The Wind Knows My Name

Starred review from April 10, 2023
Refugee children flee from war and unrest in the powerful latest from Allende (Violeta). In 1938 Austria, five-year-old Samuel Adler is grudgingly placed by his mother on a rescue train to Great Britain. He completes the journey, and never sees his parents again. Samuel struggles in an orphanage until he settles in 1942 with a Quaker couple. At 25, he is a violinist with the London Philharmonic, and soon his interest in jazz takes him to America. In a parallel narrative set in 2019, Anita Diaz, seven, leaves El Salvador with her mother to escape ceaseless gang violence, and the two embark on an odyssey that sees them traveling on top of train cars and by foot. They make it to the U.S., where a new family separation policy leaves Anita, who is partially blind, alone in Nogales, Ariz., and her mother deported. Anita shuttles from one host family to another while a social worker and lawyer work tirelessly to safeguard her until she can be reunited with her mother. The two threads converge, first, with bitter irony—Samuel’s grandson is a presidential adviser who advocates for harsh immigration policies (and will remind readers of Trump administration political adviser Stephen Miller)—and, by the end, with hope. The dual narrative structure gives historical weight to the contemporary story line, and Allende finds real depth in her characters, especially when portraying their sacrifices. This authentic and emotionally harrowing work is a triumphant return to form. Agent: Johanna Castillo, Writers House.

June 10, 2024

In 1938 Vienna, following the devastation wrought during Kristallnacht, five-year-old Samuel Adler is sent alone to England to escape Nazi persecution. Samuel is the only member of his family to survive World War II. He becomes a talented musician and studies jazz in New Orleans, where he meets his future wife, a high-society activist and artist. Eventually, they settle in California. In 2019, seven-year-old Anita Diaz and her mother flee violence in El Salvador, crossing the border into the U.S., where they are detained. Anita is separated from her mother, and after several months, her mother disappears. Social worker Selena Duran takes up Anita's cause, trying to locate her mother and get sanctuary status for both. Celebrated Chilean novelist Allende (A Long Petal of the Sea) connects the stories of these disparate individuals with observations on femicide, immigration, and exile, as well as family, love, and loss. The text is expertly performed by narrators Edoardo Ballerini and Maria Liatis. Ballerini brings his signature blend of lyricism and intimacy to his narration, while Liatis's portrayal of Anita is particularly moving. VERDICT Expect many holds; a powerful listen that should please Allende's fans and those who like fiction that incorporates current affairs.--Joanna M. Burkhardt

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