Saturday, May 25, 2019

Of Love and Shadows


Of Love and Shadows
by Isabel Allende

Finished reading Of Love and Shadows by Isabel Allende.  The story is set in Chile during the time of the Pinochet dictatorship.  Irene Beltrán is a magazine editor who investigates the disappearance of Evangelina Ranquileo, a girl suffering from strange and sudden “outbursts” which provide her with miraculous powers.  Her partner in the search is a photographer, Francisco Leal, who comes from the “other side of the tracks” than Irene (who comes from a wealthy family). Francisco, raised by an impoverished Marxist family, is a sympathizer to the underground resistance movement.  Though Irene is engaged to Gustavo Morante, a captain in the military, she falls in love with Francisco.  Together, the two of them discover a hidden mine full of dead bodies where they find Evangelina laying among the others.  Now, their work turns into a life and death situation.  They hope that, through this discovery, they can overthrow the current leaders in the government by getting the information to the masses.  In corrupt societies ruled by fear and death, doing this is an impossible task as both Irene and Francisco discover.  This is a love story amidst the power of evil.  Unfortunately, this is a real problem in parts of our own world.  A beautiful story.  Highly recommend.

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