I keep forgetting that Joanne Harris is one of my favorite authors. Her stories are, for me, so unassuming and the stories aren't as forceful as the works of Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan or even Khaled Hosseini but it never fails to capture me. Chocolat is another one of these stories and I have to wonder what took me so long to read it.
Chocolat is an enchanting story. Like all her other works, it carries a hint of magic barely perceptible, but strangely felt. Vianne Rocher comes to the French town of Lansquenet with her daughter Anouk. Armed with only the best of intentions she is met with suspicion and wariness. She puts up a chocolatier in the middle of Lent much to the chagrin of the town's priest and several hard-core Catholics. In the season of fasting and abstinence, only a merry handful of people subscribe to the extravagance that is chocolate. Vianne brings passion, happiness, a bit of extravagance and wildness to this small town. But in her wake there is also trouble and dissent and most of all, change. Change that a close-knit community is unsure of. Are they ready for this? Is she more evil than good using the powers of chocolate sweetness to her advantage?
This is the backbone of the tale and I can't say anymore because once I start I won't be able to stop. Suffice it to say that Chocolat is a must-read. Definitely.
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