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Isabel is an expatriate living in London. Originally from Chile, Isabel fled the country after a military coup deposed democratically elected leader Salvador Allende and installed dictator Augusto Pinochet. In the aftermath of the September 11, 1973 overthrow, thousands of dissidents were detained and placed in concentration camps while others were executed. Isabel’s father was one of the desaparecidos (disappeared). Isabel’s socialist views were anathema to the current regime, and her life was in danger, leading her to relocate to England from 1980-1994.
However, Isabel returns as the reign of Pinochet is nearing its end. She desires to make a documentary about Chile in the wake of the turbulent period. In contrast, many in her family and friends wish to forget and move on. Despite Pinochet’s relinquishing of power, the environment still contains danger for Isabel and others.
Townley has written a powerful and moving novel about living in the shadows of a revolution. The courage of Isabel is balanced with a stubborn resolve to write down the sins of the past and preserve them despite resistance from many areas. The post-Pinochet period witnesses a need for “reconciliation,” but with little to no consequences. The anger felt by Isabel is tangible in the narrative, as her world, along with most Chileans, was upended by the U.S.-backed coup of 1973. Townley marvelously captures the intense paranoia of the post-coup period and the unease that remained even in the late 1990s as Pinochet began to be held accountable for his government’s reign of terror. The gripping storyline presented in this excellent work of historical fiction will remain with the reader long after the last page is turned.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review