Author's Letter
"The streets of a city provide space. And also history - what remains of it - giving a hierarchy to the walk of the passerby: no two avenues have the same flavor, no two awaken the same feelings." (Laborde, 1987)
Important Notice to the Reader
There are chapters of our history that we cannot allow to fall into oblivion. For years, in Santiago, there was a place intended to imprison women whom society considered a problem. The House of Refuge was not only a place of punishment but also a reflection of a system that sought to erase the will and identity of those who did not fit into its norms.
Today, that building no longer exists. In its place, a plaza was built with no visible trace of its past. But its history is still there, buried in silence and indifference.
It is in this context that my story is born. It is not a historical document nor a compilation of real testimonies, but a literary interpretation of a past that continues to resonate in the present. Through fiction, I seek to give a voice to those who were silenced, to reconstruct what was lost, and to invite the reader to reflect on the weight of memory and oblivion.
Let this novel be a tribute to all those women who, despite adversity, refused to be forgotten.
