So apparently I read “The House of the Spirits” and “Daughter of Fortune” backwards. I blogged about “Daughter of Fortune” earlier in the year, and when I read “The House of the Spirits” for my thesis, I discovered that “Daughter of Fortune” is the semi-sequel to “The House of the Spirits.”
“The House of the Spirits” was an excellent read, especially if you enjoy themes of women’s independence with strong female characters.
The book begins with Rosa and Clara, two sisters living in Chile in the mid-1800s. When Rosa dies of poison meant for their father, Clara chooses to stop speaking. From an academic point of view, this book was perfect for my thesis: the advent of women choosing to be silent, not being forced to be silent.
The plot follows the women of the following generations–Blanca, Clara’s daughter, and Alba, Blanca’s daughter–and their struggle for freedom and equality.
These women are not only fighting patriarchy in their home in the form of Esteban, Clara’s husband, Blanca’s father and Alba’s grandfather, but also in later years in the form of the Chilean military dictatorship.
In order to persevere through their oppression, all of these women also form ritual acts that they do instead of speaking. For Rosa, it is embroidering and sewing. For Clara, it is knitting. For Blanca, it is pottery. For Alba, it is painting.
“The House of the Spirits” contains important firsts for the history of women in literature–the ones above and also one more, possibly more significant than the rest: in “The House of the Spirits” we see the advent of testimony within literature. That is, both Clara and Alba record what happens to them. Clara records her life story, which is not exactly testimony but is close enough, and Alba records her rape and torture under the military dictatorship in order to help other women who are going through or who went through the same thing.
This book is an easier read although a bit on the long side, but it is extremely interesting and I would definitely suggest it to anyone. (I just did.) Happy reading!