Gingerbread
Gingerbread plays a major role in folk tales and it is the focus of Helen Oyeyemi’s latest novel, titled Gingerbread. I gobbled this book up almost as fast as I would a spicy gingerbread cookie.
Although gingerbread becomes its own character in this story, the main characters are Harriet and Perdita Lee, mother and daughter who are not your average working mother and British schoolgirl. Harriet is from a place that, according to history books and Wikipedia, doesn’t exist. But from there she brought a recipe for gingerbread that few people can resist. It, along with Harriet’s charismatic childhood friend Gretel Kercheval, has had a hand in everything – good or bad – that has happened to her since they met.
Oyeyemi’s Gingerbread follows the Lee family through encounters with jealousy, ambition, family grudges, work, and wealth and shows just how strong family bonds truly are.
One of the interesting things Oyeyemi did in this story was have Harriet’s history before Perdita was born told as an exceedingly long bedtime story. Perdita and her dolls interject many times, which breaks up the story flow in a refreshing way. Readers also hear what happened to Perdita when she tried to get back to her mother’s homeland in the same fashion. The book is short enough where this style doesn’t bog down the book and make it unreadable.
I really liked the way Oyeyemi portrayed the various family dynamics in this book. There were so many different types of families and they all had their own quirks and grudges and fears that made them interesting to read about. My favourite little family will always be Harriet, her mother, and Perdita. Those three women withstood a great deal of change and confrontation, but they were always there for each other. Their resiliency is admirable.
Finishing Oyeyemi’s books never leaves me disappointed. I’m excited to see what she writes next! Anyone who wants to read a surprising, satisfying book will find a feast awaiting them in Gingerbread.
Gingerbread Rating: ★★★.5
Although gingerbread becomes its own character in this story, the main characters are Harriet and Perdita Lee, mother and daughter who are not your average working mother and British schoolgirl. Harriet is from a place that, according to history books and Wikipedia, doesn’t exist. But from there she brought a recipe for gingerbread that few people can resist. It, along with Harriet’s charismatic childhood friend Gretel Kercheval, has had a hand in everything – good or bad – that has happened to her since they met.
Oyeyemi’s Gingerbread follows the Lee family through encounters with jealousy, ambition, family grudges, work, and wealth and shows just how strong family bonds truly are.
One of the interesting things Oyeyemi did in this story was have Harriet’s history before Perdita was born told as an exceedingly long bedtime story. Perdita and her dolls interject many times, which breaks up the story flow in a refreshing way. Readers also hear what happened to Perdita when she tried to get back to her mother’s homeland in the same fashion. The book is short enough where this style doesn’t bog down the book and make it unreadable.
I really liked the way Oyeyemi portrayed the various family dynamics in this book. There were so many different types of families and they all had their own quirks and grudges and fears that made them interesting to read about. My favourite little family will always be Harriet, her mother, and Perdita. Those three women withstood a great deal of change and confrontation, but they were always there for each other. Their resiliency is admirable.
Finishing Oyeyemi’s books never leaves me disappointed. I’m excited to see what she writes next! Anyone who wants to read a surprising, satisfying book will find a feast awaiting them in Gingerbread.
Gingerbread Rating: ★★★.5