Oh, Isabel Allende... you may be a new fav. I'm relatively new to Allende's work, but each book I pick up is a revelation. I love THE JAPANESE LOVER's discussions of race, class, and age through the lens of character, I love the plot, and I love the bizarrely fantastic writing style. How in all that is holy is Allende telling so much and the story is so good? Just like in THE ISLAND BENEATH THE SEA, there's little in the way of dialogue or scenes, but I broke down in tears all the same. How? What witchcraft is Allende performing because I want to do it too.

As expected from the title, the racial diversity is A+ in the book. This is a beautiful, touching read for anyone and everyone.