A True Story Based on Lies is a remarkable and original novel that addresses the universal issues of class discrimination, male oppression and female servitude through powerful dual narratives. Set in contemporary Mexico, the book charts the consequences of a sexual relationship between Leonora, a domestic servant to the wealthy O'Conner family, and the master of the house. When a child, Aura Olivia, is born from this union she is brought up as the daughter of the house. As the novel unfolds, the 'true' story gradually emerges. First published over 20 years ago, but out of print for some time, we are delighted to reissue this early example of the author's fiction, which was a finalist for the Orange Prize.

"Employing an elegant, spare poetic style that speaks volumes about the plight of her Mexican protagonists . . . Clement's short chapters are a haunting series of prose poems . . . a rich, memorable, multilayered novel." — Publishers Weekly