Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende is an epic saga following the life of a slave, Zarite, on the island of Saint-Domingue in the late 1700’s. Her life becomes tied to her French master from the time she is a teenager through the next four decades.

Moving from the Carribean and the founding of Haiti, to New Orleans, Allende explores slavery in all its cruelty. This is a generational saga in the true Allende sense; dense and packed with characters, an often heartbreaking exploration of love, passion, identity, and what it means to be free.

Another powerful piece of historical fiction from a master storyteller. A great read.