Chocolat by Joanne Harris

I can’t believe I have gone 21 years without ever reading this book. I’ve heard people rave about both the film and the book before, I’ve just never really gotten around to it. I started reading this while I was traveling, and I just couldn’t put it down – I read it on the bus, on the train and even squeezed in a few pages when I was standing in line for a few minutes. This beautiful book makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, a perfect book to read whilst curled up on the sofa with a mug of tea.

Chocolat tells the story of Vianne Rocher, a young single mother who has traveled from place to place her whole life, and at the beginning of the story moves to the small French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes with her six-year-old daughter, Anouk. From the moment Vianne arrives, she is scrutinized by the townspeople, unused to and wary of strangers in their midst. But no one is more disgruntled by her presence than the local parish priest, Francis Reynaud. Events in his past and secrets he holds close make Francis unlike your typical clergyman, and his distaste for Vianne only increases when she opens the small chocolate shop La Praline directly opposite the church, at the beginning of Lent. The intoxicating, rich descriptions of Vianne’s chocolate delicacies that Harris provides soon leave your mouth watering. Vianne’s knack for creating irresistible treats soon sway members of the parish to her shop, where they begin to warm to her charming personality. The arrival of a group of gypsies on their houseboats create a rift in the town, as some resent their presence and the memories it stirs up, while others are inspired by their symbol of freedom, and begin to fight against the binds of their families and faith.

The characters in this book struck a chord with me, as the decisions they make about their lives and the way they live them inspire you as a reader, and remind you how important your dreams are. Chocolat reawakened my passion for travel; it made me want to visit quiet little villages in France and Italy, where the shutters are all closed during the day, and there is only a church a bakery, and a post office to be seen for miles. And maybe a chocolate shop too.

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Another brilliant instalment by Sarah Dessen, this time focusing on the little beachside town of Colby, which has been the setting for two of Dessen’s previous novels – ‘Last Chance’ and ‘Along for the Ride’.

The Moon and More makes the final transition from Lakeview (the setting for the majority of Dessen’s novels) to Colby; instead of focusing on someone spending their summer vacation in Colby, the novel is centred around someone who calls it home.

Emaline is poised on the cusp of a summer of change, as she breaks up with her long term boyfriend and works for her family’s holiday-home rental company for the last time before she leaves for college. After living in such a close-knit community for her whole life, Emaline isn’t scared by the prospect of such change – she looks forward to it. The theme of change is one often seen in Dessen’s novels, as the main character tries to escape the events of her past and reinvent herself to find happiness. The Moon and More approaches the subject of change in a slightly different manner, as Emaline begins to realise that in her hurry to leave, she hasn’t considered what she’d be leaving behind. This novel is a journey of self discovery for Emaline, alongside the realisation of what’s truly important in ones life.

I grew up in a city where you don’t recognize one face from another and nobody stops to say hello. Although this anonymity had certain advantages, such as the opportunity to shed your past with relatively little effort, I was envious upon reading this novel of the close-knit hometown described, the true meaning of the word community. I find this is one of Dessen’s strongest talents as a writer; she has the ability to paint a setting and portray a backstory so vivid, the reader finds herself falling into Dessen’s narrative effortlessly.

Ten Seconds from the Sun by Russell Ceyln Jones

This is one of those books you can’t quite shake, no matter how much you may want to. Empathy and disgust run hand in hand throughout the novel as you slowly acquaint yourself with the books main protagonist, Paul Greenland. Paul is a married man with two wonderful children, who has done something terrible in his past, something that he cannot move on from. I have read many other books with a similar blurb; the main character had a secret, something horrible they have done that wracks then with guilt. But throughout the course of such books the reader often comes to understand and side with the main character, and realise that what he did was not his fault, or he was placed in an impossible situation. Thus the narrative somewhat absolves him of his guilt and elevates him through his unrelenting repentance. But this book is not like that. This book is unlike anything I have ever read.

