"'I knew you at once, you and your little girl -
what are you calling yourselves this time?'"
If you're caught in a bit of twix, with nothing to read,
then may I suggest this excellent bounty? It is produced, not by Mars of
Slough, but Joanne Harris of Barnsley, a chef who excels in the art of
couverture chocolate. Step into her boutique, 'La Celeste Praline', and
you'll be caught unawares by her classy wares. Chocolat is a novel
of great sweetness, perfect for those who like their confictionary to be
well-milked. For readers with richer palates, however, Harris has also
produced an intoxicating blend of dark chocolate, which is - dare we say it -
extremely 'topic'al. If you're looking for a few delightful snickers, and
not a lengthy marathon, then this is the novel for you. It's certainly
richer and more exquisite than the most popular currency of chocolate bars.
Vianne Rocher arrives in the French village of
Lansquenet during its carnival, a feast before the fast of Lent. With her
is daughter Anouk (who seems to be named after a chocolate treat), and Anouk's companion,
the mysterious Pantoufle. Joanne Harris tends to write a lot about
alchemy in connection with cooking (see her excellent new novel, 'Blackberry
Wine'), but Vianne Rocher would seem to have more than culinary skills at her
disposal... This is especially apparent, though, in her delicious meeting
with Armande Voizin, to which there is more than meets the eye.
'Pantoufle' refers to Charles Perrault's fairy tale of Cinderella, and as such,
could be a subtle hint as to Vianne's true identity... It would seem
appropriate here to compare Harris' work with that of Kate Atkinson, especially
with regards to her new book, Emotionally Weird. Atkinson says that she
has been trying to write a fiction with all the richness of Lewis Carroll's
Alice in Wonderland. But it seems to me that Joanne Harris is more adept
at writing fairy tales - her characterisation is stronger, certainly.
Whilst Atkinson plays with words, Harris plays with thoughts and
emotions. Chocolat is full of magic and fairy tales, from the realisation
of a true Gingerbread house, to Vianne's use of Pagan cards and charms.
It is holy appropriate then, that the conflict and
drama within this novel stems from the masculine Church's opposition to Vianne
Rocher and her culinary work. It even seems that that Joanne Harris could
be engaging on a narrative in which God the Father and Mother Earth are the
main combatants, featuring their eternal struggle as man and wife. Father
Reynaud is the country priest who sees danger in Vianne's shop, and the novel
is narrated in the first person by both of these antagonists. Reynaud
relates his tale to the mysterious pere, whilst Vianne muses greatly on her
long lost mother, with both 'parent' appearing to be flawed in some
way. However, this struggle between the masculine and the feminine does
not become too abstract, since Josephine Muscat has to bear
the bruises in her role as battered wife. Chocolat has its fair
share of romance, but also contains a swift punch of brutal reality.
Like Blackberry Wine, Joanne Harris has decided to
serve some home truths, along with the after dinner mints. The novel
deals with thorny issue of immigration, currently a hot potato in Britain, and
the problems of a population which is growing ever older. The Pope's recent
apologies for the crimes of Roman Catholicism also resound within. These
issues may be set in the exotic French countryside, but they still have
relevance to us. Okay, so the richness of the carnivalesque and the
mystique of magic realism have been added to the mixture, but their presence
only serves to add depth, and never confusion. Vianne has a reluctance to
see her fate in the stars, but this novel has won near universal admiration and
is soon to be made into a film. It's a fiction which works on so
many different layers, but like a particularly rich cake, there is something
within it for everyone. The author uses simple words in her prose, but
the combination of these coarse ingredients is explosive. Harris certainly
knows how to play on our heart strings, to make us feel for her
characters.
Current medical advice would certainly
indicate that Chocolat can play a powerful part in releasing stress and
lowering cholesterol. It's potent mixture: a benign, yet provoking
stimulant which melts on the tongue. As for its aphrodisiac qualities,
well, I can hardly say... But the only disappointment to be had from
Chocolat is that it has to end.
AuthorTrek
Rating: 10/10
Contemporary
Relevance:
Chocolat mentions some of the excesses of the Catholic
Church, for which the Pope has recently apologised. The debate rumbles on
here.
