Cursed Bread

A Novel

By: Sophie Mackintosh

Narrated by: Genevieve Gaunt

WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION NOMINEE • Best Book of the Month: The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Book Riot, CrimeReads • An elegant and hypnotic new novel of obsession that centers on the real unsolved mystery of the 1951 mass poisoning of a French village, by the Booker Prize–nominated author of The Water Cure

"Intoxicating, sumptuous, and savage.”—Alexandra Kleeman, acclaimed author of Something New Under the Sun

Still reeling in the aftermath of the deadliest war the world had ever seen, the small town of Pont-Saint-Esprit collectively lost its mind. Some historians believe the mysterious illness and violent hallucinations were caused by spoiled bread; others claim it was the result of covert government testing on the local population.

In that town lived a woman named Elodie. She was the baker’s wife: a plain, unremarkable person who yearned to transcend her dull existence. So when a charismatic new couple arrived in town, the forceful ambassador and his sharp-toothed wife, Violet, Elodie was quickly drawn into their orbit. Thus began a dangerous game of cat and mouse--but who was the predator and on whom did they prey?

Audacious and mesmerizing, Cursed Bread is a fevered confession, an entry into memory’s hall of mirrors, and an erotic fable of transformation. Sophie Mackintosh spins a darkly gleaming tale of a town gripped by hysteria, envy like poison in the blood, and desire that burns and consumes.

©2023 Sophie Mackintosh (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

Named a Most Anticipated Book of the Year by LitHub

"A vivid and visceral account of a postwar French village and its sudden descent into the grip of madness...This novel is a masterclass in observation, of fracturing personalities but also in its tight and nuanced portrait of the rituals and minutiae of small-town life. Afterwards, you’ll want to devour it all over again. 10/10." —The Independent (UK)

"Intoxicating, sumptuous, and savage, Cursed Bread has a gothic sensibility that is entirely original. In Mackintosh's hands, the strange, compulsive machinations of desire become luminous and ghastly all at once." —Alexandra Kleeman, author of Something New Under the Sun

"Vivid and shocking, written with stunning, incantatory prose, Cursed Bread is the kind of book that upends your nervous system." —Julia May Jonas, author of Vladimir

Just not very interesting

I adored the author's previous books, but this one just drags, and the characters aren't sufficiently interesting for me to slog through it. Bummer.

Meh

I think the premise is interesting but I didn’t feel any connection to the characters. The narrator was unreliable so still not sure exactly what was happening. The eroticism needed better context to be compelling. Just not for me I guess.

What is going on?

Just. Couldn’t figure out what was happening. . Kept listening but it got more confusing to me.

Poetic language

This book was sultry, sexy, sapphic, and left me feeling like I needed a glass of wine and a cigarette.