The Lollipop Shoes

The Lollipop Shoes
Author(s)	Joanne Harris
Original title	The Girl with no Shadow
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre(s)	Novel
Publisher	Doubleday
Publication date	2 May 2007
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	352 pp (first edition, hardback)
ISBN	ISBN 0385609485 (ISBN13: 9780385609487)
OCLC Number	40881895
Preceded by	Chocolat

The Lollipop Shoes is a 2007 novel by Joanne Harris and is a sequel to the best-selling Chocolat. It tells the story of both Vianne Rocher, a chocolatier with two children, and that of Zozie de l'Alba, a 'collecter' of identities.

Vianne (although usually a traveller) has been living in a secluded part of Paris called Montmartre for the past four years. She has forsaken magic to live a normal life. However, Zozie sets her sights on Vianne (now calling herself Yanne) because her life is much greater than any other life she has ever 'collected.'

The story is told from the viewpoints of Vianne, Zozie and Vianne's eldest daughter Anouk.

Plot

Living in a tiny chocolaterie in Montmartre, Paris, Vianne and her daughters Anouk and Rosette have forsaken magic and adventure for a stable, if unhappy life. Vianne has now become widow Yanne Charbonneau, mother of 'Annie'. Hiding her magical nature, she leads a dissatisfied existence: dissatisfied with her increasing alienation from Anouk, dissatisfied with her lukewarm relationship with Thierry le Tresset and dissatisfied with the second-rate chocolates she is forced to sell. And then Zozie de l'Alba blows into their lives, encouraging them to explore their otherness and bringing back magic and enchantment with her lollipop shoes. But Zozie is a thief of identities, and she has her eye on the chocolate shop, her new "pinata", as she calls it. She begins to insinuate herself in Yanne's life by befriending Anouk, Thierry and everybody else she had a connection with it.

She is soon working at the chocolaterie and helping everyone as Vianne used to. She helps Anouk, too, with school. The shop begins to prosper under her guidance, much to Thierry's displeasure. He begins to pressure Vianne into a marriage. Roux comes in and ends up with all the wrong decisions, as he knew nothing of Rosette and Vianne was wearing a wedding bad - as a 'widow' - and it takes all of Zozie's charm to keep him in Montmartre, and to accept a job she cajoled from Thierry.

Vianne, under the influence of Zozie's charms, invites her to stay with them when she sees the Christmas display. Anouk is very much delighted by this change and Zozie is very much delighted to be 'in' as she considers, that with the two in the same town, Vianne would need a chaperone until she made up her mind.

Characters

Vianne Rocher

A point of view character, Vianne is the mother of Anouk and Rosette. She owns a chocolaterie in Montmartre and she is now called Yanne Charbonneau. She forsakes her own magic because she wishes to blend in, much to the displeasure of Anouk. During the 5 years that passed after the events in Chocolat she became a washed out version of her own personality: as she feared that at every turn The Wind awaited her, she postponed taking any action that would bring change - like marrying Thierry. From her memories we find out that she was not her mother's biological daughter - it's been implied that her mother has stolen her and then, later she's shown Vianne her 'lost person' announce in a newspaper. Her mother, Michelle Cailloux, is brought by Zozie, as a way to hurt Vianne, at the Christmas Eve party. Vianne is haunted, throurough the book, by a story about a boy who sold his shadow to the devil for immortality. At the party Zozie makes her deny herself, deny that she is 'Vianne Rocher', thus, symbolically making her 'sell her shadow', the name Jean Rocher gave her, in exchange for continuing to be 'free' of the Wind. Yanne is initially willing to do so until she realizes that in doing so she'd lose her mother too, so, instead, she embraces herself and steps up to the choice.

Zozie de L'Alba

Zozie collects the lives of interesting people by gathering information about them and then becoming them by leading their lives. She wore 'The Lollipop Shoes', as Anouk named them, the first time she spotted the chocolaterie.

She becomes intrigued with the them because Anouk, and then Vianne and Rosette, are the only other witches, apart from her, that she has ever met.

