They were not exactly affectionate and had been adopted from the Humane Society to solve his mouse problem. Allende continues, “Whenever Richard reached home in the evening, he first attended to the four cats.

Blessed with the stoic character of her people, accustomed as they are to earthquakes, floods, occasional tsunamis, and political cataclysms, she grew worried if no disaster occurred within a given length of time” (1-2). Isabelle writes, “Lucia Maraz was cursing the cold in her Prospect Heights basement apartment, a cement-and-brick cave with a mountain of snow blocking the doorway. He happens to be out of town when Evelyn borrows his Lexus without permission. Her employer is a dangerous and frightening person named Frank Leroy. Evelyn is at the door, and she is frantic with fear. On a snowy day, Richard is driving home, when his car rear ends another car, driven by Evelyn. Richard is a college professor, who has recruited Lucia from Chile to teach a class in his department. The story revolves around three people: Richard Bowmaster, Lucia Maraz, and Evelyn Ortega. This novel might disturb some readers and break the hearts of many, many more. It is the story of South American refugees streaming north for a better life in the United States.

Her latest novel, In the Midst of Winter, spins a tale so relevant today. Her most noted work is The House of Spirits, my favorite with The Japanese Lover a close second. Isabelle Allende is a Chilean writer whose novels often slip over into magic realism. I’m Jim McKeown, welcome to Likely Stories, a weekly review of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and biographies. Chilling story of the horror resulting from the migration of refugees from South America.

In the midst of winter book