The Discovery of Chocolate
- Liani Mpato
- Feb 23, 2021
- 5 min read
PerFiction_ist Rating
5.5 out of 10
James Runchie's first foray into the world of novel writing delivers a fanciful and somewhat fun read, plus lots of mouth-watering descriptions of chocolate in all its various forms.
The gorgeous dust jacket on this book is what drew me to it, and of course, the mention of a greyhound called Pedro. If there's one thing I can't resist in a book it's the mention of dogs. Unfortunately, Pedro did not take center stage nearly as much as I had hoped, but there was still plenty to enjoy about this quick weekend read.
The story begins in Seville, Spain, where a young man called Diego de Godoy sets sail to the New World and joins up with the imposing Hernán Cortés, Spanish Conquistador, as a notary to King Charles V. He has hopes of finding an exotic treasure to take back to Spain in order to impress Isabella, the woman he is in love with. However, while in Mexico, he meets a local woman, Ignacia, who introduces him to a mysterious drink called cacahuatl. He is entranced by both the drink and the woman, falling deeply in love with her.
“…the strangely comforting taste began to intrude upon my palate as if one sip could never be enough. It was a liquid that only inspired further drinking, and it began to fill my entire body with its smoothness, as if I need no longer fear the affliction of the world; and all anxiety might pass.”
Soon, however, Cortés betrays the local people and razes the city, forcing the two lovers to part. Before their separation Ignacia prepares a special cacahuatl drink for Diego to be consumed as he sails away, saying that she will drink her's after he has gone. This drink, which Diego shares with his dog Pedro, turns out to be the elixir of life and grants immortality to both man and dog. Ignacia's intention was to make a way for the two of them to have a life together, untainted by war.
“Quien bien ama tarde olvida. He who loves truly, forgets slowly.”
Upon returning to Mexico however, Diego discovers that the city has been burned and many of its inhabitants slaughtered by the conquistadors. He finds what he believes to be Ignacia's grave and spirals into despair. Eventually, he returns to Europe where he spends the next several centuries perfecting the art of chocolate making while also spending tim imprisoned in the Bastille, becoming an unwitting French revolutionary, creating the first Sachertorte, and playing an integral role in the creation of the first pain au choclat as well as the first chocolate bar. During this period of his life he encounters an array of colourful, and famous, characters by chance. These include the Marquis de Sade, Fraz Sacher, Joseph Fry, Sigmund Freud, Milton S. Hershey, and Gertrude Stein. Chocolate is always a large component and influence in his relationships, occupations and world view. Though he is passionate about chocolate, it constantly reminds him of the love he once had and lost.
“’Everything,’ said the Marquis, ‘all of our lives, can be explained by chocolate.’”
He also spends much of this time in a melancholy and self-centred state, searching for meaning, purpose, and love, but failing to do so. He turns to alcohol and gambling in an attempt to escape the realities of his long life.
“’All I know is that we seem to be travelling the world in search of love and chocolate, and that we might never grow old and never find rest.’”
“Inconsistent, selfish, wilful, and frequently drunken, I could not find any justification for the length of my existence. Falling into yet another of my black despairs, I could only seek further escape from the realities of life.”
"Selfish" describes much of Diego's personality, unfortunately. One of the problems I had with him as a character was the intense self-centredness in his thinking and behaviour, which often had negative impacts on those around him. However, I attribute the despair and self-absoption to his unnaturally long life, so I can't fault the author. As I mentioned in my last review (The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August), bad things are bound to happen when humans live past their natural lifespan.
Through all of these happenings and centuries, Pedro, his greyhound, is on the peripheral of the story. As I said at the start of this review, I wish that we had seen more of Pedro and of the relationship between man and dog. Pedro saved Diego from death more than once, he showed true loyalty and love for centuries, but Diego, being so consumed by his own sorrows, barely noticed until it was too late.
“I thought of all the times that we had shared together, of how long we had lived, and what a friend he had been. I was asking him, once more, to save my life.”
Near the end of the book Diego makes a move to the USA to work for Hershey's Chocolate. On the way, we get an insight into the humiliating and terrifying experience of immigrants at Ellis Island in the early 1900s. In Pennsylvania, Diego is amazed by the town that sprung up around the Hershey's factory. In his five hundred years of life, Diego saw chocolate go from being prepared with traditional molinillos to the complete industrialisation of the craft. From a historical standpoint, it is incredible to note how a bean, native to Central America, took the world by storm and became a booming industry which is still highly profitable to this day.
“…it was impossible to escape the fact that the strange bean that I had first encountered with Ignacia was now responsible for the livelihood of an entire community.”
Unable to bear the weight of his sorrow any longer, Diego leaves Pennsylvania to revisit his past in Mexico, hoping to find peace over the devastating loss of Ignacia. The Mexico he finds is once again a lush and expansive city of enticing foods, aromas, colour and plentitude like the Mexico he experienced as a conquistador. He feels guilt and remorse at what Spain's colonisation had done to the country he once knew.
“…I felt a hardness in my heart when I saw the way in which we Spanish had assumed power and lived a life of indolence and disdain, never venturing into the fields where those good people toiled for so many hours.”
The end of the story is as bittersweet as dark chocolate. I wish I could say that the romance sweeps away any issues of plot holes, but by the end of the book I was more irritated with Diego than at any other time. All of his lonely wandering and black depair could have been easily avoided, if not for some conveniently forgotten words and bad timing.
The Discovery of Chocolate was not a bad book by any means, there were some enjoyable moments and some interesting historical anecdotes, but the plot holes I mentioned earlier weaken the story and the long discourses on purpose and death tend to fall flat, lacking real depth. However, it was a, mostly, fun and light read. If you like history, quests, romance and chocolate then you might get some enjoyment and a few smiles from it. I would advise that you stock up on chocolate before cracking it open because the descriptions are so good that they induce serious cravings!
First published in 2001
Harper Collins Publishers
ISBN: 0-000-710782-x
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