Samuel Adler is five years old when his father disappears during Kristallnacht in 1939. His mother puts Samuel on the Kindertransport to England where he grows up. After completing his education at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Samuel moves to the United States as he is distraught by the news that his family died in the Holocaust, Samuel can no longer find joy playing classical music in London. He becomes infatuated with jazz, prompting his move to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he fully immerses himself in the city’s vibrant music scene.
While living in New Orleans in the 1950s, he meets a free-spirited, wealthy heiress named Nadine LeBlanc. They temporarily return to England, where they marry and have a daughter named Camille in 1961.
In 1968, Samuel, Nadine, and their daughter move back to the United States permanently, settling in Berkeley, California, where he eventually lives out his later years as an 86-year-old man.
Anita Diaz grows up in El Salvador, a country plagued by gang violence and extreme poverty. A violent gang targets her family, forcing her mother, Marisol, to flee toward the United States for safety.
Anita and her mother arrive at the U.S. border in Arizona in 2019. Under the “Zero Tolerance” policy, immigration authorities forcibly separate seven-year-old Anita from Marisol. Marisol is deported back to El Salvador, while Anita is left alone and terrified in a cold detention facility in Nogales.
Anita is partially blind, which intensifies her fear and isolation in the harsh camps. To cope with the trauma, she retreats into a magical internal world she names Azabahar. In this imaginary realm, she talks to her deceased sister, Claudia, who acts as her comfort and guardian angel.
A compassionate social worker called Selena Durán discovers Anita in the camp and vows to find her mother and secure her release. Selena enlists Frank, a wealthy lawyer, to navigate the complex, uncaring legal system. Anita is eventually taken to a house in San Francisco, California. The house belongs to 86 year old Samuel Adler.
Like her other books, this one pulls you in and doesn’t let go. Ms Allende’s stories really pull at the heartstrings. I really liked this book and highly recommend it.
Read for the ShelfReflection Reading Challenge 2026
Prompt 15: A book with a title you would want on your gravestone
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
