Sourdough: A love letter to bakers and techies

    If you read Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore than you know what I'm talking about when I say Robin Sloan once again wrote a totally quirky but lovable book. Sourdough is like an ode to carbs. Or bread really. Mr. Sloan, you are a genius. Thankfully I had 2 loaves of bread (honey wheat & zucchini) in the house as I was reading this book, because take my word for it: You will want to eat an entire loaf within the first few pages.

    Lois is a programmer who recently moved to San Francisco for a job at a robotics company called General Dexterity. They specialize in developing robotic arms. Alone in a new city, Lois finds herself depressed and malnourished until she discovers Clement Street Soup and Sandwiches run by brothers Chaiman and Beo. She is soon their most frequent customer and they are her only form of social interaction. When the brothers must close up shop and leave the country, Lois is crushed, until they bring her one last delivery: their sourdough bread starter. She has zero baking experience but quickly learns how to care for the starter and bake the bread. Proud of her new little hobby, Lois begins sharing the bread with those around her and soon finds herself applying to sell the sourdough at one of the local farmer's markets. Instead she is immersed in an underground experimental market of sorts. Her programming skills and new bread baking talent are combined to make an interesting and totally one-of-kind story. 

    That was a lengthy summary, but there were so many strange little details about this story, and that synopsis didn't even skim the surface! What I liked most about this book was Lois's character. She was the nice balance to all the quirkiness going on throughout the story. She was relatable and often provided a breath of fresh air among all of the eccentricity. I loved the little snide comments she would make to herself about her coworkers and acquaintances. 

    This book wasn't just all about baking, it also incorporated technology. More specifically it combined the two and explored the ways people could (potentially) live only off of food gel packets, grow food underground with lights, and use strange and interesting ingredients and tools to make ordinary food extraordinary food. This setting was unlike anywhere I'd ever read about. Many descriptions sounded like science, but I knew it was unlikely that most of it was real or accurate. If there was anything I didn't like about this book, it was probably these scientific explanations that I thought bogged down the story line just a tad. 

    As for the ending, I loved how it all came full circle in a way. Let's just say I was hoping what happened was going to happen, although I really had no idea it would until it did! Those are the best kinds of endings! Overall, I'll say I'm usually turned off by extreme quirkiness in the characters and plots that I read, but Sloan just seemed to do it in a really interesting and balanced way here. I credit the bread. Bread makes everything better.

Sourdough is released September 5, 2017! Thanks to my boss for the ARC!

4/5 Stars