This Book is Not Gluten-free
Reviewing ‘Sourdough’ by Robin Sloan
It seems the universe is intent on making my goal to remain (largely) gluten-free the most difficult challenge in the world. As if it wasn’t hard enough finding a good gluten-free bread option (Trader Joe’s is my favorite), I devoured an entire audiobook detailing the wonders of sourdough.
“Sourdough” by Robin Sloan was recommended to me by BookTok; I found its cover and premise to be adorable. As I always do before reading a book, I looked at Storygraph reviews. They were not kind to this savory little story.
Many readers were not invested in the sourdough culture or learning how to bake bread. They didn’t see the point in reading about a young woman finding herself in a hobby foreign to her. To those readers I say, “Listen to the audiobook.”
The narrator, Thérèse Plummer, puts in overtime voicing each character and giving them personality. Not to mention there’s hold music. That’s right. The thing that kept me going with this book, despite its admittedly slow beginning, was that the audio version included music.
Music, specifically music of the Mazg, is a big part of the plot. Hearing the fictional sounds of the Mazg people transported me to the world of “Sourdough.” If I’ve sparked your intrigue and you’re wondering what this music sounds like, consider Tibetan monk throat-signing.
Set in San Francisco, Sloan has a fun time describing the tech-types and wacky-idea-types, a.k.a. entrepreneurs, one might imagine live on the West Coast. The foodies in this story fall under the category of science-fiction, borderline magical realism.
Futuristic food fills the pages and the world the protagonist, Lois, finds herself in. Additionally, you learn of a group called The Lois Club which is a real thing!? But in the end, I may be in favor of the book because Lois is from Michigan, and I call Michigan home.
The next two paragraphs contain spoilers, be warned.
I found the book’s conclusion to be a bit easy. Somehow the story about Lois learning more about and improving herself turned into a long-distance romance between our “number one eater” and the man who gives her the title. A lack of chemistry made this seem like a plot twist, not an arc.
I was also frustrated by the way Jaina Mitra stole the starter to benefit her own research and didn’t credit the Mazg or Lois. It seemed like an injustice and an unfortunate end to the sourdough starter.
End of spoilers.
In the end, I rated Sloan’s deliciously detailed “Sourdough” four and half stars. The audiobook was indulgent in the best way providing a fully immersive listening experience.
In fact, one article explores the political themes of immigration within “Sourdough.” It did cross my mind whether Lois was in the wrong for profiting off the starter, but she actively educated herself about the Mazg, who they are, and where they came from. I found this to be a cheerful example of cultural appreciation.
If you’re looking to learn about baking and its trials and tribulations without having to buy and manufacture a new stove, I recommend this book. If you like bread, I recommend this book. If you are looking for a quick, low stakes read balancing the precipice of reality, I recommend this book.
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