The Invisible Mountain [Hardcover]

This novel traces a family history through the strong women who shaped it. The story winds through Italy, Uruguay, Argentina, and the United States in an epic tale of three generations.

Pajarita begins the novel, an unwanted baby whose mother died in childbirth. Her tale has its roots in magic, as she is lost as an infant and then found again in a tree high above her village. Her story becomes a sacred family legend, repeated to children and grandchildren throughout the years. Pajarita's marriage is rocky at times, but succeeds in producing three sons and a daughter.

Eva, daughter of Pajarita, is forced out of childhood early, sent to work at the age of ten. She is shattered, pulls herself back together, and escapes her life only to be shattered anew. Her marriage is more for convenience than anything else, but blesses her with a son and a daughter, whom she loves with all of her being. Unlike her mother, who communes with plants and soothes the ills of those around her, Eva takes solace in words and poetry bursts forth from her, enlightening and scandalizing those around her.

Salome, daughter of Eva, finds herself electrified by the rebellion overtaking Uruguay and secretly joins the resistance. It is a choice which eventually carries a terrible price.

I really liked these women and their individual strength and dedication to their families. I was disappointed that there were no equally strong and noble male characters in this book, though; it seemed that men were constantly villains, from the abusive or alcoholic husbands and fathers to the oppressive and sexually abusive bosses, to the intolerant or ignorant elders, to the chronically disappearing brothers. Surely there must have been some worthy men in the lives of these women.

Overall, this novel was moving and heartwrenching, with some interesting history included to help the reader understand the motivations of the characters and how the local and national events influenced their choices. It was fascinating to see a family start with a single couple and gradually branch out over the generations. I was disappointed when it ended, and I'd look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Carolina de Robertis begins her novelist career with a book about three independent women. She writes The Invisible Mountain in three sections. The first section describes the childhood and early married life of Pajarita. The second story describes the childhood and early adulthood of Eva, Pajarita's daughter. And the third story describes the childhood and early adulthood of Salome, Eva's daughter. The political climate in Uruguay and Argentina shape the paths of these three women.

De Robertis did a wonderful job developing each woman within the woman's specific section. She artfully told Uruguay's history about the rise of the Tupamaros, the horrors brought by the military rule, and the democratization of Uruguay. The description of Eva's imprisonment during the military regime continues to haunt me. I also enjoyed catching a brief glimpse of Argentina under Peron's rule and the early years of the Cuban Castro regime.

I wish that de Robertis would have continued to detail some of the thoughts of the previously developed main character(s) in each new section of the book. At the end of Pajarita's section, I wanted to continue reading the book to learn more about Pajarita as well as the second section's main character, Eva. The second section, however, described Eva but subjugated Pajarita's character to an afterthought. Likewise, Eva and Pajarita's stories were both an afterthought in Salome's section. The magical portion of the book added some color to the plots, but my interest in the book did not pique until de Robertis began focusing more on the story and less on magical innuendos. Finally, de Robertis explored many themes, which include childhood rape, transgender love, and adoption; however, she only used a few pages to discuss each of these complex issues that should have been more fully developed.

Carolina De Robertis' debut novel is one of lush description and beautiful language. As a South American author, it's not surprising she chose to honor the tradition of magical realism, but she treads that path very lightly (such as a baby found in a tree or a brief mention of a guardian puma), so readers who are frustrated by the ambiguity of magical realism will not have any quarrel with this story.

While the author creates strong, memorable female characters and fully developed settings in representations of Montevideo and Buenos Aires, there are a few problems. The development of a character's anti-Peronist sentiments and their basis is glossed over in a scant few pages, and those sentiments are critical to a major plot point which felt insufficiently motivated. That character has experienced nothing but abuse and abandonment at the hands of men, and with this one act she cruelly and thoughtlessly alienates the one man who was good to her. In the book's third section, the author does much better when showing where a character's political beliefs took form, even at a very young age. However, it still felt unbelievable when two thirteen-year-olds are on the phone, exchanging lines such as "the government has broken off diplomatic relations with Cuba." Certainly history has shown that kids are fascinated with leaders from John F. Kennedy to Osama bin Laden, but it always seems to be the cult of personality that beguiles and not the complicated politics.

There is still much to commend. A subplot involving a transgender character is handled with loving understanding. Details of life in a horrible prison are convincing and disturbing. Although the passage of time sometimes seems overly, if unavoidably, summarized, changes in Montevideo over the course of the twentieth century are depicted so clearly that the city is sometimes more character than setting. Unlike much of literary fiction, De Robertis has offered a tale that is ultimately healing and somewhat triumphant in spite of the characters' years of trouble. This story is strongly recommended for individuals or book groups interested in the lives of generations of women in exotic locales or the fascinating history of Uruguay.