The Wonder Bread Summer: A Novel

by Jessica Anya Blau

Jessica Anya Blau, author of The Summer of Naked Swim Parties , delivers another darkly hilarious, heartbreaking coming-of-age novel with Wonder Bread Summer.

In The Wonder Bread Summer , loosely based on Alice in Wonderland , 20-year-old Allie Dodgson has adventures that rival those Alice had down the rabbit hole. Or those of Weeds’ Nancy Botwin.

Allison is working at a dress shop to help pay for college. The dress shop turns out to be a front for drug dealers. And Allison ends up on the run—with a Wonder Bread bag full of cocaine. With a hit man after her, Allison wants the help of her parents. But there’s a Her mom took off when Allison was eight; her dad moves so often Allison that doesn’t even have his phone number….

Set in 1980s California, The Wonder Bread Summer is a wickedly funny and fresh caper that’s sure to please fans of Christopher Moore, Carl Hiaasen, and Marcy Dermansky.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, New Adult, Young Adult, Summer, Drugs, Contemporary

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2013

About the author

Jessica Anya Blau is the author of the nationally bestselling novel The Summer of Naked Swim Parties and the critically acclaimed Drinking Closer to Home.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Your license plate says 'CALL GIRL.'" -- Mike the surfer dude

"It says 'CAL GIRL.' Like 'California Girl.'" -- protagonist Allie Dodgson

Author Blau's newest novel Mary Jane sounds sort of intriguing, and it has been repeatedly making appearances on GR threads as of late, but it's not yet available in my county library system. So I did the next best thing - checked out another of the author's books since I had not heard of her before.

I don't even know how to begin describing this unique tale, but it gleefully sticks its many fingers in a number of genre pies - a coming-of-age comedy / crime / family drama. It was one of the strangest damned things that I've read in awhile, but was definitely a page-turner. Set way back in the summer of '83, we tail twenty year-old UC Berkeley student Allie as she flees after being sexually harassed by her dress shop boss Jonas. Jonas happens to dabble in a side business as a drug dealer, and has defaulted on several paychecks to Allie. So when Allie runs out on him she snatches a Wonder Bread bag that is filled with a large quantity of high quality cocaine. Needless to say, complications ensue.

Over the next four days Allie - who refers to her unusual cultural identity as "black-Jewish-Asianess," and she's fond of quoting her late grandmother Wai Po's many aphorisms - has the experience of a lifetime as she attempts to find her stand-offish father (he moved AND changed jobs without telling her), dodge at least two irate men who would cause her grievous bodily harm, and even find enough time to have a one-night stand with an actual rock star as she temporarily hides in her hometown of Los Angeles. Should I even dare to mention that she is tricked (by her bestie from high school) into going on blind date . . . with a paraplegic X-rated film producer?! The Wonder Bread Summer sounds crazy but was crazy good in my opinion, with its sometimes graphic but yet involving and usually unpredictable storyline. I'd love to recommend this book to EVERYONE, but it's an acquired taste for sure. That said, if you like things off-kilter then check out this odd start to Allie's summer vacation.

[John Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having first read Mary Jane, which was wonderful I thought, then working through Jessica Anya Blau's back catalogue, this one was the most outrageous by far. The title refers to a Wonder Bread bag full of pure cocaine that features throughout the story.

Our heroine Allie is a college student, so older than any of the previous female narrators in her stories. I almost threw in the towel in the first chapter when our narrator was using coke for the first time and her boss was masturbating in front of her (her second ever penis experience) and asking her to take off her top, but I persevered.

The story was well over the top, this first episode was only the first of many, by the end I had quite a few laughs and the entertaining dialogue (including sex with Billy Idol, a condor crashing through a windscreen and other tidbits).

If you loved Mary Jane and want to discover Ms Blau's earlier over the top novels, this one will entertain, but is not for the faint hearted. In the end I really enjoyed the trip. A library ebook.

