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The Wind Knows My Name: A Novel Audiobook
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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “The lives of a Jewish boy escaping Nazi-occupied Europe and a mother and daughter fleeing twenty-first-century El Salvador intersect in this ambitious, intricate novel about war and immigration” (People), from the author of A Long Petal of the Sea and Violeta
“Timely, provocative . . . emotionally satisfying . . . [a story about] the kindness of strangers who become family.”—The New York Times Book Review
AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Vienna, 1938. Samuel Adler is five years old when his father disappears during Kristallnacht—the night his family loses everything. As her child’s safety becomes ever harder to guarantee, Samuel’s mother secures a spot for him on a Kindertransport train out of Nazi-occupied Austria to England. He boards alone, carrying nothing but a change of clothes and his violin.
Arizona, 2019. Eight decades later, Anita Díaz and her mother board another train, fleeing looming danger in El Salvador and seeking refuge in the United States. But their arrival coincides with the new family separation policy, and seven-year-old Anita finds herself alone at a camp in Nogales. She escapes her tenuous reality through her trips to Azabahar, a magical world of the imagination. Meanwhile, Selena Durán, a young social worker, enlists the help of a successful lawyer in hopes of tracking down Anita’s mother.
Intertwining past and present, The Wind Knows My Name tells the tale of these two unforgettable characters, both in search of family and home. It is both a testament to the sacrifices that parents make and a love letter to the children who survive the most unfathomable dangers—and never stop dreaming.
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"This beloved author transports us to two dark periods in history: Nazi-overrun Vienna in 1938 and the current dire situation at the border between the United States and Mexico. . . . Both stories are rich enough to carry the weight of one novel, but Allende expertly intertwines them. Employing her signature touch of magical realism, she wraps us in a compassionate story that reminds us ‘we could all just as easily find ourselves in similar situations.’"
— The Washington Post
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“Narrators Edoardo Ballerini and Maria Liatis couldn’t be better in Isabel Allende’s intricate, heartrending novel…Ballerini is simply outstanding. Every voice he delivers is believable; every emotion feels authentic…Allende’s poignant storytelling and sharp criticism of unfeeling bureaucracies are made even better by two remarkable performances. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
“Both stories are rich enough to carry the weight of one novel, but Allende expertly intertwines them.”
— Washington Post -
“Shapes a lyrical romanticism around social political history and global turmoil.”
— NPR -
“It feels something like a modern version of The Secret Garden: lost, grieving people finding joy and hope with each other, with a touch of magic. Beautiful and moving.”
— BookRiot -
“The dual narrative structure gives historical weight to the contemporary story line, and Allende finds real depth in her characters, especially when portraying their sacrifices.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
[An] homage to parents who make unthinkable decisions to save their little ones, and to kids who survive some of the toughest challenges imaginable.
— Associated Press -
Allende’s artistry shapes a lyrical romanticism around social political history and global turmoil . . . [Her dialogue is] current, relevant and real. Our civic discourse is centered by a multitude of voices talking about two things—immigration and identity—who belongs and who doesn't, and how to care for the dispossessed. In Allende’s version healing is possible, because empathy is a hopeful, albeit inconsistent, follower of migration.
— NPR -
[Allende is] the queen of magic realism.
— BBC -
It feels something like a modern version of The Secret Garden: lost, grieving people finding joy and hope with each other, with a touch of magic. Beautiful and moving . . . draws parallels between humanitarian crises in different times and places in a way that feels deeply personal.
— Book Riot -
The Wind Knows My Name is a treat for fans of Kristin Hannah, Christina Baker Kline, and Julia Alvarez, all authors who understand that history always affects current events.
— Virtuoso, The Magazine -
Allende is always a must read and readers will queue for her latest mix of history, suspense, emotional insight, social commentary, mysticism, wit, and tenderness.
— Booklist -
Powerful . . . Allende finds real depth in her characters, especially when portraying their sacrifices. This authentic and emotionally harrowing work is a triumphant return to form.
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Awards
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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An Amazon Editor’s Top Pick in Fiction
The Wind Knows My Name Listener Reviews
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Francesca Budillon, 2/19/2024
About Isabel Allende
Isabel Allende is the author of a number of critically acclaimed books, including twelve novels that have made the New York Times bestsellers list. Her books have been translated into more than forty-two languages and have sold more than seventy-four million copies worldwide. She was born in Peru, raised in Chile, and lives in California.
About the Narrators
Edoardo Ballerini, an American actor, director, film producer, and multiaward–winning narrator. He has won several Audie Awards for best narration, including for 2019’s Best Male Narrator of the Year. He was named by Booklist as winner of their 2023 Voice of Choice Award, and was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine in 2019. He has narrated over two hundred audiobooks, from classics to modern masters, from bestsellers to the inspirational, from Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners to spine-tingling series, and much more. In television and film, he is best known for his roles in A Murder at the End of the World, The Sopranos, 24, I Shot Andy Warhol, Dinner Rush, and Romeo Must Die. He is also trained in theater and continues to do much work on stage.
Maria Liatis is a voice talent and audiobook narrator.