The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

*This review will contain some spoilers*

I first came across Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits when I was searching for some books about different cultures to add to my Classics Club list. This Latin American novel was one of the ones that kept popping up, so even though it was published in the 1980s, making it stretch my definition of what a "classic" is, I decided to give it a go. I picked it up towards the end of April in an effort to continue catching up on my reads from that list.

The story is set in Chile and it follows three generations of the wealthy Trueba family throughout the 1900s. The story is mostly told from the perspective of Esteban Trueba, who is the patriarch of the family, although the journals and letters of other characters, along with some elements of magical realism, allow the perspectives of other family members to come across. The plot centers around the women in Esteban's life, including his wife Clara, his daughter Blanca, and his granddaughter Alba. Esteban is a cruel and rash man, and his relationship with each of the women is largely characterized by his demanding and violent nature. He does have his moments of regret and change over the years, however, and the political upheavals that rock Chile towards the end of the novel become a catalyst for his personal growth.

As this is a generational story, it's difficult to succinctly summarize the whole novel. It moves through many years, with the women in the story each taking a turn to drive the plot. The first part of the novel features Esteban's wife Clara, a woman known for many eccentricities as well as an ability to see spirits and predict the future. She marries Esteban because she has seen her future self do it, and while Esteban loves her with a devotion that borders on obsession, she does not particularly love him. Eventually, she bears him three children: twin boys and a daughter named Blanca.

When Blanca is old enough, the story shifts over to focus on her. She does not have her mother's ability to see spirits, and is a bit more practical-minded. She falls in love with a boy who works on their estate, someone who is far below her social station. Esteban would never allow such a match, so they are forced to sneak around to meet each other. Eventually, Blanca becomes pregnant and Esteban, filled with rage at this development, attacks her lover, nearly killing him, and marries her off to a family acquaintance. The marriage doesn't work out as planned and Blanca returns home, where she gives birth to her daughter, Alba.

Alba takes over the focus of the story for the last part of the novel. As a young adult, she takes a more active role in the socialist movement that is picking up steam in the country, much to her grandfather Esteban's consternation. She also falls in love with an inappropriate man, a leftist, whom Esteban sees as an enemy to his own political viewpoints. Like her mother, she must sneak around to be with the one she loves. Despite this, she becomes very close to her grandfather, and he loves her devotedly. His old age, and the changing politics of the time, are softening him a bit; he is coming to realize that his harshness as a younger man has cost him a lot. When the military seizes control of Chile and establishes a dictatorship to quash the socialists, Alba is taken prisoner and Esteban embarks on a quest to get her back.

The House of the Spirits is truly an epic read. Allende does an excellent job depicting the different generations of the Trueba family throughout the years with appropriate pacing and weight. The story is big and it feels big. Similarly, her language is beautiful and draws you right into the story. The magical elements, including Clara's clairvoyance and the spirits that drift in and out from time to time, are well-incorporated and wonderfully weird. It is clear from page one that this is a special book, and it has earned its place as one of the most respected works in the Latin American literary cannon.

I enjoyed my reading for the most part, but there were a few elements I struggled with. One of the big ones was that Esteban is a serial rapist. He rapes many women throughout the course of the novel and really only stops due to various injuries or old age. He leave many of his victims with children that he does not acknowledge in any way and never shows a bit of remorse for his actions. He believes it is his right to behave in this way. While he does end up suffering for this behavior by the end of the story, the person who suffers the most for his behavior is Alba, who is assaulted by one of his illegitimate offspring. Her reaction to this is one of oddly placid acceptance that didn't sit right with me. I do not believe that Allende means for the readers to love Esteban. I believe that she means to present him as a very flawed character that is tormented by regrets. However, this whole "great cycle of rape" plot point didn't sit well with me.

Another aspect of the story that I didn't love was the fact that neither Blanca, Alba, or the political strife that comes later in the novel were as interesting as Clara. The best character in the story, with her mysterious ways and magical powers, comes first in the line of featured women, and as the plot gradually shifts away from her, it becomes more boring. I found myself wanting more time with her and less of everything else. As the novel reaches it's final quarter or so, the socialist movement and the resulting military coup take center stage, and without knowing a lot about the politics of the period, I found my mind wandering.

Neither of those points takes away from the fact that The House of the Spirits is a worthwhile read and an obvious great work of literature. I am glad I ended up picking it for my Classics Club list because this is one of those novels that you feel accomplished and wiser after reading. I learned more about life in a different culture and experienced the writing of an excellent new-to-me author. Time with The House of the Spirits is time well spent.


Challenge Tally
Classics Club (#17 on my list): 45/100

Total Books Read in 2019:28