Book Recommendation: The Wizard’s Bakery!

Hi Readers!

After a long time, I read a book in a day!! When I started reading The Wizard’s Bakery, I did not think I’d finish it so soon. But, it was a lot of fun reading it. It was definitely very different than the books I’ve been reading, so I got a nice reset in that sense too. Check it out and see it you might like it too!

~~GOODREADS DESCRIPTION~~

A fantastical coming-of-age story for fans of whimsical translated fiction | The genre-defining Korean bestseller

‘Don’t we all need a little magic in our lives sometimes?’

Open twenty-four hours a day, at first glance The Wizard’s Bakery seems like any ordinary bakery where you can buy bread, cakes, and cookies, with a somewhat grumpy man behind the counter.

At first glance, that is. Because when the young boy who is our protagonist chooses it as a refuge to escape a difficult family situation, the reality he finds is quite different. Baked with the help of a mysterious blue-haired shop assistant, are sweets and pastries with immense powers, capable of changing diabolical cinnamon cookies to give to those you can’t stand, madeleines to fix broken hearts, almond bars to remember the past.

But each of these items comes with a warning, regardless of the positive or negative the power contained in the treats inevitably alters the order of the world and sometimes produces dramatic consequences for those who consume them, consequences that need to be weighed carefully.

Follow along with our protagonist as he learns about the responsibility that comes with working at this bakery . . . and most of all, how much people need a little bit magic in their lives.

~~THOUGHTS~~

We put a lot of emphasis on books that change our lives, or those who bring us out of our reading slumps, or those that make us feel all our emotions. But, rarely do we glorify the ones that are in-between. The ones where we may not remember the story in a few months.  May not even recommend it to everyone in sight. And may not have a profound impact. But, we will remember that they brought us some much-needed short-term joy. I think that’s what The Wizard’s Bakery did for me.

The book is a mere 8 chapters set in The Wizard’s Bakery. I went into it thinking it would be a cozy and wholesome novel, but the book must not be judged by its whimsical cover. At the offset itself, there are major trigger warnings highlighted, which was the proper tone setting for the novel.

The structure of the book is very well made and written with a good balance of main characters and the customers. The protagonist is an anonymous boy of 16 who has had a tough life. His mom abandoned him on a train station, shortly after which she died, which followed the long-standing speech and stuttering challenge he developed. One fine day, he was not able to take the injustice, so he fled his home and took residence at the Wizard’s bakery. Here, we then see the back story of the Wizard Baker. I truly was engrossed with the boy’s story. To have absolutely no one in the world who cared about you is a thing no one should have to go through. He was so deprived of love that when the grumpy baker showed him a somewhat normal side, the boy was overwhelmed. In a few pages, we got to feel for the boy and was left wondering how the rest of his fictional life will turn out.

On the other side, we understand the different delicacies which are baked and sold to various customers who are going through all sort of things – jealousy, first love, obsession, remorse. So, the baker sells different kinds of desserts to them, but these are no ordinary pastries. There are the Devil’s Cinnamon Cookies which are sort of like revenge cookies. Then there’s Chain Walnut Pretzel which binds or chains someone to you forever. Or the Willpower Custard Pudding which works against bad luck. Or Doppelganger Financier where your doppelganger goes to your school or work in your place. Fun, isn’t it? Well, only until it isn’t! There were only 2 to 3 customer stories, which was a bit disappointing as I would have liked more of them to really bring out complex human emotions.

I felt that when it came to pastries and their magic, it was good and fun. But then it went one notch up to include time travel and bringing back the dead. These aspects felt somewhat unnecessary but made sense for the bitter-sweet end of the novel. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. At times, I was devastated for the boy. Other times, I was craving for desserts I’ve never had (non-magic ones!) Whereas some occasions had me thinking about how we are just a bunch of emotions, that all want to come out in some form, whether justified or not. All in all, couldn’t have hoped for all of these ups and downs in a mere 200-page book but I was happily surprised! I have rated The Wizard’s Bakery by Gu Byeong-mo, translated by Jamie Chang at 4/5 stars!

Until next time,