PLOT: 4/5
CHARACTERS: 4.5/5
WRITING: 4.5/5
GENRE: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary
THEMES: World War 2, Holocaust, Immigration, Latin America, International Translation
“No, we’re not lost. The wind knows my name. And yours too.”
– Isabel Allende, The Wind Knows My Name
After the Japanese Lover, this is my second foray into the world of Isabel Allende. Historical fiction as a genre has always drawn me in and in this genre, Isabel Allende is a name that frequently stands out. The Wind Knows My Name is a novel of love and war, weaving the tapestry of the past and present, of immigration and migrants, of belonging, of the search for identity, of the Europe of 1930s and the Americas of 2010s.
The story as it goes
The book intertwines the stories of two children – Samuel Adler and Anita Diaz – born decades and continents apart.
In the Vienna of 1938, Samuel Adler lives through the terrible events of Kristallnacht – the night his family loses everything. His father disappears, never to return. But thanks to the good deeds of a wise gentleman, his life is saved, and he is given a magic medal; a medal he would forever keep with him. Days later, the six-year-old boy travels on the last Kindertransport train out of Nazi-occupied Austria and heads to London all alone, not knowing that he would be the only member of his family to survive that night’s tragedies.
Much later, in 2019, Anita Diaz, a sweet and adorable seven-year-old girl, flees her homeland along with her mother. Escaping from a violence-torn El Salvador and a grave threat to their very lives, the mother-daughter duo arrives at the doorstep of the United States seeking asylum. But what they didn’t know was that they would soon be separated, as a result of a new family separation policy of the government, meant to discourage people from flooding the borders. Now, Anita is all alone in a camp at Nogales, wilting away without any news of her mother, forever waiting for her asylum.
How the stories of these two characters intertwine is the crux of this book. In addition to these two, there are other characters (Letitia Cordero, Selena Duran, and more) whose stories Allende seamlessly weaves into the saga, creating a tale that is chaotic yet meaningful, heartbreaking yet entertaining.
The writing
One of the best things about this book is its ability to connect two seemingly disconnected stories from different timelines and geographies, and weave them into a tale of migration, of a conflict-torn world, of selfless parents and traumatized children.
To be very honest – the scope of the story is vast – sometimes too vast. And though I loved reading every bit of it, what came as a drawback for me was Anita’s point of view.
The surreal world her mind conjures up in order to cope with the ugly realities of life – the loss of her younger sister in an accident, the brush with that terrible man Carlos, the loss of her eyesight, and the ultimate disappearance of her mother – just didn’t sit well with the other parts of the story.
While Samuel’s part of the story – as a violinist and as Mr. Bogart – shines remarkably well, Anita’s tale is somewhat overshadowed by the brilliance of Selena Duran and her family. Selena’s not-so-inspiring romance with her lawyer friend Frank, her life and career dilemmas – all of these additions to an already vast plotline take the spotlight away from Anita.
But even then, you have to give it to Allende – as you move toward the end, slowly and steadily, all of the seemingly disparate plotlines and characters do start coming together in a coherent way. The story, in many ways, is a political commentary and a social one too – in the way it addresses issues of immigration and the American policy of family separation for refugees at the border.
It is also heartbreaking to learn about the sorry state of affairs in countries like El Salvador – the horrifying violence against women, civil wars, and all the accompanying brutality – often a result of agenda-driven American political interference. Because of this, many are driven to flee their homeland, often battling hostile and fatalistic conditions to arrive at the American border, just so they can build a regular and peaceful life for their families.
To me personally, Samuel’s story captures the heart – partly because there is something truly heartbreaking about Holocaust stories, but also because of the magnitude of the tragedy that the six-year-old boy had to go through.
Even as an adult and as an old gentleman – his life in London, his love for jazz, his kismet-driven encounter with Nadine, his devoted and lifelong relationship with Nadine Leblanc despite many challenges, his memories of his wife, his never-give-up attitude toward Letitia – Samuel turns out to be an admirable character. His story completes a full and wholesome, albeit tragic, arc from six years to eighty-plus years.
In the end, The Wind Knows My Name (which is a line Anita uses to comfort her sister) is a historical-cum-literary fiction that is both beautiful and haunting. It is a powerful story from a powerful storyteller – a book that will appeal to lovers of historical narratives, tragic tales, stories of love and loss, home and peace, and those that span decades and continents.
Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende.