[Ariel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book sucked. Recommended by an NPR summer reading it was short and breezy, so while I didn't enjoy it, at least it wasn't a slog.

For some reason, the sucky thing that made me the angriest was the reference to Sassy Magazine. The book takes place in 1983, and Sassy wasn't published until 1988. Mistakes happen, but when the author is making a point to include cultural references and totally fucks up an easy one like this? It's almost as unforgivable as the painfully contrived author's bio at the end.

[Andrea Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It isn't often that I read a book that I can instantly visualize as a movie, but this is one of them. Allie's story is one that is totally unbelievable but is such a wild ride that you simply won't be able to put the book down.

When her boss, Jonas won't pay her, after getting her high and flashing his privates at her, she grabs a Wonder Bread bag of cocaine and starts running.

From that point on the wild starts and Allie meets the most unusual cast of characters on her journey to keep breathing; there's her college friend, Beth, Roger the quadriplegic porn producer, her mom and the crazy rock band she's the tambourine girl for and then there is rocker Billy Idol. (Oh to see him in a film version of this crazy story).

I absolutely loved Allie for all her craziness, and it was near impossible not to hurt with her when she was with her mom Penny and Jet, and you could tell that there were no maternal feelings going on there. That was sad. But just the opposite was when Allie finally got in touch with her dad, Frank. Frank was totally bad ass, and he loved his daughter.

Allie was totally naive through the book, as you see how she ends up in the predicament she's in, you couldn't help but want to slap a little common sense into her.

The other thing the really stands out in this book are the many sayings she remembers her grandma Wai Po saying.

This book was totally fun and crazy. Oh and did I mention it was set in the 80s? Woo hoo!

I can totally see this as fun summer film, just as it was a fun summer read!

[Lucie Paris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do not really know what to think of my reading.

The synopsis let me believe that I will read a story about a crazy, fun road trip with some suspense and a dangerous chase.
In my head, I imagined finding a mix between "The Hangover" and the strange "Las Vegas parano."

Well in reality, it's not so funny... A student who makes a bad decision, under the influence. She steals a bag of cocaine, then flees. In her footsteps, a hitman hired to retrieve the drugs for his boss. The reader also encounters more than surprising characters along her trip.
Allie does not seem aware of the crap in which she is... So, with the cocaine, she goes in search of her family whose situation is complex.

Her mother has some Asian blood in herself and has left the marital home to play the tambourine in a group. Her father is black and is reopening of a restaurant in a little shady conditions.

A strange story, full of stoned people, who did not moved or amused me. Anyway, I did not join but I have noted that the style is pleasant to read, I just have not been embedded in history.

Lucie
http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr...

[Marcy Dermansky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny -- and for a book that centers around a big bag full of cocaine -- surprisingly sweet. Loved reading this.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allie Dodgson needs to get paid. After loaning her boyfriend all of her savings and the money from her scholarship to fund his bar purchase (he promised a swift return plus interest for her investment and then dumped her), she's flat broke and tuition is due. She's been working in a dress shop but her boss has yet to actually pay her. Fed up and desperate (and under the influence), Allie steals a Wonder Bread bag filled with uncut cocaine. Allie's logic is that she can take just enough to sell for the cash she's due (and pay her tuition so she can continue school) and return the rest, but her boss is none too pleased with this idea. Soon Allie's got henchmen on her tail and her only hope is to get to LA and ask her folks for help.

Soooo where to begin? I kind of loved this book and I was surprised that it turned out that way. Really, on the first page you have the main character being accosted in a dressing room and tooting lines while customers wait outside the door. But Allie turned out to be a really relatable character and a kind of lovable one at that.

And seeing as how I grew up in the 80s, I really, really loved the setting (both time and place) of this book!

Throughout the story, Allie is faced with some pretty bizarre and ridiculously hilarious and awkward occurrences. (One of my favorites is her impromptu hostessing gig.) She dines with a paraplegic porn producer who turns out not to be so bad. She meets Billy Idol (another of my favorite parts) - and sleeps with him more than once. Her best friend is held hostage over the missing coke and... well, I don't want to give too much away. As her situation worsens, though, the story becomes more and more funny. I was even able to catch some of the ALICE IN WONDERLAND nods as well!