She's had a troubled childhood, mostly because of her mother's strangeness. Because of that she empathizes with 'Annie', and comes to love her, as she tries to help her. She tries to convince herself that Anouk is an investment, as she is very talented. She, herself, became aware of her powers at nine - seeing the 'colors'. By travelling a lot, she learned to manipulate them - glamour. She developed as a witch, unlike Anouk and Rosette, and thus she might have more knowledge than most hereditary ones, as she had to begin from scratch. With the help of her mother, who had an occult shop, but was actually a normal human, she had access to different sorts of magic. She became a stealer of lives when she realised that at her school, she was no one. The first life she 'stole' was her mother's, when after an act of revenge on the group who sent her mother's shop on fire, her mother tried to send her to a psychiatrist if she didn't own up to it. At 17 she stole her passport and flew over the Canal to France. There she 'stole' the life of Martina, a woman who tried to use her. Since then, she kept a souvenir from each of her victims which she's added to her bracelet. She hates liars and cowards.

Anouk

During the novel, Anouk is distressed because she is different and cannot fit in at school and often does not want to. Her mother too, doesn't find time to understand her. The situation changes when Zozie comes in and teaches Anouk to be more self-confident. By her advice, Anouk, faces off with the class diva, Chantal, realizing, for once, how ugly she really was, internally. Of Zozie's teachings she seems most fond of the saying "I'd rather be a freak, than a clone." intended as a slap against here former friend Suze. She begins learning Zozie's magic after Suze tells the school about Rosette's inability to speak, and they begin mocking her sister.

Minor characters

• Thierry le Tresset is described by Vianne as tall as heavy, "with an open face, blue eyes, thick hair, still mostly brown", "working hands", "best suited to building walls". He is 51 and divorced and rich. He has a very simple, enthusiastic personality - "cheery, determined and impervious to any argument". He is slightly mysoginistic and patronizing, very superficial, from both the perspectives of Vianne and Zozie. He is very much in love with Yanne, because he views her as a sort of Cinderella, much to the amused confusion of Zozie who considers his ideas 'quaint'. He acts lovingly towards Annie and Rossette, though he thinks they are a little spoiled.

• Madame Poussard is a family friend of Thierry's, and she was the former owner of the chocolate-shop, but she couldn't handle it and Vianne was the one who did the actual work. She died near Halloween of a stroke.

• Rosette is a very quick child of 4, with a very developed sense of humor. She talks very little, but she can already sign and read very well, and she loves to draw. One doctor diagnosed her with cri-du-chat(a rare genetic disorder). She's very perceptive to magic. Zozie observes that she has no sense of danger, that's she's accident-prone, and she gets violent when she has a tantrum. From her recollections we understand that Rosette can influence people's memories.

• Jean-Loup Rimbault is a black-haired popular pupil at Anouk's school, "a self-possesed young man". He's 12, he's been held back an year because of a heart condition, because of which he's had to stay in hospital for four weeks. His parents are divorced and he lives with his mother. His father has remarried, much to his annoyance. He's an amateur photographer and he's favourite word is 'lame' and he seeks to see and photograph a ghost. His curiosity and his dark gaze are slightly disconcerning, as he seems to consider everything through his camera.Anouk got to know him when she tried the new attitude Zozie taught her, as a personal dare, and they became friends almost immediately. His favourite chocolate is bitter almond crisp, "Rather an adult taste", thinks Vianne. He's Anouk's first real friend at school.

• Roux is still in contact with Vianne through letters. As we found out in one of the letters that Zozie stole, he's coming for a visit. He's been in love with Vianne without her knowledge for the last 4 or 5 years. He doesn't initially know anything of Rosette, until Anouk tells him and he's very upset, believing that they've ridiculed him. He sticks around for another day at Anouk's entreaties, and then, clearheaded, he begins to suspect Zozie. With his careful, wild disposition, he's been the only one in the book not to trust her.

• Laurent Pinson is the owner of a petit cafe in the same square as the chocolaterie. He's about 60 and he employed Zozie for a while. It is implied that he fell head over heels for her and when she began helping Vianne, he tried to make her jealous, by buying wrapped chocolate. Zozie didn't fall for it and cursed the chocolate box. Later it's implied that he ate them, as he was sued for food-poisoning and had to close during Christmas.

