Accabadora

More about the book

Maria's life in the home of Bonaria Urrai is a mystery to the people of Soreni. The old woman and the girl walk through the village, attracting malicious gossip, yet the truth is simple: Tzia Bonaria has taken Maria in, intending to raise her as her heir in exchange for care in her old age. As the fourth daughter of a widowed mother, Maria has always seen herself as "the last," so she is surprised by the respect and attention from the village seamstress, who offers her a home and a future without wanting anything in return. "Suddenly, it felt as if it had always been this way, soul and thread, a less guilty way of being mother and daughter." However, there’s something enigmatic about the old woman in black, an aura of mystery and a shadow of fear that flickers in the eyes of those who meet her. Maria senses night outings that she doesn’t understand and a wisdom about life and death that seems ancient. What the villagers know, but Maria does not, is that Tzia Bonaria not only sews clothes and comforts souls but also possesses knowledge of spells and curses. When necessary, she enters homes to deliver a merciful death, performing the final, loving act of the accabadora, the last mother.