Blau is a new-to-me writer but one I'm sorry to have missed until now. In WONDER BREAD SUMMER she's crafted a darkly funny and somewhat twisted story with a vibrant and believable cast of characters - some you wish you could punch, some you wish you could hug, and some you just want to hang out with. I really can't wait to read more of her work.

I started this book Friday afternoon and finished it within just a few hours, only breaking long enough to find some supper. Readers, if you're a fan of quirky fiction you've got to give this one a try! This is probably going down as one of my all time favorite summer reads!

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

My feelings about this book are mixed. To start with, the book description led me to believe it was about a college girl who finds herself accidentally mixed up in some kind of drug deal and she has some kind of adventure as she gets herself out of that mess. Although that is sort of the case, it's less of an 'accident' and more of a 'willing participant.'

I was unprepared for the many instances of drug use, especially cocaine. I did not expect the graphic sexual situations.

If there were half-stars, I probably would have given this book a 2.5. I decided to go with a 3 because there were parts of the book that I did like. There were moments where I could identify with the main character's emotions. There is a lot of action and some parts that are downright exciting to read. There were also some scenes that were funny.

However, I felt like we didn't get to know the characters. I had a lot of questions about why people acted the way they did. Some of it felt extremely far-fetched.

I'm sure there is an audience for this book, but I don't think it's me.

[Harvee Lau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had fun reading this book and getting caught up in Allie's missteps and adventures that come about because of her extreme naivete in spite of being a twenty-year-old student at the U of California Berkeley. Allie reacts like a high school student to the problems and people she faces, and only in the end does she get some insight into her life and into what drives her.

But her naivete is what makes the book so much fun. Allie travels from Berkeley to Los Angeles in her friend's car, avoiding her pursuers who want the plastic Wonder Bread bag full of pure cocaine that Allie has in the car with her. In fact, she carries it around like a bag of bread and at one point loses it to a few of the people she trusts. Allie does her best to get the bag back to its owner, her former boss at the dress shop, so that he can call off her pursuers and leave her alone, finally. But things happen to get in the way of her simple plan...

Recommendation: A very enjoyable summer read. I like the author's sense of humor and hope to read her past and future books!

[Anna Kay]

Not my kind of book, at all. I didn't expect it to be that graphic sexually, that early into the book! I supposed I should have with a plot centering around drugs, but I didn't. And it disappoints me when authors feel the need for graphic, nasty and disrespectful usages for sex that early on in a novel. There is a reason that I mostly stick to the young adult genre, and books like this one are a big part of that reason. I can deal with drugs and other hardcore subject matter. I just don't want a book without any heart, that is focused on those things. Cause what's the point?

[Sarah Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wonder Bread Summer is the story of Allie, a college student faced with a few major problems in the early 80's. She needs to get her tuition money, and she needs it fast! She finds herself with a stolen bag full of cocaine, and a wild journey to go along with it. She encounters a few colourful characters along the way, turning to all of the people in her life for help, in what turns into a run-for-your-life type situation very quickly.

The first chapter in this book was like none I'd ever read before. It jumped right into the drug usage and sexual situations. You meet Allie and her boss Jonas, the definition of pervert. I didn't like this guy right from the start. He just screamed bad news to me and I found myself wishing I could have shook her and helped steer her in a better direction. But this story wound up being one of her journey towards finding herself, something necessary in every young woman's life and I think thats what really sold it for me. She starts out very unsure of herself, but at the end has grown a backbone, and is able to finally take control into her own hands instead of thinking about who she can turn to for help, she turns to herself. I smiled with gratification for her.

Allie's escapades are quite bizarre. When I got to learn more about her mom I understood why that is. A free spirited mom, who seemed to care more about herself. She was a very self centered individual, having left Allie when she was a young girl to be a part of a band. Most likely a reaction to her mother's death.

