The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo

Real-life textual artifacts recently discovered at Frida Kahlo's former home in Mexico City serve as the inspiration for Mexican author Haghenbeck's (Bitter Drink) fictionalized rendering of the late artist's life, though this surprisingly light read adds little to Kahlo's already remarkable biography. The author uses an invented notebook filled with tales and recipes for the Day of the Dead to enliven the critical events in Kahlo's life; magical-realist vignettes hang loosely together around the premise of a mystical bargain with Death and a magical godmother who crops up throughout the book. Tracing through Kahlo's extraordinarily wide-ranging experiences, relationships (with Diego Rivera, Ernest Hemingway, Georgia O'Keefe, and others), and lovely descriptions of food makes for compelling reading, and Haghenbeck does a fair job of capturing the spirit of his heroine, even if his insights lack profundity. The book includes a discussion guide for reading groups, and despite the very real darkness of the material, Haghenbeck's efforts seem, bizarrely, better suited to a picnic at the beach than a serious reimagining of a deeply introspective and innovative artist. (Sept.)