"Violeta" by Isabel Allende

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Isabel Allende's 2022 novel "Violeta" tells the life story of the title character in her own words.

Violeta was born in an unnamed South American country (probably Allende's native Chile, given some historical clues) during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1920. She died a century later during the COVID-19 epidemic. Between that time, she grew up, fell in love multiple times, bore two children, and witnessed changes in her life, her country, and the world.

Allende brings us into Violeta's head to experience her passions, triumphs, mistakes, and growth. The entire novel is a letter to a loved one whose identity is revealed two-thirds through the book.
Her father lost his fortune in the Depression of the 1930s, but she and her brother built a successful business. She is a victim of a violent husband's physical abuse, but she survives and gains her independence. Her country's patriarchy deems women second-class citizens, but she and her friends fight the injustices, and society slowly changes. Much of the saga takes place against the backdrop of the political upheavals of her country and the world.

The author gives life to her heroine and those who touched that woman. She introduces us to a stream of interesting characters who enter and exit the protagonist's life: Miss Taylor, the lesbian Irish tutor who teaches Violeta both discipline and rebelliousness; Julian, the dashing, violent ex-husband who fathers her children and looks after only himself; and Nieves, the self-destructive, drug-addicted daughter who rebels against her parents.

I read an English translation of the book, initially published in Spanish. I would not have known it was a translation had I not looked it up. Allende gives voice to her heroine, and the translator captures the inspiration in that voice. The narrative is a message to someone named Camilo, but the reader does not learn Camilo's identity until at least halfway through the book.

I do not know if it is significant that this centenarian entered and exited this world during a global pandemic. Still, I found significance in the triumphs and mistakes of this woman's life. Violeta was a feminist living in a patriarchal society. She gained her independence despite the roadblocks set before her. "Violeta" is not just the story of Violeta. It is a story of the world where she lived for a hundred years.