Even on the last page I found I could not convince myself that I like Paul as a character, and I felt that he truly deserved everything he got. But there’s also a small dark, twisted part of you that thinks perhaps you can understand this completely incomprehensible thing that Paul did. Not in terms of his reasoning, but you can begin to see the naivety and often baseless cruelty that accompanies childhood. Such infantile evil is similar to that which can be seen in William Faulkner’s Lord of the Flies, as both authors illustrate how quickly the facade of an innocent child can dissolve when he does not have the proper guiding principles to discern right from wrong.

Ten Seconds from the Sun explores the most terrible aspects of childhood and the human soul, then puts forth the question of whether one really can change their very nature. Paul almost convinces us he is capable of change, but this is thrown into question as once again he finds himself meticulously planning something unspeakable. Even more baffling is how the reader finds themselves supporting his dark fantasies and hoping he will put them into action. Clemantine is living proof that people do not change, as in adulthood she is every bit as cruel, vile and selfish as she was as a child. But then one can look at the stark differences in Clemantine and Paul’s upbringing, and wonder if her behaviour can be chalked up to a disturbing childhood – should all people know the basic laws of right vs wrong, or is it something that we must be taught, otherwise we may never understand it? However, if Clemantine’s actions can be attributed to her terrible childhood, what is Paul’s excuse? Coming from a (somewhat) stable, comfortable home, how can a well brought-up child suddenly fall to such horrifying lows? This novel explores such questions in detail, and the readers find themselves questioning what makes us who we are, as we discover the fine line between good and evil.

This is without doubt an extraordinary book, one unlike anything I have ever read and unlikely to be forgotten.

Spotlight on an Author: Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen is an American author who writes young adult novels, all based around experiences in a young girl’s life that can change who she is or how she sees herself: falling in love, parents getting divorced, moving house… Dessen started out as a guilty pleasure for me, a kind of welcome relief from the more intellectual books I had to read for exams, but then as I read more of her books I grew to love her voice, the likeability of her characters and the way she makes you believe in yourself and increase your own sense of self-worth. I was also always partly jealous of some of the characters in her books; Remy for the easy-going, funny boyfriend Dessen created for her in Dexter, and Halley for having a such a close best friend as Scarlett. It is also exciting to look out for certain characters that make another cameo appearance in Dessen’s later novels – sometimes not even by name but by a visual description from afar, or a topic of passing conversation, but the glee you feel as a reader when you manage to find a much-loved past character is akin to finding Stan Lee in the Marvel Films…

Dessen’s books are remarkably uplifting, and she has the ability to make the reader recognise shared insecurities within her novels, and learn how to overcome them.

Here’s some info on a few of my favourite Sarah Dessen books, and why I love them so much:

Keeping the Moon – this novel follows the recent weight-loss enthusiast Colie as she moves to the beach in Colby to stay with her aunt Mira. Colie is insecure and doesn’t believe in herself, but after meeting best friends Morgan and Isabel at the Last Chance Bar and Grill where she gets a job as a waitress, Colie finally begins to grow into her own skin.

I enjoyed this book as I recognised many of my own insecurities and defensive reflexes in Colie, and having worked as a waitress for many years, I loved how Dessen was able to capture the stress, frantic atmosphere and feeling that you’re all in this together that comes with working in a restaurant: it’s Us vs. Them.

The Truth about Forever – we experience the long summer Macy has ahead of her when her genius yet distant boyfriend Jason goes away to Brain Camp, and Macy is left alone with the memories of her father’s death. But her summer takes an unexpected turn when she meets Wes and a whole new group of friends in a catering job, and Macy’s eyes are opened to fun, telling the truth and living for the moment.

Macy’s determination and need to be the best is something I can relate to; I can remember a time when exams and school seemed like the most important thing in the entire world, and for me going to University resulted in a similar experience to Macy’s summer – that sometimes you have to live for the moment, and it isn’t always better to be safe than sorry.

Someone Like You – Halley and Scarlett have been best friends forever, but both their lives change when Scarlett’s boyfriend dies in a tragic motorcycle accident, and she discovers she is pregnant with his child. As the reader we experience this all through her best friend Halley’s eyes, and see how she must deal with her friend’s problems whilst going through one of the most traumatic experiences in a young girl’s life – falling in love for the first time.

