By – Robin Sloan
Fiction, literature, fantasy
Audiobook 7 hours (approx.)
Narrator Therese Plummer
Expectations – The blurb sounded cute and it’s only 7 hours so I thought I would give it a shot.
This is a story that is safe to listen to for all ages. It reminds me of the audiobooks I would listen to with the kids when they were younger. NOT the ones with the whiny children.
The leading lady works for a robot company, is part of a Lois club, eats slurry for quick meals and her new hobby is baking sourdough bread for an alternative farmers market. All of these aspects of the book make it interesting. It is literature so it does move a little slower than I like, but it still kept my interest.
I was listening to this book when I fell asleep. I was about half way through the book and thinking about how I would characterize the book. A romance with sourdough? A story about community? Finding yourself or making friends?
That night I had a dream. It was interesting but I wasn’t sure I was going to share it. Upon finishing this book I though perhaps that dream was trying to help me categorize this book for me. The ending was a bit of a surprise for me. All of my previous guesses on how to categorize the book didn’t really fit.
Off Topic/Dream Log – I’m snuggled in bed. It’s the first week of college and I’m in a happy place. My boyfriend and I recently moved in together and have been enjoying each other (this boyfriend is not anyone I know in real life but he has a very clear face). I don’t want to leave my happy bubble but know that I have already missed too many classes and need to go to class.
So, I go into campus. When I get there, people start off normal and harmless then they start changing into different monsters. There are about 5 people of the male variety, the most noticeable being my boyfriend. Their clothes become torn and dirty. Some start sprouting fur. Some have fangs. They shamble towards me. I back away from the danger but I’m not in terror.
I start the day over. This time I go to the city. Same 5 people are around and they turn into monsters again. Not the same monsters but they are obviously wrong. I back away and start a new day.
This time I go to the docks. Same people are around and once again they turn into monsters. Again they are different monsters. I know they aren’t right and back away from danger.
Back to the book – Spoilers –
So why do I think this dream has a connection with the book? It is hard to explain. She bakes the bread and it has what sounds like scary faces in them. She is ultimately not afraid of the faces but it is a defining feature. She is excited about her bread, she knows it is special but is also a little weary. In the end there is a dramatic scene involving the sourdough starter. It’s what she decides to do with the next step of her life that makes the book hard to define. Let’s just go with a literature adventure.