Clean

A Novel

By: Alia Trabucco Zerán, Sophie Hughes - translator

Narrated by: Silvana Kane

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER!

FEATURED ON NPR FRESH AIR, NPR WEEKEND EDITION, CBS MORNINGS, AND NBC THE TODAY SHOW

“A brilliant literary thriller.”–NBC The Today Show

"A masterclass in suspense … Extraordinary."–Paula Hawkins

“Terrifying, explosive and exhilarating”–Katie Kitamura

"A modern masterpiece."–LitHub

From a global star and International Booker Prize finalist, a razor-sharp, unforgettable novel about a maid who’s seen too much and a family at a breaking point

A young girl has died and the family’s maid is being interrogated. She must tell the whole story before arriving at the girl’s death.

Estela came from the countryside, leaving her mother behind, to work for the señor and señora when their only child was born. They wanted a housemaid: “smart appearance, full time,” their ad said. She wanted to make enough money to support her mother and return home. For seven years, Estela cleaned their laundry, wiped their floors, made their meals, kept their secrets, witnessed their fights and frictions, raised their daughter. She heard the rats scrabbling in the ceiling, saw the looks the señor gave the señora; she knew about the poison in the cabinet, the gun, the daughter’s rebellion as she grew up, the mother’s coldness, the father’s distance. She saw it all.

After a series of shocking betrayals and revelations, Estela stops speaking, breaking her silence only now, to tell the story of how it all fell apart. Is this a story of revenge or a confession? Class warfare or a cautionary tale? Building tension with every moment, Clean is a gripping, incisive exploration of power, domesticity, and betrayal from an international star at the height of her powers.

©2024 Alia Trabucco Zerán (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Riveting… Trabucco Zerán is masterful at plunging the reader into the murky depths of her characters’ psyches and at rendering disquieting acts with sangfroid.”—The Atlantic

“The mystery surrounding the death of the girl is a powerful source of suspense. . . 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?”—New York Times Book Review

“As taut and tense as the atmosphere in the house in which it takes place.”—People

The voice of emptiness.

From the beginning the narrator and the story wouldn't let me stop. I don't think there was an ounce of joy in the whole thing, yet, I couldn't stop listening. I feel like I should warn you because it was like I was in a spell listening to this.

the main character was so unlikable

I thought this was awful. I stuck it out until the end because the story was interesting but the main character was so unlikable. I felt like I was supposed to pity her but I just didn't. she was a maid and she hated her job I guess? nothing about it really made sense to me and I hated the way she kept talking to you like you were judging her. write this down! make a note of this! very annoying. I didn't like it at all. you'd have to be a psychopath to care for a child for 7 years and have so little emotion about her, i don't care if you're her maid or her mother. waste of time for me.

An Chilean Story from the Women who Don’t Talk

Loved Estella’s story that is the opposite of magical realism of male South American writers. I listened to the translated novel which enlivened Estella’s statement after she is imprisoned. Loved it!

So very sad

Hopelessness at its best. Left me feeling very sad. I found the end confusing & wondered “what happened “. I don’t feel I can recommend this one. Sorry. I wanted to like it.

Mixed Feelings

It was slow and boring but somehow kept me listening. Wasn't at all about the mystery of the girl's death. Will leave you feeling sad.

Disjointed

The first person narrative was alienating, my feeling for the main character was tenuous and I felt that shocking events, unrelated to the main story were distracting and didn’t go anywhere.

The never-ending boring book

This book just went on and on and on no character grow no change and the start of it tells you the ending that in the end doesn’t even matter. Really did not like this book so many better ones to spend your time with.

Nothing

Simple story of underclass. Waste of time. No really story. We really don’t see her suffering.