Clean

THE NUMBER 1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION DAGGER AWARD 2025

'A masterclass in suspense' PAULA HAWKINS

‘A spellbinding nightmare’ FERNANDA MELCHOR

‘A book of intense power’ PHILIPPE SANDS

'A compelling book, with a tightly coiled power' PANDORA SYKES

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

Number 1 Bestseller in Sweden

‘[A] devilishly well-paced thriller… deftly entwined with reflections on class and oppression’ New Yorker

‘Extraordinary … an intense novel about class and power and the kind of deep down rot that lingers, despite the most vigorous scrubbing’ NPR Fresh Air

‘A spellbinding nightmare … A biting, addictive portrait of the rot ‘good families’ conceal’ Fernanda Melchor, author of Hurricane Season

'Rich and compelling…Uncomfortable and provocative' Financial Times

‘Compelling, claustrophobic and irresistible … a masterclass in suspense and a clear-eyed portrait of isolation and grief’ Paula Hawkins, author of Blind Spot

‘A book of intense power’ Philippe Sands, author of The Last Colony

'Compelling … with a tightly coiled power' Pandora Sykes, author of How Do We Know We're Doing it Right?

‘This unnerving Chilean literary thriller cuts like a knife… Trabucco is a rising star’ The Bookseller

‘Zerán is a powerhouse … explosive and exhilarating’ Katie Kitamura, author of Intimacies

‘A strong narrative energy drives the novel to its conclusion, by which time the atmosphere is so full of dread you could weigh it’ Guardian

'Disturbing and commanding … [a] gripping intimate story' 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’ Jenny Mustard, author of Okay Days

‘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

'A unique, chilling read' Press Association

‘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

‘Pacy yet vivid’ Jen Calleja, author of Vehicle

‘A hypnotic and coldly, powerfully precise novel’ Marina Kemp, author of The Unwilding

Alia Trabucco Zerán 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. La Resta (The Remainder), her debut novel, won the prize for Best Unpublished Literary Work awarded by the Chilean Council for the Arts in 2014, and on publication was chosen by El País as one of its top ten debuts of 2015. In 2019 The Remainder was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize and translated into nine languages. Alia splits her time between Chile and the UK. She is the recipient of an Arts Council England DWCP grant and will be researching her next book in the UK in a few months.

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