, but so very different! Which, I think, was entirely the point. I loved the baking motifs, and the symbolism that gingerbread holds throughout the book. It always felt like there was a direct tie to the fae and magical worlds of European fairy-tales.
I agree! It is a one of a kind book.
Let’s talk about the food – Gingerbread! It would have been fun to learn the recipe at the end of all this haha! I am wondering if Gingerbread was the metaphor for something. Harriett and Margot used it as ways to connect with their neighbors and as a token of friendships. At the same time, we also have a couple of characters who are unable to eat Gingerbread, or get addicted to it, if they do. Does it represent greed, seeking attention or is it the plain old bread?
Gingerbread is something so incredibly versatile. There’s fables about a gingerbread man, there’s gingerbread houses, and there’s gingerbread cookies that could be chewy or crunchy. To me, gingerbread is plain and seemingly upfront with what it is, until the ginger spice aftertaste stays with me even after I’ve finished the treat. I think that this story, as a whole, is like this.
Then, as we break it down and look at the specific significance, we see how the different characters have a varying relationship with gingerbread, as well as with each other. There are many many layers to this book.
The writing in this book was lyrical and immersive. However, in terms of advancing the plot itself, it did little. We got lots of flashbacks and it was often 20 pages since something was briefly mentioned, that its significance became apparent.
Concluding thoughts
Overall, I’m really glad we picked this book up. However, much of the book seems a bit stretched, and I feel like we could have had a more enjoyable reading experience if it was a shorter novella. However, this book is definitely so lyrical and pretty to read, it’s a book that –if thoroughly enjoyed– could be read over and over and over and the reader would discover new significance each time. I’d definitely be interested in reading more books from the author, as well.
I agree that a reread would be like reading the book with new eyes! 🙂
That’s all for our discussion for Gingerbread! You know we love describing our reading experience to you! Here is a summary of our read:
Interested in reading Gingerbread and adding to our discussion? Find it on all retail stores. Here are the Amazon links for your convenience. I would recommend finding it at your local library.
Amazon Print
Amazon Kindle
Cover Photo by Neven Krcmarek on Unsplash
Just checked out the audiobook from my library!
Woho! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