Peaches for Father Frances by Joanne Harris

I fell in love with Joanne Harris when I read 'Chocolat' shortly after it came out over twn years ago.  The book was a part of a trilogy, but they did not share the same characters.  This book is the sequel to 'Chocolat'--Vianne returns to the fictional village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes in southwest France after she receives a letter from her now dead friend Armande, asking that Vianne put flowers on her grave, pick her peaches, and see to her house.

Things are much changed in Lansquenet when Vianne arrives. It’s Ramadan 2010 and the Les Marauds neighborhood where Armande once lived is teeming with new arrivals from Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. A mosque with a minaret adorned by a silver crescent moon stands across the river from the church. The French government has outlawed headscarves in schools and is considering a ban on wearing the Islamic veil in public. Most troubling, Father Francis has been stripped of his position as village priest and accused of setting fire to a Muslim school for girls located in the shop where Vianne once sold chocolates (remember--she herself got in trouble opening a chocolate store across from the church on the eve of Lent, so she knows what trouble feels like).

The book highlights the changes that have occurred in Fance the last decade, with waves of French speaking Muslims from former colonies who come to France but do not want to adopt French ways--they want to keep their communities separate, and retain the traditions that they brought with them, even if they are illegal in their adopted country.  The book highlights that extreme problems can be caused by a very few, but when those influences are eliminated, it is possible to form a community from disparate parts.  This is not high literature, but it is very enjoyable, especially if you read the first book.