1.5 Don’t let the cozy, gentle cover fool you - this book is pure darkness. Originally published in 2009, this seems to be capitalizing on the success healing fiction has enjoyed in English-speaking markets; the only problem is: it’s not healing fiction whatsoever.
Content Warnings: child physical abuse, child sexual abuse, rape, gaslighting, physical violence, sexual violence, suicide, self-harm, toxic relationships, controlling partner, stalking, assault, body horror, murder, demonic nightmares. Many of these range from prominent to graphic.
I was really disappointed in this book, especially having enjoyed “Apartment Women” by the same author. The writing wasn’t as compelling (I mean, it’s an older book so that kinda makes sense) and fell very flat emotionally. The characters, especially the bakery customers, were pretty much all objectively awful people (Bluebird being the exception). The Baker was unstable in a way that made me nervous and the unnamed teenager didn’t have much personality outside of a speech impediment. The bakery sense of place and food writing was entirely missing-in-action or, in the case of the latter, disgustingly subverted. The overall vibe was claustrophobic and tense. While I think the choice of omniscient narrator was to lean into the fairy tale theme, it didn’t work for me as a reader when we were experiencing the story through the teenage boy (who couldn’t possibly have known many of the things in the info-dumpy sections).
I understand that the French language edition has an author’s note where the author shares that they intentionally subverted the ‘healing fiction’ genre, steering away from positively, healing, and, dare I say, saccharine. I appreciate the energy but this went too far in the other direction, into trauma porn territory.
Do not be fooled by the blurb comparisons, especially the one comparing this to the middle-grade book “The Rainfall Market”. Even Dallergut Dream Department Store is an unfair comparison. Did the publishers even read this book? It's more of a horror than anything remotely 'healing'.
I finished this book feeling misled and manipulated… by the cover, the blurb, and the comparisons. I wonder if I'd have felt differently if this hadn't been pitched so hard as 'cozy' and 'healing'. 🤔 I'll never understand why publishers do this - a book isn't going to find its audience if they're misrepresenting it this badly. Hopefully it's rectified before publication.
Translation Note: This has been translated into British English with noticeable British colloquialisms and language choices.
My request to review this was approved by Headline, Wildfire on NetGalley.