Trigger warning for animal death.
Estela tells us that she will reveal her story, but slowly, in her own way in the opening of Alia Trabucco Zerán gut punch of a novel, Clean. She’s speaking to her captors, likely the police, from a cell somewhere in Santiago, Chile. We know that something bad has happened to a child and that Estela worked for a wealthy couple. The details will have to wait until Estela tells us her side. Translator Sophie Hughes does a beautiful job of capturing Estela’s voice and never giving away secrets until the time is right.
More clues inform us that Estela is from the poor, rural, southern part of Chile. Like many others, she has come to Santiago to change her life. And, like many others, Estela has landed in a dead-end job with a doctor and his lawyer wife. In exchange for wages, room, and board, Estela cleans the house, does the laundry, and cooks the meals. Later, when the señora gives birth, Estela becomes the girl’s primary caretaker.
Because Estela is in charge of her own story, we see the small, callous actions that fuel her dislike of the señora and señor, and even the girl. The señora sometimes communicates by flicking her eyes between a mess and Estela, not speaking. Neither the señora or señor ever really thank Estela for the mountain of work she does for them, morning and night, six days a week. Worst of all, I think, is the way they treat their daughter. Julia, the girl, has a strong personality and preferences right from the start. These preferences clash with what her parents want. The señora wants a daughter who wears pretty, frilly dresses. The señor wants an academic superstar who plays piano. When Estela feeds Julia the food she herself grew up on, both parents insist on underfeeding the girl so that she won’t get fat.
Estela puts up with a lot for her wages. More than once, she tells us that she thought about leaving but she never does. Instead, the resentment grows and grows until, after seven years of working for the señora and señor, a series of events culminate in disaster. Clean is very much a domestic drama. The scale of the tragedy is small. Most of the story takes place inside one Santiago house. But, from Estela’s point of view, every word, flick of the eyes, and action is magnified into a drama about ingratitude, love, home, friendship, and social divisions.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