I fell in love with Allie's grandmother, the ever wise Wai Po. Although she's not alive, she interjects her wisdom throughout the entire book. These were my favourite parts. Such strong words, that often made me laugh out loud.

There was one disconnect in this book. The cover. The girl on the front, who i am assuming to be Allie has straight hair, and throughout the book she says how curly her hair is. That threw me off a little, but was very minor and soon forgotten.

Jessica Anya Blau has done a fantastic job creating another summer story for many to enjoy. She is a new author for me, and I will definitely be reading her other books, The Summer of Naked Swim Parties, and Drinking Closer to Home. I've come to understand why she is a Bestseller. I love her dark humour, and how fast paced her writing is. I found myself flipping through the pages so fast, especially at the end, that I accidentally tore one.

I'm glad Allie had her dad by her side. No matter how bizarre a family, she still needed someone, and it was good to see a bit of normalcy in their relationship there. The only thing that could have made this book better for me was to have been sitting on the beach reading it sipping an iced tea. It just seems so fitting.

I would recommend this book to anyone who isn't uncomfortable with drug use and a few sexual situations/references. I think you'll love this book as much as I did! I give it 5/5

[Leonel · Rating 1 out of 5]

"The Wonder Bread Summer," held such promise. It starts out kind of raw, with a very frank (almost) sex scene, and I thought, well this isn't your usual love story, which I thought was a departure to the cutesy book cover. I was instantly hooked, and kept on reading. Unfortunately, that was the best part of the book. It just tried to be "quirky" too many times, and I did not believe anything else that happened afterwards. You are supposed to root for the heroine, Allie, but she keeps on making one bad decision after another, and the characters and situations around her get more bizarre, in the most unrealistic way. The conflict is resolved in such an unbelievable way that it is almost a disservice to the set up. I go back to my being anal-retentive, and that is the only reason why I finished this book. I couldn't wait for it to end, and then feeling like reading it was a waste of time.

http://luhathoughts.blogspot.com/2013...

[Paul McBride · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read the author's two previous books and found them both well written and entertaining, so I was completely surprised at how bad this book was. The main character Allie is a sheltered and completely clueless college student who gives all her money to her new boyfriend who then breaks up with her and never pays the money back. She works for a guy named Jonas who never pays her so she steals $100,000 worth of coke and drives to LA to figure out what to do next. She sells some coke because she has no money but doesn't know how much to sell it for or what quantity! finds her dad's restaurant out of business and doesn't know what to do next. It is at this point in the book I called it quits. The story is boring and the characters up to this point were completely unbelievable, and worse I had no sympathy for Allie. One day I will have to talk to someone who was able to Finnish this book to find out how it ends.

[Beth Bauman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast, funny, wild-ass ride. The Wonder Bread Summer will grip you from the first chapter, when hapless Allie finds herself in a compromising situation with her lech of a boss. Adventures abound that are both hilarious and poignant. You'll find yourself rooting for this unlikely heroine as she sets out to change the course of her life. There's even a roll in the hay with Billy Idol circa 1983 (oh, be still my heart!). And Billy is a sweetie! Delicious summer read that's super fun and really well written.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads. I loved this book! I thought it was written very well, however I would put it at an over 18 book because of "sexual situations". I enjoyed all of it. The Wonder Bread Summer was funny and made you go hmmm all in the same page. I will totally look sideways at someone walking down the street with a Wonder Bread bag. I also laughed when I was at the grocery the other day buying bread and came across Wonder Bread :)

[Michael Downs · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one writes like Jessica Anya Blau. Funny, tender, and outrageous.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick entertaining read. It did get a little far-fetched in a couple of spots, but it was still entertaining. Alice in wonderland sort of way.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a weird-ass book

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sex, Drugs, and Berkeley, baby!

