Beneath the sea

Usually, beneath the sea lies fascinating sea life in the most varied forms - and you know how fond I am of most of them (feel free to rule out sharks, for one)... But did you know that there also lies an island, one that welcomes the freed souls of all those who passed away? The Island Beneath the Sea is a shrine in Isabel Allende's lastest book on slavery and the emergence of Haiti. What sounds at first like a poetic title reveals, little by little, its many faces; death most certainly is one of them in the lyrical depiction of the rise and fall of a plantation, of a country and of the characters that constantly face new challenges to save themselves or those they love. Magic realism permeates every scene of this historical epic that crosses borders all the way to New Orleans to reach new possibilities and above all, the promise of a free life for Tete, this young woman born into slavery and soon to become the toy of her master, Toulouse Valmorain, representing ruling (and monarchic) France. The plot is built on many contrasts and conflicts: personal ones and historical ones. The two cannot be separated as events unfold and carry in their wake each one of the characters. Luckily, there is also hope for those who are not afraid to cross the land barefoot and brave natural and human dangers. And if you think of it, humans are the ultimate danger to...themselves and show here once again how skilled they are in the shameful art of exploiting other lives. This was true then...and is still true nowadays. Sadly.