Clothes on the Line
Original title: Ropa tendida
A novel about inherited sadness, set in an inhospitable post-industrial town, and the desire to escape not only a place but also oneself.
Isidorín, retired early from mining, spends his time learning Russian and organising races for kids at the cycling club. His wife Milagros, thinks he only speaks to annoy her, and finds solace in the bachata teacher at the old people’s home where she works. Juli, one of her colleagues, has been suspiciously absent from work for some time now. She has been hanging out with Xairu, son of Isidorín and Milagros, who is running for mayor for an extreme right-wing party. Does being already destroyed make you indestructible? This novel explores cracks in relationships built on demolitions: unbearable silence at home, noise in the head, inability to express feelings, and how life could differ if it didn’t mirror our parents.
A novel about inherited sadness, set in an inhospitable post-industrial town, and the desire to escape not only a place but also oneself.
Isidorín, retired early from mining, spends his time learning Russian and organising races for kids at the cycling club. His wife Milagros, thinks he only speaks to annoy her, and finds solace in the bachata teacher at the old people’s home where she works. Juli, one of her colleagues, has been suspiciously absent from work for some time now. She has been hanging out with Xairu, son of Isidorín and Milagros, who is running for mayor for an extreme right-wing party. Does being already destroyed make you indestructible? This novel explores cracks in relationships built on demolitions: unbearable silence at home, noise in the head, inability to express feelings, and how life could differ if it didn’t mirror our parents.
