My Invented Country A Memoir

Memory, Exile, and the Landscape of the Heart

My Invented Country: A Memoir by Isabel Allende is a deeply personal and evocative exploration of identity, belonging, and the meaning of home. Blending history, reflection, and storytelling, Allende invites readers on a journey through her native Chile—both the real and the imagined—and the emotional terrain of her life in exile.

With her trademark lyricism and honesty, Allende reflects on her childhood, her family’s political legacy, and the impact of Chile’s military coup that forced her to flee. As she revisits the joys, sorrows, and contradictions of her homeland, she also examines the ways in which memory shapes our understanding of who we are.

When a Country Is Lost, Can It Be Reimagined?

Part memoir, part cultural commentary, My Invented Country is a love letter to Chile, a meditation on displacement, and a celebration of storytelling as a way to reclaim what has been lost. Allende’s voice is intimate and wise, offering both personal insight and universal truths about longing, resilience, and identity.

Perfect for readers of memoir, Latin American history, and literary nonfiction, this book is a luminous reminder that the countries we carry within us can be just as powerful as those we leave behind.