Stephanie reviewed Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi
An Unexpected Joy
4 stars
I got this book from the library, and it served as a wonderful companion during a time in which I was struggling to find inspiration to write, or, to be honest, to enjoy much of anything.
I'm writing this several months after reading it, but it left an impression on me. The prose was full bodied, and like the novel's namesake, the narrative was rich and filling.
I feel like I'd need to go back and re-read it again to leave a really fair and fresh review, but what strikes me most is how sensitively the author explored the themes of alienation and self-realization - it really makes you think of how an oppressive regime can erase not only the existence of its people from the larger world, but the people's memory of the existence of themselves.
