REVIEW: The Wind Knows My Name (Isabel Allende)
Book: The Wind Knows My Name Author: Isabel Allende Premise: In 1938, six year old Samuel Adler flees Nazi-occupied Austria, carrying nothing but his violin. Eight decades later, seven year old Anita Diaz is separated from her mother upon entering the US, after fleeing El Salvador. There are 4 perspectives in this novel. The first is Samuel, which covers his life from childhood to old age. We have his housekeeper Leticia, who fled El Salvador in the 1980s. Then we have Anita and her social worker Selena. The novel is all about immigrants who are fleeing awful circumstances in their home country, and their treatment upon reaching asylum. I learnt a lot about some of the awful things that have gone on in El Salvador. But I also learnt about how badly migrants are treated upon entering the US. However, I found the story didn't quite grip me. There were sections where the narrative went into full factual mode. And then I found it hard jumping between the different character...
