Clean
A Novel
Published on 14. October 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-0-593-85052-7 (ISBN)
Description
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 page, Clean is a gripping, incisive exploration of power, domesticity, and betrayal from an international star at the height of her powers.
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 page, Clean is a gripping, incisive exploration of power, domesticity, and betrayal from an international star at the height of her powers.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Penguin Putnam Inc
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 130 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
282 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-593-85052-7 (9780593850527)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
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