The House of the Spirits (Spanish: La casa de los espĂritus, 1982) is the debut novel of Chilean politician Isabel Allende. The novel was rejected by several Spanish-language publishers before being published in Barcelona in 1982. It became an instant best-seller and catapulted Allende to literary stardom. The story details the life of the Trueba family, spanning four generations, tracing the post-colonial social and political upheavals of Chile.