Description

Isabel Allende’s Amantul japonez tells two love stories. They unfold more than fifty years apart. In 1939, Nazism threatens Poland. Alma Belasco’s parents send her away from the country. She joins her aunt and uncle in San Francisco. They live in a grand home. At first, Alma feels out of place with her new family. She then forms a lifelong bond with Ichimei, their gardener’s son. Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. Ichimei and his family enter an internment camp, which holds them in confinement. The lovers must part.

Decades later, Alma lives at Lark House in San Francisco. It is a care home for those with wealth. Her young carer, Irina Bazili, comes from Moldova. She hides a painful past. Alma, too, keeps secrets. Alma’s grandson Seth helps Irina learn of the wartime love affair. She finds that Alma’s bond with Ichimei has never ended. Their story helps Irina face her own past. It also helps her think about love with Seth.

This novel blends fiction about the past with two linked romances. Its themes include lifelong love, private grief, and hope amid change. Allende returns to a broad, traditional way of telling stories. She pays close heed to history and her characters’ inner lives. This edition forms part of the Literatura contemporana series.

Allende has written 21 books. They have appeared in more than 35 languages. Her books have sold over 65 million copies. She has received 12 honorary doctorates. She has also won 50 awards across more than 15 countries. Two films have drawn on her novels.