But the book is a tribute to her deceased daughter Paula Frías Allende, who fell into a porphyria-induced coma in 1991 and never recovered.

Allende started the book as a letter to Paula, explaining what she was missing so she would not be confused when she recovered.

Am I the feminist I thought I was, or the frivolous girl who appeared on television wearing nothing but ostrich feathers?

The obsessive mother, the unfaithful wife, the fearless adventurer, or the cowardly woman?

Am I the person who helped political refugees find asylum or the one who ran away because she couldn't handle fear?