House of the Spirits

The influence of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ One Hundred Years of Solitude and that of the typically South American magical realism is hard to miss when you dive into the vivid and splendid atmosphere of this novel. This novel is unlike anything I have read recently. It shows a lot of contradicting elements, which are complementary in the way they are brought together in this epic saga. The person holding the narrative together is Esteban Trueba, a young man who desperately wants to reach wealth before marrying Rosa. Yet fate decides differently and this accentuates the changes in Esteban Trueba, without him being entirely disconnected to the struggles and aspirations of his close ones. In that sense, the narrative focuses on three generations of women of the same family, each one growing with the influence of magic, yet aspiring towards ideals and deep convictions of struggle, independency and parity. You might not be familiar with Chile’s history and this makes the novel accessible to anyone, yet its political depth, which is only referred to in subtle hints, gives strength and resonance to Isabel Allende’s writing. The hints are so subtle that they are easily overlooked, but it would allow someone to put a date and a name to the country portrayed in this novel. Yet, by not doing it, it allows the narrative to keep an universal reach and makes you appreciate the quality of the writing even more. And having read other novels by Isabel Allende, I have to emphasize of how little, apparently insignificant aspects of the novel reach a long way and will still resonate with you a long time. The two things that were less positive about this book, is that the seldom used first person narrative is that of Esteban Trueba, although the plot focuses on female figures. Towards the middle when the narrative moves from a romantic to a more political one, is that the influence of Marquez is too palpable. Hence the 4-stars review.