A pack of four Arlene J Chai paperbacks: 'The Last Time I Saw Mother', 'Eating Fire And Drinking Water', 'On The Goddess Rock', 'Black Hearts'.
'The Last Time I Saw Mother'
This is a tale about the truths we need to tell. It is the story of Caridad, a woman given away as a child and whose past has been denied her. It is the story of the three keepers of truth, each of whom failed to keep her:
Emma, who wonders what other choices she could have made had she been wise enough to see them, and strong enough to make them.
Ligaya, who trades her dreams for security, and is filled with remorse for things said and things done.
Thelma, the difficult and lonely woman who continues to fight for the love of a daughter not rightfully hers.
The telling of these stories threatens the fragile ties that hold these women together. And yet they find, to their amazement, the healing power of truth.
'Eating Fire And Drinking Water'
'My name is Clara Perez. I am a reporter. This is the story of my country whose people eat fire and drink water, and of an oppressive regime whose decline is foretold by the singing of a river.
It is about how one man's act of kindness changes the lives of many, and of a woman who bleeds from the wounds of Christ and a man whose name is Pride; a leader corrupted by power, a colonel who is an artist of pain, and a charismatic young man who dies only to live again. And it is about me.
For on that fateful morning of the fire when I went to Calle de Leon in search of one story, I found myself caught up in another. I discovered my missing history. But to learn how two tales become one, you must follow me back to that burning street, to where it all began . . .'
'On The Goddess Rock'
Josie Lee travels from her home in Australia to a small island off the coast of China to bury her grandfather's ashes. There she discovers the old Lee mansion - now sold to a developer - and a web of family secrets stretching back over the generations.
Unknown to Josie, it is the time for righting old wrongs. And as the last of the Lees, she must do the paying. Soon they will all gather on the Goddess Rock where, long ago, a betrayed woman cursed Josie's ancestors.
Spanning the twilight years of the Treaty Port Era, when China's armies were constantly on the march, to the present day, this is a richly imagined tale of two families whose destinies are inextricably entwined.
'Black Hearts'
On her grandmother's death, Christina Hidalgo receives an unexpected legacy - the sprawling mansion Casa Aragon, her childhood home; the prison she escaped from six years ago. It is a poisoned gift: filled with memories, fears and sadnesses. And yet Christina accepts it. For the time is now ripe for revenge and this house is a weapon she intends to wield against her beautiful, vain and scheming sister Serena; her grandmother's favourite, her grandmother's creation.
But in the dark rooms of Casa Aragon, Christina must confront and overcome not only her manipulative sister, but her formidable grandmother who seeks to rule them both from the grave. Then finally she must stand before the priceless Medina mirror that has gazed upon this family for generations and discover the true colour of her own heart.
