So I recently read "Zorro: A Novel" by Chilean-American author Isabel Allende. She is related to the former Chilean president Salvador Allende, who was overthrown by an American-backed military coup, after which dictator Augusto Pinochet took power.
It is written as if it was a period piece, by an involved party within the story. And it came across feeling fairly genuine, even though this is obviously fiction. The story of Zorro is hardly real, of course. Yet, the characters had realistic personality traits, as well as the circumstances of their lives, all of which helped to lend a bit of reality and credibility to what could easily have devolved into more of a comic book than a more serious work of fiction.
Ever since I was a kid, Zorro intrigued me. He was not exactly a superhero, yet there are more similarities with his being a superhero than anything else. After all, he is more than just a literary figure, and his adventures feel far more recent and relevant than, let's say, Robin Hood. Somehow, Zorro feels removed from superheroes, yet also removed from the world of literature. In fact, once I actually got to thinking about it, it is difficult to think of where to place him.
There are some real gems of observation of society and inequality here. It is not merely a cartoonish rendering of Zorro. In fact, this book is an origin story, if you will. While Zorro is not, strictly speaking, precisely what most of us would think of as a superhero (at least not in the Marvel/DC context), he nevertheless was a heroic figure, and there are parallels. After all, Zorro is a masked man with a secret identity that he protects. He wears all black and manages to find his enemies in compromising situations with amazing regularity. And he has his own lair, which used to be a cave filled with bats. Does all of that remind you of anyone in particular?
Far from it. Allende makes Diego/Zorro feel like a real person, albeit a young one who is just learning something about the world around him. We see him first as a young boy growing up in Los Angeles before that becomes a major city, when it is still largely just a Spanish outpost. He has a "milk brother" in this book named Bernardo. It is important to note here that Bernardo is not the biological brother of Diego, but they are brothers in a very real sense nevertheless. We see these two boys have some adventures, including standing up to the equivalent of schoolyard bullies and capturing a bear. We then see them as young men who experience their first intimate relations with members of the opposite sex, as well as some adventures in seeing the wider world. Diego sees Panama, where he crosses the thin country to get to the other coast, before heading to Spain - specifically to Barcelona - to obtain an elite education.
Diego is of mixed blood. His father, Captain Alejandro de la Vega, is an impoirtant local Spanish official, who almost accidentally meets his future wife, and the mother of Diego/Zorro, the Native American Toypurnia ("Daughter of Wolf"). Toypurnia was one of the most surprising and enjoyable characters, and she and her mother, Lechuza Blanca ("White Owl"), as well as Bernardo (who is also a Native American) keep the traditional connection to the land and Native culture. Toypurnia eventually becomes Regina de la Vega when she marries Alejandro, although she eventually returns to her roots and again becomes Toypurnia, even though a part of her continues to love her husband. All of this allows Diego to feel connected to, and sympathetic towards, Native Americans and Europeans alike.
One of the things which I personally appreciated were the real chunks of history which were incorporated in this book. The reader truly gets a taste of what Los Angeles might have been like in the early 1800's, or what crossing the Atlantic on a period boat might have felt like, or what the city of Barcelona during that time might have looked and felt like. For that matter, we also get a glimpse of what southern Louisiana and New Orleans would have looked and felt like, as well. Also, the ideas that were already inspiring revolutionary movements, and which were spreading like wildfire across Latin America, are a part of this book, which was interesting. It is not really a history lesson, as much as just a part of the story which Allende skillfully uses to help make the book feel more real and relevant.
Much like with the more modern Batman movies, this book gives us a good background for how Zorro not only develops his impressive sword fighting skills, which he will use once he dons the mask and becomes almost a superhero. Also, we get a sense of the ingrained sense of outrage at injustices, and Diego/Zorro's burning desire to take matters into his own hands and make things right. This he does first in Barcelona, and then in Los Angeles.
We also read and learn about Diego's youth. From a young child burning with endless energy and a sense of wonder about the world around him, to a young man who falls in love with a woman who ultimately rejects him and breaks his heart. And we then see him recover from this painful episode, ae he learns that, yes, he can indeed learn to love another.
There are also a few surprises, which both help to increase, as well as explain, both the origins as well as the legend of Zorro, which are revealed close to the end of this book. Indeed, we see how Diego de la Vega came to have a dual personality, if you will. The other personality came to be known to the world as El Zorro (The Fox). And we see him skillfully disguising that secret with a secret persona specifically designed to throw people off his trail. To make the very idea that Diego de la Vega secretly being Zorro sound laughable.
Rafael Moncata is the villain of this novel. We first meet him as a rather spoiled young man with powerful connections in Barcelona. But he falls in love with Juliana, which means that he and Diego are competing for her love. And his vindictive side is strong enough that he is basically unrelenting and remains hell bent on harming Diego in any way that he can throughout the novel. This character would probably be the one negative critique, if I really have one, of this novel. Admittedly, Moncata was probably my least favorite character in the book precisely because he felt more like a character in a book than a real person. There was no sense of humor or anything else that might have made him more relatable, or to feel more real. It felt at times a bit too convenient that he merely reacts to what Diego and Zorro do, rather than trying to take the initiative and go on the offensive himself, if you will.
Yet, the character served to move the story along, so he served his purpose. And the novel is pretty strong otherwise in it's own right. There are some gems, such as the inclusion of one fairly prominent historical figure, the pirate Jean Lafitte, in this work. Really, it was an interesting and enjoyable read as far as I was concerned.
A good book, and quite fun to read, overall.
Highly recommended!
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