The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

 

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There are a lot of seminal books, books that should be read to understand a time, place or people. Most of us acknowledge these books, but rarely read them. I had the chance to read The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende, which is definitely a seminal book, in my opinion. It was a wonderful journey.

This novel follows the lives of an upper-class family in Chile, from the 1930’s through the 1970’s. The patriarch of the family is Esteban Trueba. Trueba builds a fortune through mining and owning a country plantation. The novel follows three generations of Trueba women - Esteban’s wife, Clara, their daughter Blanca, and granddaughter Alba.

Historical novels can sometimes feel overwhelming. They tend to cover large events and sweeping changes. In House of the Spirits, Allende has brought those large vistas down to a smaller window. Through their stories, the author focuses our view through a more manageable lens of the family, and the social and political upheaval of their time.

Allende does a masterful job of weaving their storied together illustrating the ways in which seemingly small actions can grow to affect major historical events. She presents family relationships against the backdrop to Chile’s history. And she does this without beating the reader over the head with politics.

The House of the Spirits is not an “easy read.” The writing can be dense, but it is lyrical, beautiful and descriptive. Allende fully explores the lives of her characters, and does an excellent job of using them to present Chile’s toughest hours.