In the Midst of Winter
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New York Times and worldwide bestselling author Isabel Allende returns with a sweeping novel that journeys from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala in the recent past to 1970s Chile and Brazil that offers “a timely message about immigration and the meaning of home” (People). During the biggest Brooklyn snowstorm in living memory, Richard Bowmaster, a lonely university professor in his sixties, hits the car of Evelyn Ortega, a young undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, and what at first seems an inconvenience takes a more serious turn when Evelyn comes to his house, seeking help. At a loss, the professor asks his tenant, Lucia Maraz, a fellow academic from Chile, for her advice. As these three lives intertwine, each will discover truths about how they have been shaped by the tragedies they witnessed, and Richard and Lucia will find unexpected, long overdue love. Allende returns here to themes that have propelled some of her finest work: political injustice, the art of survival, and the essential nature of—and our need for—love.
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I am a fan of Isabel Allende though not every book has captured my attention as did In the Midst of Winter. It tells the story of 3 people forced together by circumstances beyond their control. Richard is a professor at NYU and owns a brownstone in Brooklyn. He rents out the lower apartment to Lucia, also a professor, a women he has known for years through work related conferences. Lucia is Chilean and has a one year contract to teach and she has always been attracted to Richard; however, sees another side of him (stingy with heat and comfort) as a tenant. So Lucia has been there 3 months when the book begins and Richard rear ends another vehicle in a snow storm. The person he hit was an illegal immigrant, Evelyn, driving her employer's Lexus without permission. Richard apologizes and gives her his business card so that the matter can be settled with insurance companies. Instead, several hours later Evelyn shows up at his door but can't speak. Richard wakes Lucia so that she can go up and help. Evelyn is from Guatemala and has trouble speaking to strangers. There is a reason that Evelyn cannot go home and Richard and Lucia get involved with her for the next few days trying to resolve “the situation”. So during the raging storm and a road trip they took because of “the situation”, they told each other the story of their lives each night. All of them experienced extreme tragedy in the past that had marked them in different ways. Under cover of darkness and blanketed by snow, their lives are revealed through Allende's masterful storytelling.
This one wasn't great. It just didn't work for me. It considerably picked up by the end, I liked the inside look and reality of asylum seekers, and it had many of the parts of her books that I love. Unfortunately, by the time it picked up I just wasn't as invested in the characters. I'm definitely going to go back and read some of her older books I haven't explored yet and I still look forward to it.
I would rate this book 3.5 stars and though I liked the book, I would've made the pace of the book quicker and just progress the plot. I loved the characters and it was quite easy to follow them in their journey from Latin America and The United States. I liked how the characters' flaws were showcased and how the plot progressed as the places changed throughout the novel.
