THE INVISIBLE MOUNTAIN
Carolina De Robertis
HarperCollins, $34.99, pbk
For a debut novel, The Invisible Mountain by American author Carolina De Robertis is impressive.
De Robertis uses her knowledge of Uruguay, where she was born, to create a family epic that spans three generations - nearly a century - and draws upon events and customs in South America, Italy and Cuba.
Sometimes such a broad sweep can result in a superficial gallop across too many characters with little of depth or understanding to offer the reader.
Not so in this case.
The three main characters - Pajarita, Eva and Salome, a grandmother, daughter and granddaughter - are well-defined and given plenty of room to breathe.
This is a book equally driven by plot and character, but it also has plenty to say about the social and political forces at play in South America throughout the 20th century.
Without feeling as if I was being given a history lesson, I learnt quite a bit about what went on, particularly in Argentina and Uruguay, and I enjoyed a cultural setting I hadn't previously read much about.
There was enough that was new to me to make the novel seem exotic.
Although the three women endure what are universal problems in any culture, they also experience things that are not.
Pajarita has a mystical experience as a baby that gives her a special status in her community.
She later becomes a natural healer who uses plants and herbs and the gift of listening to help others.
Eva is a victim of sexual abuse who escapes to Argentina, marries for security but, when later abandoned by her husband, falls in love with someone utterly forbidden whose situation is quite unexpected.
Salome becomes a revolutionary who is imprisoned for many years in desperate conditions, but is strong enough to stay alive and overcome many losses.
The novel touches on meaty issues, such as the treatment of women, sexual abuse, family violence, human rights, alternative sexualities, the politics of revolution and fascism.
De Robertis is adept at doing this without sacrificing the narrative's momentum or losing sight of her characters' roles within families and personal relationships.
This is an epic with enough going on upstairs to ensure it is both entertaining and satisfying.
- Caroline Hunter is a Dunedin writer.
