On a whim, Vianne Rocher and her 5 year old daughter move
into a tiny town in France that is basically run by Reynaud, the cure`, a stern
man who shepherds the villagers through their every move. With their brightly
colored clothing and outgoing ways,
Vianne and Anouk stand out like macaws
in a flock of crows. Both Vianne and Reynaud have deep secrets and Vianne earns
Reynaud’s enmity almost at once by opening a chocolate shop- which would be bad
enough in his view, but to add insult to injury, she does it at the beginning
of Lent, when Reynaud wants all to deny themselves any kind of pleasure. At
first he feels she will fail quickly, but she has a touch not just with candy
making but with people- she has the ability to know what people want or need. When
she announces plans for a chocolate festival to be held on Easter Sunday, it’s
war.
This is a work of
magical realism, but one where the magic is denied. We’re never entirely sure
it’s real… but despite the denial, there are some pretty strong signs it is. It’s
also a book about jealousy, prejudice, the value of being true to one’s self, aging
with élan, love, loss, abuse, bullying and a lot of other things that make up
life no matter where. Told in the alternating, first person POVs of Vianne and
Reynaud, the book opens their pasts enough to us so we know why they act as
they do, but leaves enough unsaid to keep us wanting more. The descriptive
prose is glittering: the chocolates, the wrappings, the foods, the wine and
champagne all appear in three dimensions and five senses. Don’t read this book
if you are dieting; it provokes cravings that, in my case at least, will not be
denied. A beautiful book.
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