Morales highlights how women at the Bauhaus were often relegated to the textile workshop, regardless of their original ambitions.
In the modern timeline, Penélope , a young painter and the great-granddaughter of Otti's friend Mercè Ribó , uncovers a hidden family past. Through old diaries, she begins to untangle the "broken threads" of her ancestry that lead directly back to Otti's tragic and inspiring life. Key Themes and Historical Context
In her 2023 novel La casa de los hilos rotos , author weaves a powerful historical narrative that rescues real-life Bauhaus artist Otti Berger from the "shadows of history". This dual-timeline story serves as both a tribute to forgotten women artists and a gripping exploration of family secrets. The Heart of the Loom: Plot Summary
The story follows Otti Berger , a young Hungarian woman from a Jewish family who dreams of studying at the avant-garde Bauhaus school. Despite suffering hearing loss from a childhood accident, Otti becomes a leading textile artist, patenting designs and struggling to break through as a woman in a male-dominated field.
Rescuing Forgotten Threads: A Review of La casa de los hilos rotos