South of Centre - Paperback

by Edie Ayala (Author)

An intriguing saga of lost love and hidden family connections unfolds amidst myths and superstitions.

Clorinda is a solitary young woman who freelances as a seamstress in a small desert town where things rarely change. Friendless and eccentric, she dresses in her 'calendar wardrobe' as she collects donations of used clothing from which she creates simple works of art.

Clorinda becomes hopelessly distracted when an elderly gentleman moves in across the street. He is elegant and worldly and he looks like Clark Gable from the movie poster downtown. Obsessed, she sets off to know more, and when he finally befriends her, the story of his life and the truth behind their relationship is slowly revealed.

With the chance that it may be lost forever, the biggest secret hides behind a simple marker at the old man's tomb and is caught among the crazy threads of Clorinda's weaving.

Dipping into some of Chile's rich history around the time of Pinochet's regime, SOUTH OF CENTRE unravels through multiple narratives and is doused in magic realism. The story raises questions about social justice and other things that we may never quite get to the bottom of.