Fairytale Reader: Review: Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allendi

MAYA'S NOTEBOOK BY ISABEL ALLENDE
Publisher: Fourth Estate
Format: Paperback
Series: No
Pages: 387
Date Finished: 13.09.15
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Isabel Allende’s latest novel, set in the present day (a new departure for the author), tells the story of a 19-year-old American girl who finds refuge on a remote island off the coast of Chile after falling into a life of drugs, crime, and prostitution. There, in the company of a torture survivor, a lame dog, and other unforgettable characters, Maya Vidal writes her story, which includes pursuit by a gang of assassins, the police, the FBI, and Interpol. In the process, she unveils a terrible family secret, comes to understand the meaning of love and loyalty, and initiates the greatest adventure of her life: the journey into her own soul.

“I'd realized that in writing happiness is useless-without suffering there is no story.”

I have to admit that I picked up this book half expecting to hate it. This book was mentioned by my English teacher and whilst the description was really compelling, it didn't seem like my thing. Maya's Notebook is a departure from the genre's that I normally read, but that didn't change the fact that I really loved it.

Before I get into the review, I want to say that despite what some people have shelved it as on Goodreads, this isn't a YA novel. As the summary suggests, there are rather harrowing and sometimes graphic descriptions of drugs, rape, prostitution, violence and sex. It's dark and gritty--definitely not for the faint of heart--yet that doesn't change the fact that Maya's Notebook is essentially a novel about love, compassion and healing.

“As my Popo used to say, life is a tapestry we weave day by day with threads of different colors, some heavy and dark, others thin and bright, all the threads having their uses. The stupid things I did are already in the tapestry, indelible, but I’m not going to be weighed down by them till I die. What’s done is done; I have to look ahead.”

Told in media res, Maya's Notebook jumps between her life in exile on the Chilean island of Chiloé and her past. Even though the narrative isn't completely linear, I thought the way that it unfolded was wonderful. There weren't chapters (the book was split into four parts--Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring) I thought the pacing was wonderful. As the novel went along we got to piece together Maya's story, and the comparison between the present and the past was emotional to say the least. Although I found one of the revelations predictable, Maya's Notebook is still a fantastic novel.

Maya is a really compelling character, despite the fact that she makes a lot of really stupid decisions. I really liked her. Practically everything bad you could think about that could happen to a character happens to her. Seeing her go in and out of addiction was devastating, especially when she hit rock bottom. Perhaps the most terrifying thing was that she had a happy childhood. Maya didn't have drug addict parents, and if anything that made her story even more heartbreaking. There was one incident that started her downfall, and if I wasn't reading in a public place I'd have probably welled up a little.

“Our demons lose their power when we pull them out of the depths where they hide and look them in the face in broad daylight.”

Though, I need to mention that whilst her age was mostly convincing, the use of words like 'man' (as in 'Hey, man') felt a bit jarring. Allende is a seventy three year old woman so I do think that she did very well in writing a character of nineteen, though there were points when I did question it.

I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I haven't read nearly as many books by authors of different cultures than I should have. I found the Chilean aspects to Maya's Notebook absolutely fascinating. I felt as if I was living in Chiloé myself, experiencing not just the scenery but the culture that is so different to my own. Everything about it is authentic and it's clear that Allende loves her home country. This book is worth reading just for that.

I also loved the entire cast of supporting characters (okay, maybe not Roy Fedgewick. That guy can go fuck himself), particularly Maya's Nini, Blanca, and Manuel. The Chilean characters were so delightful, and each and every one of them was three dimensional.

There are many layers to Maya's Notebook. There's an element of Chile's political history, a family narrative, a plotline involving gangs in Las Vegas, and also a flavour of Chilean lifestyle and culture. Even though there was a lot going on it wasn't clunky, and the message resonated with me all the same.

"Promise me you'll always love yourself as much as I love you."

I did find that it took a little while for the story to really get going, but once it did I was sucked in. Like I said earlier Allende doesn't shy away from darkness and angst. The whole book feels surprisingly realistic--there isn't a pretence of a happy ending, or that every character will live a perfect life. What happened with Daniel is a perfect example of that.

I'm not going to talk about the ending in specific (because spoilers, duh), but I really liked the way the book felt like it really was Maya's notebook. It just ended, not with a witty line or the tying of every knot, but in a way that shows that life goes on even after the last page. We don't get to see what happens in Maya's future, but I have a feeling that she'll be okay.