Book Review: The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris

Book Review: The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris

Quote: Food is the thing that unites us all, that brings us back together. Food is the thing we can provide when there is nothing else we can do. That’s why we serve it at funerals. To remind us that Life always goes on.

The fourth book in Chocolat Series was delicious like it's prequels. We are back to our little southern French village where Vianne Rocher has dropped her anchor. The story begins with a death; the florist Narcisse and deed of his estate. Rosette Vianne's winter child, who is specially-abled teen has been left with the inheritance of a strawberry farm.

This deed serves as the bone of contention between Narcisse's daughter and the Rochers. The novel pans out again during the time of Easter and it unfolds stories within stories of this village.

Finally, the classic Joanne Harris style murder and old memories enter this world too. We learn a bit more of Francis' history and fears as he becomes the keeper of deeds and posthumous confession of Narcisse.

But most importantly it's a novel that deals with 'empty nest syndrome.' Vianne had lost her mother very young, her constant fear from the first book has been losing her children to the wind. This fear manifests as Zozie in the second book. Vianne has always been on the run craving stability, which her Chocolatier provides.

Throughout the book we see her miss Anouk who has left for Paris to be with her boyfriend. And Rosette her Neverland child wants to experience the world. Zozie's actions still haunt her, hence when another witch opens a tattoo parlour in the village, Vianne conjures up everything in her power to protect her child.

Rosette who has grown up throughout the last two books from a naughty toddler to mischievous child to a teen has a unique way to see the world. She observes everything around her, she understands everything but never judges. Inside her, the dormant power of a witch is waiting to be tapped on. Like her mother needs chocolate as a medium for her magic, Rosette ventures out to search for her calling.

This is a story of selfishness that's born of love, Vianne is not above emotions. Her love for her children makes her paranoid about non-existent dangers. I personally feel it's an interesting critique on the saying: you never stop being a mother. Vianne is not willing to let go of her motherhood, because she is afraid of loneliness. She tackles her loneliness with her recipes and chocolates that she sells. Children often occupy everything in a woman's life, and one day they are all grown up and ready to leave the nest: the very idea must be a terrible feeling for any parent.

I love the part where Vianne's best friend Josephine confines to Francis that she is jealous of Vianne, because Rosette will never grow up, her child will always be hers. It's heartbreaking because motherhood becomes more than a relationship and a task, it becomes an identity to the point of an emotional addiction and obsession. And Joanne Harris is an expert writer on toxic motherhood, please read blueeyedboy. 

I am a Joanne Harris fan, and it's her language that blends fantasy into the mundane is what I love most. Strawberry Thief is the book where her world-building is at its finest, a village where so many stories have been set; a widow's, a writer's and witch's. The book is lyrical and so alive, these characters have grown over the years yet some of them remain the same in their nature. Is it weird if I tell I can smell through her words? I guess it is!

The murder mystery and Rosette's bildungsroman coupled with multiple narrative voices was a suspenseful read. The play on popular fairy tales like the Snow Child was beautifully webbed in. The twists were predictable for someone who devours Harris' books.

I think this book serves as a perfect closure to the story of a witch who loves her children dearly.