Vianne by Joanne Harris

Many readers have enjoyed Joanne Harris’ Chocolat series. The first book, Chocolat (1999) was turned into a movie in 2000 starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche. Further books in the series were The Lollipop Shoes (2007), Peaches For Monsieur le Curé (2012) and The Strawberry Thief (2019). Set in the quaint French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes (a fictional place), each novel revolves around the central character, Vianne Rocher.

Now Joanne Harris has gone back and written the prequel to the series. Don’t be confused, as I was initially, about the timing of the setting of this book. (Unfortunately, Hollywood decided to set the movie version of Chocolat in the mid-1950s. Forget this, and the visual imagery associated with it).

Vianne the novel opens in 1993 in Marseille, France. Sylviane Rochas has returned from living in the USA with her mother, who has just passed away after an illness. They have lived a nomadic life, not wanting to put down roots anywhere, avoiding The Man In Black that her mother believed was pursuing them. Now free from her mother’s fears, Vianne follows the call of the changing winds to Marseille. She is in the early stages of pregnancy (the story behind that remains irrelevant). Opening a map book at random, she discovers a small town named Vianne, and so her destiny is set, and she adopts the name Vianne as well.

She arrives in Marseille and is given a room in a small bistrot by the owner, Louis Martin, who takes pity on her. In return for accommodation she works in his kitchen, learning to cook the recipes from his late wife Margot’s recipe book. Vianne begins to learn the joy of cooking. She also learns about Margot and the tragic story of her losing a child. Louis’ customers don’t trust Vianne and she must work hard to gain that trust.

It is in Marseille that she meets Guy and Mahmed, chocolatiers, who are in the process of opening a shop. This sparks her love of chocolate and the development of her skills that she will take with her when she moves on. Vianne starts to use chocolate spices in Margot’s recipes and discovers a way to unlock secrets of the past.

Vianne is fiercely independent, but also quite naïve and she has a lot to learn about motherhood, friendships and the ‘magical’ skills she has inherited from her mother. She reads tarot cards and casts spells, but she must learn that trying to influence the lives of others comes at a price.

It doesn’t matter which order you read the Chocolat books in as they all stand on their own. It is quite satisfying though to learn about Vianne and how she became the magical character she is. Joanne Harris says that 25 years after publishing the first novel, “it’s important to look at the past, to understand where we come from in order to move ahead. Which is why I’ve chosen to write this book now, a book that feels almost like travelling in time.”

As with the rest of the books, there is a frequent mention of food and chocolate. There is a touch of magic, some mystery and a cast of characters that all have their own secrets that they are hiding. A delicious read.

Reviewer: Rachel White

Hachette