Of Love and Shadows, translated by Margaret Sayers Peden is another story in the classic Isabel Allende formula: historical fiction with a strong focus on a budding romance. It's set in an unnamed country in Latin America, under a military dictatorship - likely Chile under Pinochet, but it's not explicitly stated. It follows Irene Beltrán, a young journalist who was raised in a wealthy family and shielded from the horrors of the oppression surrounding her, who undergoes an awakening to the reality around her.

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Allende's second novel has a hint of the magical realism which is so rampant in The House of the Spirits (and part of the reason I love that book so much). It's more subtle, as Irene and her photographer Francisco (who comes from a family of Spanish immigrants) document the story of a young girl thought to be in possession of miraculous powers. But the story leads them to something deeper, as hideous crimes are exposed to the light.

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I was more interested in the political storyline than the romance to be honest. This was published in 1984 and it contains one of the most hilariously 80s sex scenes I've ever read. There was much 'sinking into private gardens' and 'shuddering torrents sweeping over Irene' and 'formidable dams breaking in groins' 😂

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But one thing Allende always excels at is transporting the reader to the scene (although unfortunate in the above instance). You feel like you're sitting in the overly warm kitchen ofFrancisco's family, the clattering printing press in the corner as his father produces illicit communist pamphlets, the smells coming from pots constantly simmering on the stove.

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Overall, this one was a middle-of-the-road Allende for me. It took a while for me to finish it because it seemed to lose steam around the 200 page mark, which isn't ideal in a book that's only 300 pages. I wouldn't NOT recommend it, but I also wouldn't suggest it as a starting point if you haven't read her before.