Read this when
The House of the Spirits
Grandpa's temper came back two generations later. Allende's answer: write it all down, and refuse to pass it on.
Who it's for
Four generations of the Trueba–del Valle family show how Esteban Trueba's violence (against the peasants he rules and his own family) comes back years later through his illegitimate grandson, Esteban García.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Isabel Allende's 1982 debut novel (English translation by Magda Bogin, 1985) follows four generations of the Trueba family in Chile from the 1910s to the 1970s. The landowner Esteban Trueba marries Clara del Valle, a clairvoyant, and their daughter Blanca falls in love with the revolutionary Pedro Tercero García, with whom she has a daughter, Alba.
Where to find it
In print; available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla) and as an audiobook. Not public domain. A 1993 film adaptation exists.
Before you start
Heads up: Rape and torture.
Age: Ages 16+
The roots below the earth claim no rewards for making the branches fruitful.Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds, no. 134
