Eva is the novel’s protagonist and narrator. Readers see the world through her eyes, embellished by her prodigious talent for storytelling. Eva is born to a working-class single mother and raised in poverty but enjoys a happy and loving childhood. Described by some as a modern-day Scheherazade, Eva is a kind and compassionate person who uses storytelling as a survival strategy to make peace with her unfair lot in life.

Despite the constraints of her class and gender, Eva approaches life with unrelenting verve and romanticism. She does not dwell on the unchangeable aspects of her experience but finds ways to persevere despite them. Her life is greatly enhanced by reading books and imbibing stories, which in turn populate her imagination with original ideas. Her ability to change her own perspective is so strong that it comes across as a form of magic which mingles reality with the supernatural.

As she comes of age, Eva turns her talents out toward her community. She uses her words to mold a better reality for her loved ones, from inventing happy memories for Rolf to concealing the true story of the guerrilla escape in her telenovela’s script.