The Weight of the Heart

Synopsis

Set in contemporary Spain, Susana Aikin’s latest novel is a colorful, beautifully written examination ofmemory, romance, and the intricacies of family duty.On a sweltering August day in Madrid, Anna, Julia, and Marion return to their childhood home. The once grandmansion, furnished with exotic objects and art that reflected the cultures of their English father and Spanish mother,once bustled with visitors. But since their father’s death, all three sisters have been reluctant to go back, still feelingthe weight of his domineering influence. Julia believes that before the house can sell, it needs to be cleared of negativeenergy, and she has planned a limpieza, or cleaning ritual.Marion, the oldest, fears what the ceremony might unleash. Anna, the youngest and most capable and ambitiousof the trio, is skeptical of the Cuban santera hired by Julia. Still, she is wary of antagonizing her siblings, or of stirringup old resentment.But as the ceremony progresses, guilt and recrimination become impossible to ignore. And if there’s a chance ofbringing their house and their lives out of the shadows, it rests in the sisterhood, strength, and indomitable love thatremains when the ghosts of the past surrender at last.