Isabel Allende is a beloved and well-known author. Perhaps mostly known for
The House of the Spirits, she has written numerous books. They are mostly based on her own experience and historical events. She also includes and dedicates her books to women and their stories. I have only read
Island Beneath the Sea, which is slightly different from her other books, being more based on historical events during the Haitian revolution. I really loved that book.
Of Love and Shadows is another book to love. From the back cover:
"Set in a country of arbitrary arrests, sudden disappearances and summary executions, Isabel Allende's magical new novel tells of the passionate affair of two people prepared to risk everything for the sake of justice and truth. Irene Beltrán, a reporter, comes from a wealthy background; Francisco Leal, a young photographer secretly engaged in undermining the military dictatorship, is strongly attracted by her beauty. It does not matter that Irene´s fiancé is an army captain: each time Francisco accompanies her on a magazine assignment, he falls more deeply in love with her."
There is the mysterious case of a young girl, Evangelina Ranquileo, who suffers from mystical fits which are said to give her healing powers. When Irene and Francisco go there to investigate, it turns out that they are at the wrong place at the wrong time. Soldiers arrive to arrest Evangelina and the situations turns sour. They take her with her, and she is never seen again. This is a scenario too well known, but they can't let it go. They set out to try to find out what happened to her and step into a situation that totally change their lives.
Isabel Allende's writing is called magical realism. She describes the happenings in all its frightening aspects. At the same time, her language is poetic and so beautiful, it seems almost impossible to use under the circumstances. Irene is a naive, young woman, a product of her upbringing. Francisco, whose parents fled from Spain during the war, is seeing more clearly what is happening in the country.
"'All you will have is the present. Waste no energy crying over yesterday or dreaming of tomorrow. Nostalgia is fatiguing and destructive. It is the vice of the expatriate. You must put down roots as if they were forever, you must have a sense of permanence,' concluded Professor Leal, and his son remembered that the elderly actress had said the same."
It is a very interesting, as well as a terrible story, but most likely quite common under dictatorship, wherever it is found. At the same time it is an exciting read, where you really don't know how the ending will be. With her characters, Allende takes us down to the nitty-gritty political world, where we engage in the cause, due to her well drawn characters. An important book to read.
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