"I know, I know. You want me to get to the
point. But this is at least as important as the rest, the method of
telling, and the time taken to tell."
So begins the combative narration of Framboise
Dartigen. She's returned home to the town of her childhood after more
than forty years, aware that it is vitally important that she does not give
away her identity, or else she'll be unable to live there. So what
does she do? She opens a restaurant in her old home called 'Crepe
Framboise'!!! It would appear that Paul is not the only character in this
novel who has learning difficulties. Framboise gets frightened when a
food critic writes about her restaurant, concerned that her dark secret will be
revealed. The likelihood of this increases, as Framboise's nephew has
married an ailing foodie. The nephew and his wife are after the country
recipes from the journal of Framboise's mother, the recipes that have made
Crepe Framboise so successful.
The narrative flits forward and backwards through
time, much as 'Blackberry Wine' did, for Framboise's secret is to be found
rooted in the Nazi occupation of France. Much of this concerns the difficult
relationship that Framboise has with her mother, who is afflicted by the most
debilitating strain of migraine. Framboise baits her mother by bringing
orange rind into the house (a trigger for her migraines), much as she baits Old
Mother, the monstrous Pike of the Loire, whose appearances always coincidence
with bad luck. 'Les Laveuses' means 'the washerwomen' in French, an odd
name to give a town you might think. But the fact that Brittany has
legends of drunk old men wandering home from the pub and being found dead
wrapped in shrouds may have influenced Harris's chose of name, and it's
certainly appropriate in this novel. I'm not sure that the naming of the
local inn 'La Mauvaise Reputation' is such a good idea, however - if
it's related to Brassen's poem of the same name, it could have be
anachronistic at the very least. Maybe the French have a habit of calling
their pubs this name?
Life changes a great deal for Framboise when she
becomes nine. She undergoes some premature bodily changes, which almost
seem to lead her into the town of Angers, there to meet Tomas Leibniz, a
charming young German soldier. But is Framboise the only one to fall for
his charms? Framboise's older siblings, brother Cassis and sister
Reinette also fall into Tomas's web. Their young eyes seemingly see
everything, but they do not understand, as an adult would. This is
Framboise's fate. She's terrified of being exposed, but yet she seems to
flirt with danger.
I think that when an author makes a
character articulate misgivings with a text, as Harris does here with
Framboise, I believe it is because the author is unsure of the text
herself. It's possibly something that I would do in the same
situation. I must admit that I was concerned when I discovered that Joanne
Harris was writing about France again, and about food. My worry is that
Joanne Harris is possibly being turned into a brand, and her English
publishers in particular will force her to stick to a 'winning'
formula of writing about France and Food, when she has a far wider
range. Certainly, the jackets for Joanne Harris's novels all follow the
same style. However, the photograph of an old mantelpiece could cover any
location, and bear anything as well as food. What about a gritty
Yorkshire mantelpiece for the next novel? Or a sooty Victorian
one? Or a sultry Arabian one? The consensus seems to be that this
is Joanne Harris's darkest novel, but I'd argue that
'Sleep, Pale Sister' is
far darker, and far more satisfying (especially from a cultural point of
view). Certainly, the real life story of a Loire village called Maille is
far more bloody and tragic than anything Joanne Harris produces here.
I was not greatly interested in Framboise's modern
day story. The predatory nephew and his wife, and their attempts to
snatch the journal of Framboise's mother by the employment of a quite
stereotypical form of aggravation did not involve me in the slightest.
Also, with the later media attention to Framboise, the suggestion that her life
story could be made into a film, is reminiscent of a far more credible and
better composed segment of 'Blackberry Wine'. Like J.K. Rowling, Joanne
Harris does sometimes look uncomfortable in the brightness of the
limelight. From my perspective, 'Five Quarters of the Orange' does not
really fit together. The much stronger narrative of Framboise's childhood
could have formed the basis of a smaller, but much more powerful book.
But this is just my perspective. Joanne
Harris well deserves the success that she is currently enjoying, and my
appetite for her fiction will never be sated. Which is why I'm not going
to publish this review beyond the pages of authortrek. Perhaps I found
reading 'Five Quarters of the Orange' uncomfortable because Framboise's mother
somewhat resembles my own. Maybe I was afraid that this novel would
trigger off a migraine (I had a bout of them ten years ago - never
again!). The figure of the stuttering child is also not one that I care
to remember. The nasty things we do as a kid is never a comfortable
topic, and Joanne Harris is very skillful in the way she writes about it.
'Five Quarters of the Orange' could very well be one of those novels that I
don't like very much because of the fear that it may haunt me forever, just
like the ghostly voice that booms towards the end is never wholly exorcised by
Framboise.
authortrek:
7/10
Rapscallion is
an interesting word used in the journal of Framboise's mother. This is
what it means
Les Laveuves -
means 'washerwomen'! An unusual name to give a village. The strange
fables described in this website may give us a clue as to why Harris chose this
name for the village in 'Five
Quarters of the Orange'. It's certainly in just about the right area
of France for this legend
Angers -
a description and brief history of the town
Angers –
the Wikipedia entry
The Loire Valley -
Harris has certainly picked a sumptuous location
Maille, the Martyred Village -
this massacre by the Germans was carried out in the Loire region. It was
far more bloody than the slaughter in Five
Quarters of the Orange, and most of the victims were women and
children. A possible inspiration for the novel
Brassens: La Mauvaise Reputation -
probably the inspiration for the name of Les Laveuses' inn. It this was
written by Brassens in 1952, then it's a possible anachronism in the
novel. Or maybe there's a tradition in France of giving pubs this name!
The Seven Swans -
this is one of the fairy tales mentioned in Five
Quarters of the Orange
Backfisch -
this painful translation from the German may give some indication of why Tomas
calls Framboise this nickname
Migraine Triggers -
citrus fruits can indeed induce migraines, as can lack of sleep, birth control
pills, and sleeping pills. No wonder Framboise's mother was half out of
her mind!
