Numele mi-l știe vântul

Two children flee danger in this novel by Isabel Allende. Both lose touch with their families. Set in the past, it links Nazi cruelty with the plight of migrants today. It looks at loss and the search for home. It also shows how parents strive to keep children safe.

In 1938, Samuel Adler is five and lives in Vienna. His father vanishes during Kristallnacht. His family loses all they have. His mother finds a way for him to escape. He takes a train alone from Nazi-occupied Austria to England. He brings clothes too large for him and his violin. Its case holds a hidden charm that he treasures.

In 2019, Anita Díaz is seven. She and her mother flee El Salvador by train. They seek safety in the United States. A new policy splits families apart. It leaves Anita alone in a camp in Nogales. She finds shelter in Azabahar, a magic world she dreams up. There she can meet the loved ones she has lost. Selena Durán, a young social worker, seeks a successful lawyer’s help. They search for Anita’s mother, which leads them to Samuel. He is now an old man who teaches music.

Allende grew up in Chile. She fled to Venezuela during Pinochet’s rule as a dictator. She spent fifteen years there and worked as a journalist. This edition forms part of a series of her work. Cornelia Radulescu translated the book from Spanish.