THE GIRL WITH NO SHADOW
Joanne Harris
Harper Perennial
Fiction
Hardcover: 9780061431623
Paperback: 9780061431630

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Joanne Harris reached bestseller status with her international hit novel, CHOCOLAT, first published in 1999. However, most people will be more familiar with the Oscar-nominated Lasse Hallstrom film of 2000 that featured such fine actors as Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp, Dame Judi Dench and Alfred Molina.

The book delved a lot deeper into the supernatural and magical presence of Vianne Rocher and her young daughter, Anouk. This subject was very lightly touched upon in the movie as Hallstrom chose to reflect more on the romantic aspects of the small French village of Lansquenet rather than giving a full explanation as to how strong the magical powers of the Rochers really were.

In THE GIRL WITH NO SHADOW, five years have passed since the events of CHOCOLAT, and Vianne and her two daughters --- Anouk (now Nanou) and Rosette --- find themselves firmly ensconced in the Montmarte district of Paris. Once again, the family is working in a Chocolaterie shop but finding success far more evasive than the magical impact their Chocolaterie had in Lansquenet. Vianne has had a track record of not staying in one place for too long, and this has begun to wear on her young daughter, Anouk. Vianne is making an attempt to play down the magical powers she and her family possess and lead a normal life in Montmarte. As a result, their chocolat sales are nothing to speak of, and Vianne has to rely on her landlord and fiancée, Thierry, to help support her family. They have also taken on the surname of Charbonneau in an effort to escape their past as the Rochers.

Things begin to change dramatically with the emergence of a young woman by the name of Zozie de l’Alba, who has befriended the Charbonneaus and eventually finds herself working in their shop. Zozie is an enigmatic personality who has grand ideas for marketing and displaying the shop, and has connected with a great many new customers who quickly become regular visitors. She also has taken a keen interest in Nanou and begins to mentor her regarding relationship issues Nanou is having in her new school. Rosette, the youngest daughter of Vianne (now going by the name of Yanne), is four years old. Though she has yet to speak a word, she has shown signs of possessing similar magical powers to both her mother and Nanou.

Zozie, however, is not what she appears to be on the surface. She is actually a witch but not a “good witch” like Yanne and Nanou. Rather, Zozie considers herself a soul-catcher who has had a history of name changes not precipitated by a need to leave an area but instead because she has taken on the names of people whose identities she has “stolen.” Zozie now has her envious eyes on Yanne’s life and begins to work behind the scenes to steal Nanou’s affection from her mother, become the main attraction with the new customers at the Chocolaterie, and slowly destroy the engagement of Yanne and Thierry.

Throwing a major wrench in the works is the appearance of Roux (the gypsy character portrayed by Johnny Depp in Chocolat), who still carries a big torch for Vianne/Yanne and soon finds himself working for Thierry in an effort to remain close to the Charbonneaus. Unbeknownst to Roux, Vianne/Yanne has kept a large secret from him --- the fact that he is actually the father of the mute Rosette. Zozie eventually figures the secret out and shares it with Nanou/Anouk, knowing that she will spill it to Roux and cause a rift between him and Vianne/Yanne. To make matters worse, Thierry becomes rightfully jealous of Roux and begins to suspect that he and his fiancée may have been more than just friends four years earlier in Lansquenet.

The book’s title, THE GIRL WITH NO SHADOW, takes itself from a story Vianne/Yanne tells early on in the book about a young man who trades his shadow for eternal life in a deal with the devil. Little did he know that trading his shadow was synonymous with giving up his own soul, and he is now doomed to an eternity of seeking out his identity. This parable is right on with the intentions and backstory of Zozie, who operates as a soulless leech with no identity of her own. Much like Tom Ripley in the novels of Patricia Highsmith, Zozie becomes a chameleon who easily slips on the skins of people she has done away with.

THE GIRL WITH NO SHADOW is much darker fare than the romantic CHOCOLAT --- but that’s a good thing. The characters are very well drawn out, and the tension between all of them leads itself to a climactic battle between Vianne/Yanne and Zozie on Christmas Eve. This novel has something for almost everyone --- drama, romance, comedy, supernatural dealings, thrills --- and I highly recommend it.

    --- Reviewed by Ray Palen

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