My Invented Country - Review

Re-reading a book after a few years is like reliving life. You become nostalgic. You discover sentences you never thought existed. And you are able to enjoy the book even more (that is if you liked it the first time around). I re-read My Invented Country after about three years. The first time it was on a train journey from Calcutta to Bombay. This time the book took a little longer but the book is as fresh as ever.

As an occasional writer, there are times when you find it very difficult to write about some things if you cannot relate to them on a personal level. But if are writing something that affects you - then you don't have to write, the words just flow. My Invented Country is one such book. The book is written in a way that is unpretentious and not bothered by the need to please some audience. The book is written for the pure joy of expressing oneself.

The book is not (and does not claim to be) a definitive guide to the history of Chile. Rather it is the story of a large extended family (and a quirky one at that) in particular and a communist society overall trying to come to terms with the changes in technology and the advent of free markets. Like when her grandfather hits the phone each time it rings because he thinks that it is impolite to talk to him without taking prior permission. Or her grandmother who thinks that she is an angel.

There is a lot about Chile that the ones in India, especially those born in the early 80s would relate to - the large extended family; the rebellious uncle who is each child's hero because he can talk back to the grandpa; drunk men who order around women and children and do not want to do anything except discuss politics; local gossip; long queues for getting essential commodities (the ration shop in India); the rash drivers; water problems; the influence of religion (in this case the Church) and the numerous superstitions.

Even though Isabel Allende is the niece of Salvador Allende, the last elected president of Chile before Gen. Pinochet took over, she does not spend too much time mulling over the years under dictatorship - which would have ruined the book. The book is not a rant on the poverty, unequal distribution of wealth and the urban chaos, but an unadulterated view of the things that happened. A fun book to read.