Luisa Misanthrop is a character from the novel The Client by Luisa Misanthrop. She is the Nationality, a forty-year-old woman with a British accent and a very acerbic attitude towards her enemies, both colleagues in the legal profession and those that cross her path. When she returns to her native Argentina from London to help her niece deal with the aftermath of her aunt’s death, she finds herself deeply in debt and deeply in love with a boy from the streets who shares much in common with her in terms of his Nationality (Spanish, born in Europe). At first she doesn’t believe that he belongs to her race or that they should be working together, but the truth soon becomes apparent as they find themselves drawn into a life-long partnership. In order to protect her niece and to keep her old life from collapsing, she must work to get past her personal identity crisis and embrace the national identity of Argentina as much as the new identity of the British woman in New York City.
Misanthrop’s story is told through the perspective of one girl who knows how much is at stake for her in any relationship she enters. She is a fierce protector of her niece and nephew, fiercely loyal to them both, and deeply disturbed when either is thrown into the deep end. The Client is told primarily through Misanthrop’s voice, which leaves many readers unsure whether they are seeing a true portrait or just another example of an immigrant struggling for freedom and recognition. The Client feels like it is written in third person because it is told directly from her viewpoint, though details are provided about the people she interacts with and their backgrounds, providing some insight about her life as well. The descriptions of Buenos Aires and her encounters there with people from different Nationalities add depth and context to her story, and the language is engaging and fluent without being unnecessarily heavy.
While this isn’t a book for everyone, especially those who prefer to read about history in the form of a memoir, it will make a great addition to any library. Readers will get a good idea of the dynamics of the legal and financial situation in Argentina during the years when Misanthrop was a young woman going through legal changes and looking to establish her own family. This charming story will make you think of Argentina during the Periodo tempo era and may inspire you to look into studying a bit more about the origins of your own country.