Book Club: Chocolat by Joanne Harris

I belong to a wonderful book club. In the time I have been with the group, we have read all the way through Austen, the Brontes, science fiction, non-fiction and classics from every decade. This very evening, we will gather to discuss one of my all time favorite books Chocolat by Joanne Harris. Many of you will know the book from the Oscar nominated film adaptation, starring Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench and Johnny Depp. I myself discovered the book after I watched the movie and what a wonderful discovery it was. The book is a much darker creature than the movie. In the book version, the antagonist is the priest, not an aristocrat. Additionally, many of the events that happen in the story are not resolved neatly or at all in the book. In spite of these differences, I believe the book is all the more delicious for its darkness. In honor of this great story (regardless of what medium you use), here are some readalikes for Chocolat by Joanne Harris.

Five Quarters of the Orange: A Novel by Joanne Harris
If you've polished off Chocolat and are hungry for more books in the same style, I recommend continuing with another Joanne Harris book. In this story, you'll discover the same rich language and symbolic use of food and cooking. After many years, Framboise Simon returns incognito to her childhood village in France. She does her best not to let anyone know that she is in fact Framboise Dartigen, the daughter of a woman the entire village still holds accountable for a tragedy that occurred during the German occupation. The reader will jump back and forth with Framboise as she looks from her present to her past to discover what happened during one fateful summer.

 Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
Sarah Addison Allen is one of my new favorites. Although she doesn't have the same amount of darkness in her stories as Joanne Harris does, Addison Allen captures that feeling of magical realism. That is, Sarah Addison Allen makes her stories dance on the edge of the fantastic. None of the characters overtly practice magic. Rather, like Vianne in Chocolat, magic trickles through their lives and manifests itself in particular talents or places. In Garden Spells, the town of Bascom, North Carolina is home to Claire Waverley. Claire, like all of the Waverleys before her, has a special talent. Claire's talent lies in cooking - magical things happen if you eat her meals. Claire is content with her quiet life, until her sister Sydney and Sydney's daughter Bay come to town. Unbeknownst to Claire, they are running from something. It will take all of the Waverleys combined talents to help Sydney stop running and aid Claire with letting go and healing past hurts.

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
This is the story of the De la Garza family, which consists of Mama Elena and her three daughters: Gertrudis, Rosaura and Tita. They live on a ranch near the Mexican-United States border. This story spans a number of years, but primarily takes place during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1929). Early on in the story Tita falls deeply in love with a neighbor, Pedro. Unfortunately, Mama Elena forbids the marriage, citing a De la Garza tradition that the youngest daughter remain unmarried at home to care for the mother until the mother's death. Pedro instead marries Tita's sister Rosaura, in order to stay close to Tita. Tita consoles herself by working hard in the ranch kitchen. However, when Tita cooks she unwittingly transfers her emotions into the food. This is a beautifully written, sensual story.

 Pomegranate Soup: A Novel by Marsha Mehran
Three Iranian immigrant sisters (Marjan, Bahar and Layla Aminpour) flee to the tiny village of Ballinacroagh, Ireland seeking safety. In order to support themselves, they open a restaurant celebrating the food of their homeland called the Babylon Cafe. At first the villagers are cautious, but soon the three sisters win over friends with their strength, kindness and their exotic cooking. Youngest sister Layla also begins a sweet romance with a young local man. But when a combative and close-minded villager threatens the sister's hard won peace, it's up to the young women and their new allies to prove that they belong in this new place. This is another story that celebrates magical realism through the medium of food.

For more Food Fiction, check out this awesome list, courtesy of Bellingham Public Library.