It's the "Berkeley" part that saved this book for me. I was a graduate student there in the late 90s and remember the three years I spent in the Berkeley/Oakland area to be some of the best of my life. Blau's novel is set in the summer of 1983, and she refers to various places in Berkeley and L.A. (where I also lived and don't remember nearly as fondly).

19-year-old Allie steals a bag of uncut cocaine belonging to her sleazy boss. To be fair, Allie has her reasons:

1. She's high at the time.
2. Her boss hasn't paid her for weeks.
3. Her boss just whipped out his penis and offered to masturbate while Allie touched herself.

Understandably freaked out and panicked, Allie flees the scene with two kilos of coke, which is nestled snugly in a:



Mad adventures ensue:

Allie runs into a bad-boy-surfer cum drug dealer who's not a nice guy. She tracks down her groupie mother, who tries to steal her coke instead of helping. She finds out her dad's restaurant has gone out of business. She's still pining for her ex-boyfriend, Mike, to whom she lent 7k (money he hadn't paid back, of course).

Late on her tuition and evicted from her apartment, Allie is a girl on the run; she is desperate for some cash and only wants the money owed to her. She plans on giving back the coke, but once she's on the road (in her friend Beth's brand-new Honda Prelude), well, it's a little too late.

This is a black-comedy, a caper, a series of ever-increasingly-absurd escapades. Life happens to Allie rather than vice versa. She's passive and doesn't make great decisions.

I laughed aloud in several parts and flew through this book, but the plot is thin, and Allie's adventures don't amount to much. There's a lot of talk of race (Allie is black/Chinese/Jewish), most of it not particularly PC (but probably realistic considering the book is set in the 80s).

The book reminded me of:



But for girls.

If you feel weird reading about lots of drugs and lots of sex, skip this one. If you want an easy, brainless read and have a soft-spot for the 80s, give it a go.

[Mme Forte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't sure I could get into this til I began to believe it was meant to be sort of farcical. It was lighthearted and yet a little dark, too -- the first scene with the main character and her employer almost put me off altogether, but I'm glad I hung in there. This was a good summer-type read. I would have liked better editing/proofing, though. You don't stop a car with "breaks" and "wench" isn't something you use for heavy pulling. Pretty sure about that.

[Mwinikubalt.edu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is just pure fun -- I love what Kirkus said about it - "Quentin Tarantino meets HBO's Girls."
I love all Blau's work, have read every word she's ever written, and am only sad that I finished this and have to wait for the next one.

[D.g. · Rating 5 out of 5]

HILARIOUS! I absolutely loved this book. It was outrageous, fun, funny, and touching in the end. The perfect summer read.

[Bridget · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't bother.

[Ed Mckeon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not sure why I finished this, because I didn't like it. It is yet another author trying to out-picaresque John Kennedy Toole. When the condor fell through the windshield I should have put it down.

[Jady Babin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

‘Mary Jane’ by Jessica Anya Blau was one of my favorite novels in 2021 which piqued my curiosity about her earlier books.

Her novel titled ‘The Wonder Bread Summer’ caught my attention, as I am a child of the Wonder Bread era myself. 🍞

This story has a similar coming-of-age theme to ‘Mary Jane’.
In this book, Allie, a young adult gets herself caught up in a whirlwind of chaos while trying to stand up for herself in a discomfiting situation.
Set in 1983 and taking place over a span of 4 days, this quick read is sprinkled with ‘80s nostalgia and light humor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Kendra Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an average book for me. Not terrible, not amazing.

[Angethemuppet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bizarre and intriguing

[Megan Stolz]

I'm glad I stuck with this one -- the first couple chapters didn't jive with me, but by the end, I loved the main protagonist. She showed real development throughout the book and her journey is fun.

[Libby · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was hard to get into and I picked it because I absolutely loved Mary Jane by the same author. It was kind of all over the place. I will still try another by this author in the future and see how it goes.

[Dasha Shevchenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a ride, omg. Definitely not what I expected when I first picked up this book. It was really explicit about everything and so so chaotic. I had a lot of fun reading it, though.