Enamored of a young Spanish woman, Eugenia, Valmorain marries. In preparation for his new wife, he purchases a child slave, a mulatto named Zarité–Tété for short–who becomes the novel’s protagonist.Įugenia and Toulouse are hardly a picture of marital bliss, as she slowly devolves into insanity. Tété is the unparalleled favorite slave of both master and mistress, she for comfort in her muddled state, and he for domestic help and a warm body at night.Īs the French Revolution takes Paris by storm, and Toussaint L’Ouverture’s slave rebellion follows closely upon its heels, Valmorain moves himself and Tété to the bustling, exciting city of New Orleans. Unfortunately, his syphilis-stricken father has left the family plantation in ruin, and if there is to be any hope of maintaining the financial status to which the Valmorains have become accustomed, Toulouse will have to settle in Saint-Domingue for some time, to his considerable displeasure.Īs years pass, Valmorain turns the plantation into a success but realizes that for him, the return to Paris must wait, and he decides to marry.

In 1770, young Frenchman Toulouse Valmorain reluctantly arrives in Haiti, determined to return immediately to the civilized France to which, he is adamant, he rightfully belongs.

South American author Isabel Allende’s eighth novel “Island Beneath the Sea” is a historical romance set in 18th century Haiti, characterized by the sweeping scale and attention to detail which have come to be Allende’s hallmarks.

Island under the sea isabel allende