The House of the Spirits characters

Also known as Clara the Clairvoyant

Appears from the start

The younger daughter of Severo and Nivea del Valle, born with clairvoyant and telekinetic gifts. After foreseeing a death in the family, she withdraws into years of silence and records the household's life in notebooks.

Appears from the start

An ambitious young man engaged to Rosa del Valle. Determined to make a fortune before marrying, he works a remote mine and later takes charge of the neglected family estate, Tres Marias.

Also known as Rosa the Beautiful

Appears from the start

Clara's extraordinarily beautiful elder sister, whose green hair and remote manner make her seem unlike everyone around her. She is engaged to Esteban Trueba while he works to establish his fortune.

First appears in chapter 2

Esteban's unmarried sister, who has spent years caring for their invalid mother in poverty. Severe, dutiful, and intensely devoted to family, she joins Esteban's household after his marriage.

First appears in chapter 2

A sex worker whom Esteban meets as a young man. Practical and determined to become independent, she treats his financial assistance as a debt to be repaid rather than a gift.

First appears in chapter 3

The daughter of Clara and Esteban, raised between the capital and Tres Marias. As a child she forms a close bond with Pedro Tercero Garcia, the estate foreman's son.

First appears in chapter 3

The son of Pedro Segundo Garcia at Tres Marias and Blanca's childhood companion. Curious about ideas of social equality, he questions the landowner's power that structures life on the estate.

First appears in chapter 4

One of Clara and Esteban's twin sons. Serious and compassionate, he chooses medicine and is more interested in relieving suffering than in the status attached to his family name.

First appears in chapter 4

Jaime's twin brother, restless and theatrical in contrast with Jaime's discipline. He moves through a succession of enthusiasms, seeking spiritual insight, novelty, and public attention.

First appears in chapter 6

A descendant of a peasant woman assaulted by Esteban at Tres Marias. He grows up bearing the Garcia name and develops a resentful fascination with the wealth and recognition attached to the Truebas.

First appears in chapter 7

A poor young woman closely bound to Nicolas and protective of her younger brother Miguel. Her relationship with the Trueba household draws Jaime into an emotional attachment he finds difficult to express.

First appears in chapter 7

Amanda's younger brother, a committed left-wing student who becomes involved in political organizing. He knows the Trueba family through Amanda and the twins.

Also known as Count de Satigny

First appears in chapter 8

A European aristocrat whose polished manners and title appeal to Esteban Trueba. He courts Blanca and appears to offer the respectable marriage her father wants for her.

Also known as Alba

First appears in chapter 9

Blanca's daughter, born into the Trueba household and raised amid Clara's stories, notebooks, and spirits. Her arrival gives the aging family a new center of affection.