Reviewed by Susan Hancy
Hey,
Zazou! is
an intriguing historical fiction which 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, which is 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, who he suspects is
working for the Resistance. He struggles day to day to satisfy his hunger and
there are few that 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, who is 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.
