The Stories of Eva Luna by Isabel Allende

Title: The Stories of Eva Luna
Author: Isabel Allende



Let me start with a confession: I am generally not a fan of short stories. I have fictional separation anxiety. I prefer one continuous plot where I can settle in, unpack my bags, and live with the characters for a few hundred pages. With collections like this, I tend to lag behind, emotionally clinging to the protagonist from the previous story while the new one is already trying to introduce themselves. It's exhausting.

However, rules were made to be broken, and Isabel Allende is apparently the one to break them.

Allende is good. She's really good. She possesses a literary depth unlike few authors I've ever read, sitting in that rare VIP section with the likes of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. But be warned: if you are looking for sunshine and rainbows, you are in the wrong place. In true literary fashion, these stories rarely have a happy ending, a happy middle, or even a happy beginning. They are tragically beautiful in a way words can hardly describe--misery has never looked so elegant.

Usually, the short story format lands firmly in the "Meh" pile for me. But the writing here is so lyrical, and the stories so highly unforgettable, that I'm glad I made the exception. I'm giving this a solid 4 stars--it would be higher, but I'm still recovering from the whiplash of having to say goodbye to so many fascinating characters so quickly.

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