GINGERBREAD by Helen Oyeyemi | Book Club Discussion

Join Read It Forward editors Abbe and Jess as they discuss and analyze GINGERBREAD by Helen Oyeyemi. Find the book here: https://bit.ly/2LwvE7I About GINGERBREAD Influenced by the mysterious place gingerbread holds in classic children’s stories, beloved novelist Helen Oyeyemi invites readers into a delightful tale of a surprising family legacy, in which the inheritance is a recipe. Perdita Lee may appear to be your average British schoolgirl; Harriet Lee may seem just a working mother trying to penetrate the school social hierarchy; but there are signs that they might not be as normal as they think they are. For one thing, they share a gold-painted, seventh-floor walk-up apartment with some surprisingly verbal vegetation. And then there’s the gingerbread they make. Londoners may find themselves able to take or leave it, but it’s very popular in Druhástrana, the far-away (or, according to many sources, non-existent) land of Harriet Lee’s early youth. The world’s truest lover of the Lee family gingerbread, however, is Harriet’s charismatic childhood friend Gretel Kercheval —a figure who seems to have had a hand in everything (good or bad) that has happened to Harriet since they met. Decades later, when teenaged Perdita sets out to find her mother’s long-lost friend, it prompts a new telling of Harriet’s story. As the book follows the Lees through encounters with jealousy, ambition, family grudges, work, wealth, and real estate, gingerbread seems to be the one thing that reliably holds a constant value. Endlessly surprising and satisfying, written with Helen Oyeyemi’s inimitable style and imagination, it is a true feast for the reader. Not sure what to read next? Sign up for book recommendations and giveaways from Read It Forward: http://bit.ly/2cEoDSe At http://ReaditForward.com we guide you towards a literary future full of books that surprise, inspire, and bring you happiness. Every week, we give away books we love, introduce you to amazing authors, and celebrate the love of reading in a shout-it-from-the-rooftops kind of way. Subscribe to Read It Forward on YouTube:    / @papercutsvideo   Read It Forward on Facebook:   / readitforward   Read It Forward on Twitter:   / readitforward   Read It Forward on Instagram (Book Bento) Instagram:   / bookbento   Read It Forward on Pinterest:   / readitforward   Tags #HelenOyeyemi #ReadItForward #BookClub