Alaine Agirre explores generational trauma in new novel

Writer Alaine Agirre released her fifth novel, Mila hilekoren erreka, through the publishing house Elkar.

The book examines the complex relationships and shared pain of four women across four generations of the Etxeberria family. The narrative begins with the real historical figure Kontxa Etxeberria Mirandarekin, who was born in 1855 in Astigarragan, Gipuzkoan, and established a kindergarten. The story follows a fictional lineage starting from a daughter Kontxa never had and moving down to a granddaughter named Oroitz.

Oroitz, who works as a journalist and writer, serves as the narrator. She traces the genealogy of pain experienced by her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. The timeline spans from the mid-19th century in Euskal Herria to the 21st century, traveling through locations including Bartzelon in the Herrialde Katalanak and Bostondik in Massachusetts, AEB. Agirre uses the novel to address the scars left by a patriarchal system on women.

The author explains that the title refers to the symbolic "cross" of trauma caused by social structures. The book features diverse motherhood experiences, including adopted daughters and mothers who were forced into caregiving roles by poverty. Agirre describes the work as her most complex architectural challenge due to its interlocking narratives. Editor Itzea Urkizu of Elkar notes that the book focuses on the repair of pain and the importance of silence in the storytelling.