Mysticism and mystery abound in The Strawberry Thief. Meanwhile, Narcisse, while never having been a religious man during his life, has left a lengthy written confession with the priest, Reynaud, a document that not only reveals tragedies from Narcisse’s life, but also triggers Reynaud’s guilt and self-loathing about an incident from his own past. Much to the fury of Narcisse’s daughter, Michèle, he has left a parcel of land to Vianne’s younger daughter, Rosette, a bequest that leads to conflict and subterfuge.Ĭlients see reflections of people who are not present, or glimpse scenes from their past they would rather forget Her arrival follows the death of the elderly florist, Narcisse, whose empty shop Morgane occupies. The interloper in The Strawberry Thief is Morgane Dubois, a tattooist with an uncanny ability to know the image her clients need inked on to their skin.

And as with Chocolat, the arrival of a stranger to the village precipitates community tensions, questions of faith and loyalty, and fear of the unknown. Again, the time of year is Lent, provoking tensions between abstinence and self-fulfilment. Again, the location is the sleepy fictional village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes in south-west France. The Strawberry Thief, Harris’s fourth novel following the life of chocolatier Vianne Rocher, shares much with the original in terms of theme and setting. I t is 20 years since Joanne Harris published Chocolat, her bestselling novel adapted into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche and Judi Dench.

Strawberry thief joanne harris