Sourdough

Sourdough by Robin Sloan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A book whose title shares its name with one of my favorite foods and is based in the Bay Area has so much going for it already. I love when authors use local knowledge to create a more authentic setting, and Sloan, though not a San Francisco native, understands the Bay and the thriving, albeit bizarre, tech industry that drive much of our local economy....

I loved the beginning of this book. I loved Lois and how she fell in love with her takeout dinner place. I loved her discovery of baking bread and how it fed her in so many ways. But then the book got a little weird. Sloan likes intricate puzzles, mysteries, and the idea of breaking the status quo. And I felt like the story lost a bit of its heart in the overly complicated plot twists through the second half.

I'm not sorry to have read this book. I love books that center around food and the people who make it. Perhaps it all goes back to my capstone English course in college that centered on food and folklore, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you really, really love food, you read a lot, and/or you liked Sloan's first book.

Happy reading and happy, happy sourdough eating--