A novel more interested in both the power and limits of storytelling. Is it even possible for Estela to tell her story in a way that will compel those in power to listen? How are we revealed by the stories we choose to believe in, and the stories we turn away from?
Vivid ... A rich and compelling read ... Uncomfortable and provocative, Clean is a chilling account of one woman’s struggle to find meaning in the menial, but also an indictment of a society’s overreliance on the unacknowledged exploitation of its domestic workers.
While Zerán’s uncomfortable, fascinating, lovely, and affecting novel is set in contemporary Santiago, Chile, Hughes’ splendid translation assures it will resonate in many more places where people live with the alienation and superficiality of late-stage capitalism.