Friends, Lovers, Chocolate
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2005 |
| Headquarters | Edinburgh , Scotland |
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate is the second installment in the Sunday Philosophy Club authored by Alexander McCall Smith, set against the backdrop of Edinburgh, Scotland. Released in 2005, this novel continues the story of the central character Isabel Dalhousie, serving as a follow-up to The Sunday Philosophy Club.
Plot synopsis
Isabel Dalhousie, a woman in her early forties, resides alone in Edinburgh. She holds the position of editor for the Review of Applied Ethics, a role she fulfills for a modest stipend thanks to an inheritance from her deceased mother. Her intimate circle includes her niece Cat, who manages a delicatessen; her candid housekeeper Grace, who has an interest in spiritualism; Cat’s former boyfriend Jamie, a bassoon player whom Isabel quietly admires; and Brother Fox, an urban fox residing in her garden.
While at Cat’s delicatessen, Isabel encounters Ian, a recent heart transplant recipient who believes he has acquired memories from his donor, including visions of a shadowy man with hooded eyes and a distinctive scar. Concerned that Ian might be connected to the donor’s demise, Isabel feels compelled by ethical responsibility to investigate further.
Cat mentions expecting a visit from Tomasso, an Italian acquaintance she recently met, and suggests that he and Isabel dine together. Isabel initially dismisses the idea, thinking instead about Jamie. Subsequently, Jamie confesses he is involved in an affair with a married woman.
Isabel discovers that on the day Ian received his heart transplant, a young man named Rory Macloed died in a hit-and-run accident. Upon visiting Rory’s mother Rose and her partner Graeme, Isabel observes that Graeme matches Ian’s description of the mysterious man. However, Rose denies that Rory was an organ donor.
When Jamie and his lover Louise visit Isabel, jealousy causes Isabel to respond harshly to Louise, who then leaves with Jamie. Jamie later calls to inform Isabel that he and Louise have ended their relationship because he still harbors feelings for Cat. This news persuades Isabel to accept Tomasso’s dinner invitation; he proposes traveling around Scotland together, enticing Isabel with the prospect of an Italian romance.
Isabel later spots Graeme at a pub and contacts Ian, who confirms that Graeme resembles the figure from his memories. Suspecting Rose may have lied about Rory not being an organ donor, Isabel asks her journalist friend Angus to investigate. Angus verifies that Ian’s donor was indeed named Macloed.
During dinner with Jamie, he reveals that the donor was not Rory but another young man named Gavin Macloed. The conversation shifts to relationships, during which Isabel tells Jamie that Cat will never return his affections; Jamie departs in anger.
Isabel visits Gavin’s family near Edinburgh. His mother Jean confirms Gavin’s heart was donated but reveals his estranged father Euan remains unaware. Isabel notices Euan’s photograph—he possesses hooded eyes and a scar.
Upon returning home, Isabel finds a letter from Tomasso explaining he must return to Italy and cannot accompany her on travel plans.
Isabel shares information about Gavin’s family with Ian; they visit Euan together to inform him. Ian later discloses that after surgery he visited West Linton and interacted with locals there; Isabel concludes that Ian subconsciously associated Euan’s face with his new heart.
In conclusion, Jamie apologizes for his earlier conduct, and he and Isabel spend an evening together playing music and enjoying wine at her residence.
Development
Following feedback that Isabel, the protagonist of the initial novel, was somewhat difficult to relate to, McCall Smith sought with this installment to expose "a deeper, more personal side of her". The book’s title alludes to "three philosophically significant themes" that challenge ethical perspectives: friendship, romantic relationships, and chocolate. While friendship and romantic involvement explore intricate moral and philosophical dilemmas, chocolate serves as a metaphor for temptation, included partly due to McCall Smith’s own confessed weakness for it.
A significant narrative thread centers on Jamie’s relationship with Louise, which not only demonstrates his willingness to engage with older partners but also sets the stage for developments in the subsequent novel in the series, The Right Attitude to Rain.
Reception
Although this is the second entry in the Sunday Philosophy Club series, it continues to be measured against McCall Smith’s earlier work, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Bookreporter.com commended Isabel Dalhousie as "wise, delightfully unconventional and distinctive much like Mma Ramotswe", describing the novel as "as inherently Scottish as a single malt whiskey", while emphasizing McCall Smith’s evident passion for Scotland alongside his affection for Botswana in his African-themed stories.
The Times Online observed that the book’s pace was somewhat leisurely, dubbing it "sleuthing for softies", and remarked that although it was enjoyable, the reviewer desired greater suspense.
In contrast, Love Reading praised the novel as "completely enchanting".
W. H. Auden (1907–1973)
An admirer of Auden, Isabel draws parallels between his poetry and that of Robert Burns, particularly highlighting Burns’ ‘A Red, Red Rose’. Towards the conclusion of the story, she cites verses from Auden’s ‘Bucolics’ (1955) while contemplating Gavin’s passing.
Robert Burns (1759–1796)
The Scottish bard Burns is cited on several occasions. The opening chapter features his epitaph on fellow poet Robert Fergusson’s tomb located in Edinburgh’s Kirk of the Canongate:
- This simple Stone directs Pale Scotia's way
- To pour her sorrows o'er her Poet's Dust.
Sigmund Freud (1856–1939)
Isabel describes Freud’s psychoanalytic framework concerning the id, ego, and super-ego as "scientifically questionable," summarizing it as a dispute over basic drives such as space, sustenance, and sexuality.
Robert Garioch (1909–1981)
Garioch’s poem ‘At Robert Fergusson’s Grave’ complements Burns’ epitaph in the novel’s opening segment.
Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)
Early in the narrative, a theatre attendee references Haydn’s oratorio ‘The Creation’ (1798).
D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930)
Isabel references Lawrence's 1923 poem Snake, placing him alongside Hemingway as poets who would “hurl stones at serpents”, distinguishing them from Auden.
Oliver Sacks (1933–2015)
Neurologist Oliver Sacks’ 1985 publication The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is recognized by Isabel as a trailblazer for a series of similarly named works.
Editions
The audio release in the UK is an abridged version, narrated by Phyllis Logan. Conversely, the US audiobook is presented unabridged and voiced by Davina Porter.