• Nico is described as a fat man (about 300 pounds) who never shuts up. He has curly hair and an eternally smiling mouth. He likes Alice.

• Alice is the florist's daughter, described by Zozie as "painfully shy". She's 23 and looks 13. An anxious child, she strives hard to please her overbearing parents. Her favourite is milk chocolate fudge, though she always buys plain dark squares to stay thin. She likes Rosette very much. Due to Zozie's rune, she observes Nico one day and, from talking to him, she becomes more confident.

• Chantal is one of Anouk's colleagues, described as a snobby, gossiping rich girl who enjoys the advantages of having a powerful father.

• Suzanne was initially a good friend of Anouk's, but changed with the arrival of Chantal. She is red-haired, of a pink complexion and likes to be called 'Suze'. In the events narrated at the beginning of the book it becomes clear that by use of her remaining influence over Anouk and Anouk's insecurieties she's been manipulating her. She became vanitous, under Chantal's guidance, and lost some of her hair when she lied to her hairdresser.

• Madame Luzeron is the blue-eyed owner of a fluffy, peach-coloured dog. Initially she was "brittle and self-contained". She dresses very well, though mostly in black and lives behind the park. She "goes to Mass every day, goes to the hairdressers every other day except thursdays" and never says "please". She wears a lot a make-up. Every Thursday buys three trufles from Yanne's shop and puts them by the gravestone of a thirteen year-old son.

• Jean-Louis is an artist in the square who always greets Zozie by a cheery "Hey, it's you!", because he tries to coax her to let him do her portrait. He has a "cheap charm" which he always uses successfully on tourists.

• Hermine Pinot

• Paupaul

• Richard

• Mathurin

Magical motifs

• Dia de los Muertos(Death 1, p. 16) is the Mexican festival of the “Day of the Dead” on November 1st

• The Flayed One(Death 1, p. 16) is a reference to the Aztec god Xipe or Totec, who was in the habit of wearing the skin of a flayed man over his own. At his rather bloody festival, the Aztecs killed all the prisoners that they had taken in war, and these would also be subject to flaying

• Pan de muerto(Death 1, p. 17) is the ‘bread of the dead’, breaded that is formed into a skull shape or resembling bones

• Mictecacihuatl(Death 1, p. 17) Mictecacihuatl was the Queen of the underworld, who is supposed to keep watch over the bones of the dead. She presides over the festivals of the dead (which have now become the modern Day of the Dead). She is also known as the Lady of the Dead, and it is reputed that she was born, and then sacrificed as an infant.

• “Tezcatlipoca… the smoking mirror”(One Jaguar 5, p. 75) is another Aztec god, who had a nagual (i.e. familiar) that was a jaguar, which is probably why this part of the book is called “One Jaguar”

• Odinists(One Jaguar 5, p. 75) the members of this New Age movement don’t just worship Odin. According to the Odinist Fellowship, “Odinists value and esteem everything that sustains, promotes, enhances and enriches life”. They celebrate Nature, and feast rather than fast.

• I Ching(One Jaguar 5, p. 76) the famous ‘Book of Changes’ is the oldest of the Chinese classic texts. It is a symbol system that is designed to identify order in what seem like chance events. Western society has often regarded it as akin to divination, hence its mention here.

• The Golden Dawn(One Jaguar 5, p. 76) was a magical order of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which formed a huge influence on twentieth century western occultism

• Crowley(One Jaguar 5, p. 76) a reference to Aleister Crowley, an influential member of the Golden Dawn

• Liber Null(One Jaguar 5, p. 76) a book on chaos magic by Peter J. Carroll

• Necronomicon(One Jaguar 5, p. 76) is a fictitious book that H. P. Lovecraft referred to in his works

• Xochipilli(One Jaguar 8, p. 95) the Aztec god of love, games, beauty, dance, flowers, maize, and song. His name contains the words xochitl ("flower") and pilli ("prince"), and so he is often called "flower prince"

