The title of Luisa Isabella Puig is a bit odd, because the character herself is almost seventy years old, yet looks younger than that. Puig does not look anything like an aging model, but she does embody many of the aspects of what aging brings with it. Her age and physicality take center stage in the context of the novel, as Isabella struggles to contain her own instincts for domination. Isabella’s marriage to Miguel Angel Gil Migraine is less than satisfying, and she lashes out at her husband for failing to support her. Isabella’s constant instability leads to a disastrous marriage for Miguel, one that ends not with a bang, but rather a quiet, grinding divorce.
One of Luisa Isabella’s defining moments is when she snaps at a female employee for criticizing her husband; the scene takes place in the office, and the response is to have the woman locked in a cupboard. Isabella uses her position as the straw woman for control over her husband’s social reaction to their marital problems, and subsequently, her own sense of social judgment. As Isabella ages, she learns to control her anger more effectively; however, this only makes her determination to assert her authority even stronger. Isabella’s alcoholism, which has been a lifelong secret, spills over into her marriage, as she turns to drink to numb her pain over losing her job; she is just as likely to end up in rehab as Miguel is to end up in prison, and she sees her marriage spiral downward even further.
One of Luisa Isabella’s strengths is that she is very aware of how her body changes as she ages; by the end of the novel, her clothes become wrinkled and her skin sags slightly. Her viewpoint on marriage and divorce is realistic, and Isabella shows a clear understanding of what men in their thirties and forties are experiencing, though she presents this through the example of a thirty-year old man who is having trouble fitting into his wedding dress. The crux of the book, after all, is the question of whether or not age truly matters; marriage is simply a contract, a civil commitment, and it can be broken at any time. Isabella is a reminder that, if she has faith in her marriage, then she is no older than her husband when she decides to remarry. In a world where women are expected to stay true to themselves throughout their lives, Isabella proves that a woman can be comfortable with aging and stay relevant.