The House of the Spirits

From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Kirsten Backstrom

"Many children fly like birds, guess other people's dreams, and speak with ghosts, but... they all outgrow it when they lose their innocence." The House of Spirits is a book about magic, politics, families, dreams, passion, obsession, and reconciliation. It is a book about almost everything, yet the relationship between innocence and natural/supernatural power is at the heart of all of these themes. Clara, the matriarch of the Trueba family, is blessed and cursed with a childhood clairvoyance that follows her into adulthood. Her capacity to foretell tragedy and truth casts an extraordinary light on the personal and political epic of her family, but hers is only one of the many stories within the larger story. Isabel Allende does not limit herself to any single perspective, so the fantastic events in The House of Spirits are shown from different angles, in different lights. Though reality is relentless, it is not absolute: the miraculous pervades the most petty and commonplace circumstances, the most morbid and terrible events. At the same time, spectacular occasions and divine moments are marked by the vulgar demands of the body or the crude interference of fate. This is storytelling on a grand scale, yet each detail is touched with intimacy and authenticity. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14.