As I have already said, I was somewhat jealous of Halley and Scarlett’s close friendship, but I found it interesting to see Halley experience things that were far beyond her years, whilst trying to cling to the innocence of first love.

This Lullaby – this book follows the summer after graduation for Remy, a beautiful, determined and strong teenage girl who is wise beyond her years after helping her mother go through four failed marriages, with no father to lean on. When Remy meets Dexter he is everything she hates; disorganised, messy, and a musician like her father. But logic and reason slowly crumble away in the face of love, and Remy finds it increasingly difficult to keep Dexter at arm’s length.

I found this book, especially the ridiculous escapades of Dexter and his friends in the yellow house, absolutely hilarious. Who wouldn’t laugh at a house full of musicians who sleep and rehearse in the kitchen at 2pm, challenge eachother to banana-eating contests and constantly have the electricity cut off?

Dreamland – of all of Dessen’s books, I found this the one that stayed with me the longest. The subject matter is much more delicate and serious than her other novels, as it follows Caitlin’s abusive relationship with Rogerson Biscoe. After her sister/best friend has run away from home and she begins seeing Rogerson, Caitlin slips into a dreamland where nothing is quite real, and nothing seems to matter anymore.

This novel is startling and incredibly emotional, and I found myself feeling for and connecting with Caitlin profoundly as she fell further into her comatose state -a truly astounding novel.

Other amazing books by Sarah Dessen include: Just Listen, Along for the Ride, Lock & Key, That Summer and her latest novel The Moon and More.

San Miguel by T.C. Boyle

Tom Coraghessan Boyle (aka T.C. Boyle) has published 14 novels and over 100 short stories, many of which explore the ruthlessness and the unpredictability of nature and the toll human society unwittingly takes on the environment, as can be seen in his latest novel San Miguel. Boyle has the incredible ability to paint a picture so vivid and intense it is branded onto the reader’s mind, impossible to forget or ignore. In San Miguel, Boyle creates a striking tableau of a bleak island ravaged by storms and completely cut off from the human world. This desolate setting is a self-imposed, barren prison for one family in 1888, then changes remarkably through the eyes of another family 40years later, and becomes a glorious kingdom and a safe haven. Part one of San Miguel is told from the viewpoint of Marantha Waters and her adopted daughter Edith, who were brought to the isolated island in 1888 by Marantha’s husband Will, a Civil War veteran, and both women record their bitter, hellish existence upon San Miguel. I personally found both of these characters completely insufferable; Marantha is snobbish and moody and Edith is naïve and fanciful. However in part two I found myself warming considerably to the character of Elise Lester, who is the focus of the latter half of the novel along with her husband Herbie, a shell-shocked soldier who survived the trenches but brought his demons with him to the island.

I found San Miguel very similar to Wuthering Heights, as both novels have a banal, desolate feel to them. This can be seen in the setting of the lonely, wind-swept land and in the futility of life and doomed relationships of the characters. Despite the more positive tone in the second half of the novel, the same underlying notes of unease remain throughout, as the seemingly idyllic lives of both families are challenged by their distant, somewhat hostile husbands, although in very different ways. San Miguel is a novel that lacks hope, as Boyle does not attempt to shelter the reader from the shocking and bleak realities of human life. At first I found Boyles over-enthusiastic style of writing a little overwhelming; his sentences are over-packed with rich description to the point where reading them felt like wading through treacle. But after the initial flurry of adjectives I became accustomed to Boyle’s voice, and this is where the novel became truly captivating. The description is so vivid you can almost feel the rough floorboards of Marantha’s dilapidated house under your feet, hear the harsh wind rattling the windowpanes and smell the overriding stench of damp. Boyle has the ability to thoroughly engage with the readers’ imagination, and make them see clearly everything he describes.

Stephen King claims that a truly great book will stay with you, and this is definitely true of San Miguel. Usually when a book resonates with me in this way it is the plot or a specific character that remains, but with this novel it is the experience of reading it that clings to you. Long after putting this book down something will remind me of San Miguel, whether it’s the sound of the wind, the pounding of rain or the rumble of distant thunder. San Miguel is a riveting, emotional and captivating novel, and one that is not easily forgotten.