Ratings29
Average rating3.5
She has the keys to their apartment. She knows everything. She has embedded herself so deeply in their lives that it now seems impossible to remove her. One of the 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR of The New York Times Book Review, by the author of Adèle, Sex and Lies, and In the Country of Others “A great novel . . . Incredibly engaging and disturbing . . . Slimani has us in her thrall.” —Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author of Bad Feminist and Hunger “One of the most important books of the year. You can’t unread it.” —Barrie Hardymon, NPR’s Weekend Edition When Myriam decides to return to work as a lawyer after having children, she and her husband look for the perfect nanny for their son and daughter. They never dreamed they would find Louise: a quiet, polite, devoted woman who sings to the children, cleans the family’s chic Paris apartment, stays late without complaint, and hosts enviable kiddie parties. But as the couple and the nanny become more dependent on one another, jealousy, resentment, and suspicions mount, shattering the idyllic tableau. Building tension with every page, The Perfect Nanny is a compulsive, riveting, bravely observed exploration of power, class, race, domesticity, motherhood, and madness—and the American debut of an immensely talented writer.
Reviews with the most likes.
2.5 stars. This is a literary novel trying to be a thriller. There was tension/dread while reading only because the opening scene contained murdered kids. There were no surprises, no twists and turns, no significant revelations or anything. With that said, it was an okay novel. The writing style was lofty and somewhat lyrical, but what let the entire story down was the detached omniscient narrator that never came to a satisfying end/conclusion. I liked it, just barely.
I found this to be eerily and uniquely told. I enjoyed the author taking the road less traveled, giving peaks into the minds of all the characters involved, rather than a straight telling from The Nanny, or the mother or the children. It added a layer of eeriness that built.
However, for all the intentional steps taken to build the plot, I felt the ending was rushed and jarringly dull.
I will possibly write a thoughtful review at a later date. For now I am torn regarding how the novel concludes. I don't know what I wanted exactly in an ending, but I'm not sure it was this. For this reason I drop a 5 star novel to a 4 star review. I am likely to change my mind. I read this book ravenously, hungering for the next page..the next tidbit of information. At times I empathized with the parents and then equally with the nanny. In due measure also angered by all three. There are layers to this book. Cultural, social, historical layers which I felt I saw whizzing past like landscapes seen from the passengers viewpoint of a speeding train. The speeding train was of course my own pace of reading as I flew through the story. I need to really think about this book. I am glad I have read it and feel sure I will read this author again. For now it is a novel I know I must ponder. I must take time to settle my thoughts and emotions, however I feel sure it is a book I will be telling others to read as my emotional response to it cannot be denied.
3.75 stars
What lies beneath the fallacy of perfection?
Review to be continued...