The Infinite Plan by Isabel Allende
**The Infinite Plan by Isabel Allende** is a novel set against the backdrop of post-World War II America, particularly in California, and represents Allende's first work after relocating to the United States. The story follows Gregory Reeves, a European American boy growing up in a nomadic family led by his father, who espouses a spiritual doctrine called the Infinite Plan. As the family settles in a predominantly Latino community, Gregory navigates his identity as a minority while forming a deep bond with his friend, Carmen Morales.
The narrative explores themes of cultural identity, social dynamics, and the impact of personal choices, as both Gregory and Carmen face significant life challenges, including marriage, war, and self-discovery. Allende incorporates elements of Magical Realism, blending realistic experiences with imaginative storytelling. Through Gregory’s journey and Carmen’s resilience, the novel reflects on broader societal issues, such as immigration and the influence of patriarchal norms, while celebrating the diversity and vibrancy of the American experience. This rich tapestry of characters and events provides readers with insights into the complexities of life in California during a transformative era.
On this Page
Subject Terms
The Infinite Plan by Isabel Allende
First published:El plan infinito, 1991 (English translation, 1993)
The Work
The Infinite Plan was Chilean writer Isabel Allende’s first novel following her move to the United States. Although it was written in Spanish, the book is set in California and chronicles the life of a European American man. Allende uses her character’s experiences to examine the factors that shaped the United States’ social history in the decades following World War II. Her focus is the Latino culture in California, in which the main character comes of age.
As the book opens, young Gregory Reeves and his family are living a nomadic life as his father preaches a spiritual doctrine he calls the Infinite Plan. When the elder Reeves falls ill in Los Angeles, the family settles in the barrio (although they are not Latino). Gregory grows up experiencing life as a member of a minority group within the community. His closest friend is Carmen Morales, whose family comes to regard him as an honorary son. Following high school, Gregory leaves home for Berkeley and college while Carmen remains in the barrio until an unwanted pregnancy and near-fatal abortion make her an outcast.
Gregory leaves an unhappy marriage to serve a harrowing tour of duty in Vietnam, while Carmen lives abroad and begins designing jewelry. Both meet again in Berkeley, where Gregory embarks on an ambitious quest for success that leads him away from his youthful idealism and into a second failed marriage and problems with alcoholism. Carmen adopts her dead brother’s half-Vietnamese son and discovers a strong sense of herself, marrying an old friend and settling in Italy. Gregory begins at last to take stock of his life and to see the pattern—the infinite plan—that has shaped it.
Allende’s first novel set in her adopted country reflects her perspective on the United States as an immigrant. Her delight in tolerance and openness—matters of great importance to a writer whose life was marred by the repressive military coup in Chile in 1973—is apparent in her affectionate portrait of the freewheeling Berkeley of the 1960’s. Her cultural identity as a Latina also comes into play in her portrayal of life in the barrio and the effect that religion and a patriarchal society have on Carmen.
Allende makes use in the novel of some aspects of the Latin American literary style known as Magical Realism, bringing a kind of heightened realism to the story, which blends realistic events with exaggerated or improbable ones. The result is a book filled with memorable characters that brings a fresh perspective to the post-World War II history and culture of the United States.
Bibliography
Bly, Robert. Review of The Infinite Plan, by Isabel Allende. The New York Times Book Review, May 16, 1993, 13.