Cursed bread : a novel / Sophie Mackintosh.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mackintosh, Sophie, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Poisoning--Fiction.

Poisoning.

Hallucinations and illusions--Fiction.

Hallucinations and illusions.

Bakers--Fiction.

Bakers.

Small cities--Fiction.

Small cities.

France--History--20th century--Fiction.

France.

Pont-Saint-Esprit (France)--Fiction.

Pont-Saint-Esprit (France).

Genre:

Novels.

Historical fiction.

Physical Description:

190 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

First United States edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Doubleday, an division of Penguin Random House LLC, [2023]

Summary:

"From the Man Booker-nominated author of The Water Cure comes an elegant and hypnotic new novel of obsession that centers on the real unsolved mystery of the 1951 mass poisoning of a French village. Still reeling in the aftermath of the deadliest war the world had ever seen, the small town of Pont-Saint-Esprit 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 mesmerising, Cursed Bread is a fevered confession, an entry into memory's hall of mirrors, a fable of obsession and 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"-- Provided by publisher.

ISBN:

9780385548304

0385548303

OCLC:

1300755629