Joanne Harris

This is a Book Week post for Saturday’s theme of Fiction, Fiction and more Fiction

I came to Joanne Harris’s books in a different order to when they were published, starting with Five Quarters of the Orange, then reading Blackberry Wine and then Chocolat and Coastliners and then The Lollipop Shoes more recently. (There are also quite a few I haven’t read, and they are going on the to-be-read list in my head, along with a few hundred other books.)

The food imagery in a lot of her books has always struck a chord with me, perhaps because I enjoy cooking so much, or perhaps just because food is such an evocative thing, and therefore a choice of imagery that works for many people. I think, initially, I liked her books because they reminded me of Like Water for Chocolate (again, with the food imagery), but I think the magic and the otherness appealed, as well. I grew up feeling apart from most of my contemporaries (hippy parents in a very traditional village, home-schooled for much of primary school, an atheist in a village where most people attended the local church, tending toward my own opinions and thoughts rather than following the herd) and I think I found I recognised a similar apartness or otherness in most of Joanne Harris’s characters (the ones I know, anyway – as I said, I haven’t read every one of her books).

Although I have never considered myself a fantasy fan or aficionado, magic, especially when it’s steeped in reality (whether this comes under the heading of ‘magical realism’ or ‘urban fantasy’ or no heading whatsoever) fascinates me. And I think the magic in Joanne Harris’s books is close enough to reality to seem likely or possible. It’s the magic of tarot cards and crystals and everyday spells. Repetitions and chants or superstitious charms, rather than magic wands or cauldrons. Magic within this world, rather than whole worlds apart. Chocolat and The Lollipop Shoes contain a lot of magic, though I think they all have a bit of it. This is the kind of magic that I’ve always found believable – much more so than religious tales – and so I suppose these books would naturally appeal to me.

And finally there are the characters. I don’t think I mentioned it in my What I like to read post, but the thing that runs through all the genres and authors that I enjoy reading and that I go back to again and again, is believable characters. These characters are real, whether they’re a young girl thrown into leading a family, an elf living in the trees, a mother who has lost her child, or a boy thrust into village life in the middle of the war. Characters who are true to themselves and who you care about (usually – sometimes it’s as important to hate a character) are what make me keep reading a book and make me return to an author or one book again and again. And Joanne Harris’s characters are very true to themselves. And memorable. And familiar. Which perhaps is what made me (and millions of others, I imagine) squeal with joy to find out that there was another book with Vianne Rocher and Anouk in. The Lollipop Shoes was the first book in a long time that I read in as close to one sitting as I can get. I think it took me two days and I may have let Rosemary run riot in the living room, while I lay on the sofa finishing it off.

I strongly recommend Joanne Harris’s books and I’m sure the ones I haven’t read are as good, if not better, than the ones I have. And don’t only read Chocolat and The Lollipop Shoes, because you’ll really be missing out if you do.

Mini-interview with Joanne Harris

The week before Book Week was starting, I had Tweetdeck open and was looking through recent tweets when I saw a conversation between Joanne Harris, Katie Fforde and Jill Mansell. I can’t remember what it was about now, but I do remember thinking, rather cheekily ‘Ooh, maybe one of them would like to write something for my Book Week’. I sent out a tweet and the other two were too busy (though Katie said she should have time to do something for the next Book Week in the summer), but Joanne very kindly agreed to answer a few questions. Of course, since asking them, I’ve thought of a lot more I would have liked to ask. If you have any questions, you should take a look at her website, especially her FAQ and QAF, but there are also pages for each book, with lots of fascinating background.

You have an active Twitter account. What do you get from this, personally and (or) professionally?

I was quite resistant to Twitter at first, but now that I have an account I have found it unexpectedly rewarding. I use it in all kinds of ways; to disseminate information, to talk to friends I wish I saw more often and to allow for a more immediate (and I think, a more intimate) connection with the readers who follow me. I’ve made a lot of good friends this way – people with whom I have lots in common, but I might never have met otherwise.

Do you ever write in French and, if so, how does this affect your writing?

I write in French occasionally, if I’m writing for a French publication, but not usually fiction. The two languages have a completely different set of rhythms and accents, and my style is quite different when I’m writing in English.

Have you read any new writers (or new books) recently you’ve really enjoyed?

I’m really enjoying Monica Ali’s Untold Story – it’s a brave step for an author in her position to handle such a subject, and she does it extremely well.