THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

'A masterclass in suspense' PAULA HAWKINS

'A spellbinding nightmare' FERNANDA MELCHOR

'A book of intense power' PHILIPPE SANDS

The shockingly compulsive new literary thriller from the International Booker-shortlisted author of The Remainder.

Clean begins with an inescapable fact: a girl has died. Told by Estela, a maid to a wealthy, middle class family who speaks to us from a locked room, we hear of her plight and the circumstances that led to this moment. As we enter into her account of her daily existence, we see how her apparently simple life begins to sour, but would that drive her to the unthinkable?

Disturbing and profound, Clean explores domestic work, class and violence, against the backdrop of Chile's changing political landscape. This is one of the most daring and compelling thrillers in international literature.

'Uncomfortable and provocative ... a chilling account' FINANCIAL TIMES

'I hardly paused for breath' ALICE SLATER, author of Death of a Bookseller

'Remarkable, gripping' SARAH BERNSTEIN, author of Study for Obedience

'Terrifying, explosive and exhilarating' KATIE KITAMURA, author of Intimacies

'Beautifully written and profound' LUCIE WHITEHOUSE, author of Last Witness

The gripping new literary thriller from the International Booker Prize Shortlisted Author

About the Author

Alia Trabucco Zeran was born in Chile in 1983. She was awarded a Fulbright scholarship for her MFA in Creative Writing at New York University and she holds a PhD in Spanish and Latin American Studies from University College London. Her debut novel, THE REMAINDER was chosen by El Pais as one of its top ten debuts of 2015 and was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2019. Her non-fiction title, WHEN WOMEN KILL won the British Academy Book Prize 2022 and was shortlisted for the National Books Critics Circle Criticism Award, and film rights have been sold. Her new novel, CLEAN, was published in Spanish in late 2022 and is being translated into 15 languages. She recently won the Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer's Award 2024 for her next project. She lives in Santiago.

Reviews

'What a spellbinding nightmare Alia Trabucco Zeran has written. A biting, addictive portrait of the rot 'good families' conceal' Fernanda Melchor, author of Hurricane Season

'A rich and compelling read...Uncomfortable and provocative' Financial Times

'Compelling, claustrophobic and irresistible ... both a masterclass in suspense and a clear-eyed portrait of isolation and grief' Paula Hawkins, author of Blind Spot

'Grippingly original, a book of intense power' Philippe Sands, author of The Last Colony

'This unnerving Chilean literary thriller cuts like a knife... Trabucco is a rising star' The Bookseller

'Alia Trabucco Zeran is a powerhouse ... terrifying, explosive and exhilarating' Katie Kitamura, author of Intimacies

'A nightmarish examination of the life of a live-in maid ... and the toxic family and societal relationships that surround her' Financial Times

'Disturbing and commanding ... this gripping intimate story savages the status quo to demand a kinder world' Laline Paull, author of Pod

'A remarkable, gripping exploration of the dynamics of class, agency and culpability' Sarah Bernstein, author of Study for Obedience

'Brutal, beautiful, feverishly propulsive, a novel to lose yourself in' Jenny Mustard, author of Okay Days

'A beautifully written and profound psychological thriller of lives - and a society - on the point of implosion' Lucie Whitehouse, author of Last Witness

'A white-knuckle ride that kept me gripped from the very first page ... I hardly paused for breath' Alice Slater, author of Death of a Bookseller

'Buzzing with tension, crime and menacingly complex class divisions' Holly Pester, author of The Lodgers

'A novel of disturbing intensity and startling clarity' Helen Charman, author of Mother State

'A pacy yet vivid novel about class, intimacy and the loss of self through service' Jen Calleja, author of Vehicle

Book Information
ISBN 9780008607937
Author Alia Trabucco Zeran
Format Hardback
Page Count 272
Imprint Fourth Estate Ltd
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 380g
Dimensions(mm) 222mm * 141mm * 28mm