Let me begin with, Isabel Allende is so underrated.
I have blogged about her books before–namely, “Daughter of Fortune” and “The House of the Spirits,” which share characters and overlap in plot.
“Portrait in Sepia” adds to this even more so, by continuing and further developing how the families from “Daughter of Fortune” and “The House of the Spirits” are interconnected.
The novel begins with Aurora del Valle, daughter of Lynn Sommers and Matias del Valle. Lynn Sommers was the daughter of Tao Chi’en and Eliza Sommers (from “Daughter of Fortune”), and Matías del Valle was the son of Paulina del Valle, aunt to Severo and Nívea del Valle, parents of Clara and Rosa del Valle (from “The House of the Spirits”).
This seems much more complicated than it really is, especially because Allende provides a family chart in the beginning of the book.
Allende’s ability to expand her ideas and connect her characters and plot lines is truly amazing, especially considering that the novel span three different countries, at the very least: Chile, the United States and England.
Aurora is telling her story and the story of her immediate family: her grandmother Paulina, her grandparents Eliza and Tao, her uncle Severo, her father Matías, numerous others, and how they have made her into the person she is at present.
She tells of her childhood growing up first with Eliza and Tao, and then after Tao dies, with Paulina, a woman of enormous girth, will, and passion. She tells of her early marriage to Diego Domínguez, which doesn’t last long because of his affair with his sister-in-law, her separation from him and her final happiness with someone else, very rare in 19th century Chilean society.
Although Allende oftentimes is longwinded–a single paragraph taking up a whole page on many occasions–she weaves her sentences and details into such a smooth transition that one never notices how long the paragraphs are while reading them and turns pages quickly.
On the contrary, her ability to describe a whole love scene in a few short sentences does not leave the reader wanting more, but with a sense of satisfaction and understanding.
Isabel Allende has rapidly become one of my favorite writers and I’m sure she will continue to be in the future.