The Children of Taltal (Taltal)

Published by Laertes Press.

In Taltal, a town in Chile’s far-flung north, a group of grieving parents and guardians gather for bereavement therapy following the deaths of their young family members. Led by a well-meaning counsellor, working from a manual sanctioned by the metropolitan centre, they submit to a series of bewildering activities intended to ease them through their mourning. But when the local authorities announce their little angels’ bodies are to be exhumed, the mood of the group swiftly turns from one of submission to one of protest and defiance. Faced with allegations that the deceased teens may have been part of a suicide pact, the parents and guardians demand a greater justice: that their children and grandchildren be left in peace. After seeing the local area neglected for so long by the elites in the capital, the Taltalinos are in no mood to indulge this sudden spike in interest. But one question remains: can the therapist tasked with helping them through their pain be trusted still to do so now, when it really matters? The award-winning writer of Negra, Dylan and The Lady of the Andes demands once again that the centres of power heed the voices of those on the margins.

The future blurs into the past. Where I am you are. The perfect circle. Where my life ends, yours begins. Who is alive? Who is dead? Why did you leave? Why did you wanna hurt me? I open the threshold for your body to present itself. Come and let me hold you. Is there anyone there? Is there anyone there? Give me your hand. I’m waitin for you. Give me your hand. You’re waitin for me. Heineken where are you? The darkest night is today. The darkest night is when you went away. MY BOY. Where are you? Come back along the path. MY BOY. I howl to you like a dog. I howl to you in this dark night like a sea of silence. I howl to you in this dark night like a desert. Is there anyone there? Is there anyone there? I demand you return. Come here you little shit or I’ll beat the crap out of you. Come here I said. I demand it. I’m your mother you little bastard. Is there anyone there? Is there anyone there?

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