• Two Rabbit(p.99) a reference to Ometochtli, the Aztec god of drunkenness, and leader of the four hundred rabbit gods of drunkenness (which was the amusing Aztec way of referring to units of alcohol)

• Theobroma cacao(Two Rabbit 3, p. 120) is the biological name for the chocolate plant and is derived from the Greek for ‘food of the gods’

• Hurakan(Two Rabbit 3, p. 121) Mayan god

• Scrying(Change 7, p. 178) i.e. divining the future using a crystal ball

• ‘Hubble bubble, toil and…’(Change 7, p. 179) the voice in Zozie’s head is referring to the three witches in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

• Magi(Advent 5, p. 230) the ‘three wise kings’ from the Bible are believed to have come from Persia (Iran). The word ‘magic’ is derived from ‘magi’. The Magus is also a tarot card.

• Seven Macaw(Advent 12, p. 264) or Vucub Caquix, was a Mayan god who would often claim to be the sun or the moon to his worshippers

• Totem(The Kindly Ones 1, p. 273) regarding a spirit animal helper as a ‘totem’ is a rather New Age term

• Saturnalia(The Kindly Ones 1, p. 278) a Roman festival celebrating the dedication of the temple of Saturn in late December

• The Oak King and the Holly King(The Kindly Ones 1, p. 278) in Celtic mythology these battle two battle at Yule and midsummer to see who will rule over the next half of the year. The Oak King wins at Yule, and the Holly King wins at midsummer

• Mischief Night(The Kindly Ones 2, p. 283) is observed on different dates throughout the UK just before Halloween, although it has merged into Halloween’s trick or treating

• The Tower(p. 343) is a Tarot card that also featured heavily in Joanne Harris’s Holy Fools. It’s usually read as a blow that forces the subject to re-examine all the pretences that they have been living under, so is quite appropriate for Vianne

• Santa Muerte(The Tower 7, p. 383) literally the ‘Saint Death’ of Mexican tradition, who can be depicted as either male or female

• Eater of Hearts(The Tower 7, p. 383) a reference to Ammit, a female figure from Egyptian mythology who was the personification of divine retribution for all the wrongs a person had done in their life

• Coatlicue(Yule 17, p. 447) the Aztec goddess who gave birth to the moon and stars, the patron of women who die in childbirth. She is the mother Earth that gives birth to and consumes everything

• Quetzalcoatl(Yule 17, p. 447) the most famous Aztec god

Themes

The Fears

A recurring theme is that of Vianne's fears. There are three; the Wind, the Black Man, and The Kindly Ones(A euphemism used for the Furies, the Greek personification of vengeance). The Kindly Ones are explicitly shown to be those who mean good but actually cause pain; to Vianne these are usually social workers, priests and doctors. To Zozie, the Kindly Ones are the cost of the lives she leads; the authorities after her for fraud, theft and possibly murder. The Black Man are those who cannot live with the happiness of others, but this is never explained completely and The Black Man could be childish monsters. In this novel, Zozie is the Black Man. The Wind quite simply represents destiny, something which tells Vianne to leave a place even though she never wants to, and this is why she fears it. To Zozie, the wind is the force that drives her to travel, the wanderlust that moves her to travel.

In Chocolat, Vianne confronts her fear of the Black Man, by opposing Reynaud. Here, in The Lollipop Shoes, Vianne confronts the Wind - one way or another, by choosing to stay.

Magic

The magic in this book is a mix between the power of an open mind and a sort of strong intuition or powerful perception that nearly cross into the fantastic. The print of the Magical realism stile is everpresent in the border.

Free Will versus Fate

All the books reflect the combat against a predestined will. Vianne feels the Wind, and is driven by it, yet as she struggles to settle.

Chocolate

Just as in Chocolat, the power of handmade chocolate, as a symbol, is shown again in The Lollipop Shoes.

Sequel

The author has alluded, in the 'February 2011' news, to another project, in the Chocolat series. In July she declared Summer’s rushing past, and I’m still working hard trying to bring Vianne back to Lansquenet.

References

• Joanne Harris's blog
• Authortrek.com