Hey, Zazou!

 

Hey, Zazou! by Tony Thompson (Ford St Publishing), RRP $19.95, Young Adult ISBN 9-781922-696410

Reviewed by Susan Hancy

Hey, Zazou! is an intriguing historical fiction that takes the reader into the streets of German-occupied Paris during the Second World War and immerses them in the underground jazz scene amid the spirit of the French resistance. The reader experiences this through the character of Charlie Martin, a 15-year-old uber-talented guitarist who lives and breathes jazz. Charlie identifies as a Zazou, a musical subculture of older teenagers who thumb their noses at the oppressive Vichy regime. The Zazou men are recognisable by their extra-large jackets and greased quiff hairdos.

Charlie is dyslexic and hates school. He also hates the Nazis who have taken over his city and who are holding his father imprisoned in a war camp somewhere in Germany. He lives with his increasingly absent mother, whom he suspects works for the Resistance. He struggles daily to satisfy his hunger, and there are few whom he can trust. Charlie’s only comfort is listening to his jazz records and playing his guitar.

The story begins with a bang which sets the mood for that period. Charlie witnesses the shooting of a local guitarist by the Gestapo after the guitarist refuses to divulge anything about a suspected Resistance plot. Charlie’s mother and the trusted local café owner try to shield Charlie from any Resistance knowledge or activity, encouraging him to keep attending school, obeying the rules and maintaining a low profile. When all the students of the city are ordered to attend a Nazi parade, Charlie encounters another slightly older Zazou boy, Eddie, who impresses Charlie with his courage to stand up to both the puppet teachers as well as to the bullying and aggression from fellow students who have joined the Loyal Youth. Eddie is a saxophonist, and the two quickly become firm friends, starting their own band.

At the same time, Charlie is involuntarily recruited as a runner for a shady club owner, Papa Jean, a ruthless businessman capitalising on deals made with both the Resistance and the enemy. Papa Jean pays Charlie well, but also indirectly threatens violence against Charlie if Charlie doesn’t do what Jean wants. Through Jean’s club, Charlie meets and falls in love with a beautiful working girl, Monique, who confuses Charlie with her inconsistent behaviour towards him. The more time they spend together, including performing as a couple on errands for Jean, the more Charlie is convinced that Monique is his girl.

Eddie and Charlie’s band proves popular with market goers, earning them money, followers and club gigs. They enrich their sound by adding further band members – a violinist, a bass guitarist and a trumpeter – and score a regular slot at Papa Jean’s club. The violinist is a beautiful Roma called Rosa, who Eddie fell for at first sight. Through the character of Rosa, we learn about the genocide of the Roma people perpetrated by the Nazis.

Events come to a head when the Roma are forcibly removed from Paris, presumably taken to prison camps or worse. Rosa is able to escape but fears for her family. This leads to the climatic event of the story, which I’m not going to give away but will say that I didn’t see coming!

This book had me completely absorbed, living each day with Charlie, learning about the music of the time from a musician’s point of view and feeling every physical blow that Charlie received in his stand of defiance against the ubiquitous enemy. The surprise climax was exciting and it was followed by a good explanation of how the pieces of the puzzle fit together, although I found some elements a little too convenient. Also, the unexpected appearance of a much-referred-to character in the last couple of pages raised a whole new set of questions for me. Other than these minor points, I thoroughly recommend this book for teenage and older readers, especially for anyone with an interest in history or music or both.