Book Review - The Wind Knows My Name by Isabelle Allende
No, we're not lost. The wind knows my name. And yours too.
‘The wind knows my name’ by Isabelle Allende begins with ‘Kristallnacht’ in Vienna, 1938. This results in the evacuation via Kindertransport of Samuel, a six year old violin prodigy, to England. Much later, In 1981 we meet Letitia Cordero, who escapes the El Mozote massacre in El Salavador, making her way across the rio grande to the US with her father. And finally in the modern day, there's Anita Diaz, a blind seven year old, also escaping El Salvador with her mother, but who comes up against Donald Trump’s harsh immigration policies and finds herself in legal limbo land at the border.
Refugees
As you've probably surmised, this book is about refugees, and the parallels with history. People have always been fleeing, seeking refuge from persecution and violence and trying to find safety, but often coming up against hostile governments. You only have to watch the news for two minutes to see that we’re not dealing with it at all well - I look at my own country of Ireland and see some of the outright hostility that people have faced. There are often complex local issues, such as lack of social housing, making the subject more fraught.
So there’s no doubting the universal topicality of this book, with Allende determined to make a point about parallels between immigration during the 1940’s, the 80’s and the current day. Via multiple characters perspectives, against a background of social and political upheaval, Allende sets out to craft a book that interweaves these personal histories with a sweeping narrative arc. It’s a big ask, and for me it doesn’t quite work.
Story
I found that the story jumps around too much, flitting from character to character at the expense of the pace of the narrative, which at times feels uneven. Some of the side stories don't really go anywhere and there were times when I found it a bit cloying and overly sentimental. The dialogue never felt natural to my ears and I groaned when a bit of magical realism started to creep in to one of the characters stories.
It sometimes feels like Allende is so determined to make a her salient points about immigration that some of the characters feel flat and the story fattened out with a bit of exposition (of which there is an awful lot). Too much backstory is something of a bug bear for me, and I tired of it early on.
Summary
But you have to admire the ground that Allende covers - immigration, detention centres, the role of the US in Central America, and human trafficking amongst others. Violence against women is also explored, with some strong and brave female characters. There are times when it is harrowing and certainly emotive, and I found the opening chapter in Vienna particularly moving.
But personally, I much preferred ‘A long petal of the sea’, her sweeping account of refugees fleeing the Spanish civil war to South America. I felt the storytelling was tighter with the characters more engaging and fleshed out.
I think there's a better book struggling to get out in ‘The wind knows my name’. For me there was too much exposition and it felt a bit rushed and with the seams showing between the various narratives. But If you are a fan of Allende, you'll enjoy it. The storytelling is in her usual flowing, florid style and you’ll know what to expect. And it’s got one of my favourites covers of the year.
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy.
272 pages, Expected publication June 6, 2023 by Bloomsbury Publishing
Book Review ‘The wind knows my name’ by Isabelle Allende