Berta

by Olivier Bosman

The Muchacha Series

A series of novellas depicting the life of Hans and Annie, a young Dutch couple who emigrate to Colombia in the 1970's.

The first thing Hans and Annie are told to do when they arrive in Colombia is to get themselves a maid. They go through a succession of domestic servants in the course of five years. Each novella bears the name of the maid they had working for them at the time. Through a series of poignant and bittersweet observations we witness the slow deterioration of their relationship; their struggle to settle into life among a snobbish and claustrophobic group of ex-pats; and their never ending quest to find themselves a good and reliable maid.

64 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 8, 2015

About the author

Born to Dutch parents and raised in Colombia and England, I am a rootless wanderer with itchy feet. I've spent the last few years living and working in The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Sudan and Bulgaria, but I have every confidence that I will now finally be able to settle down among the olive groves of Andalucia.

I'm an avid reader and film fan and I have an MA in creative writing for film and television.