Black Hearts

by Arlene J. Chai

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 angry memories, fears and sadness. And yet Christina accepts it. For the house is a weapon she intends to wield against her beautiful sister Serena; her grandmother's favourite.

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 and gaze into the true colour of her own heart...

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Arlene J. Chai (b. 1955) is a Filipino-Chinese-Australian who migrated to Australia with her parents and sisters in 1982 because of the political upheaval. She became an advertising copywriter at George Patterson's advertising agency in 1972 and has been working there since. It is there that she met her mentor Bryce Courtney, who continuously inspires her to improve her work.

She won the Louis Braille Adult Audio Book of the year for her novel "On the Goddess Rock" in 1999.

Reviews

[Malverav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. The plain prose was a boon rather than a loss. Finished it in one evening.

[Nina Bermudez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shit. That’s all I could say. I’ve enjoyed her other books, and this proved to be a great read as well.

[Elizabeth Ann Besa-Quirino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like many family stories, this has tragedies that bring even more sadness. The two sisters compete for their grandmother’s love who manipulates their happiness. Many life lessons to be learned in this novel as the author weaves her exquisitely-written chapters.