This was an easy, quick read that I picked up from my local library without any real preconceptions about what it was about, other than a small amount of buzz around it on Goodreads. I liked the cover and title and the blurb intrigued me. Louise is a nanny who’s killed two children. We learn that in the opening paragraph. What follows is a character breakdown of what led Louise to do what she did, and why.
I’ll start by saying that all of the characters in this are awful. The father is mean, self important and narcissistic. The mother is simpering, eager to please with no backbone. The children are bratty and wild. It all adds up to a less than perfect family, and I struggled to really get to grips with any of them, as they had no redeeming features. They all got under my skin - and not in a good way. The way this is told also seems quite cold in its observations. We’re told the story as if from the view point of an emotional less narrator, and I’m not sure if it was the translation or not, but it left a lot to be desired. It’s more a character assessment on the roles of nannies in France and their personal lives rather than a proper plot.
The plot itself is also odd, in that it starts at the end and backtracks to the previous months leading up to the murders. We see Louise entering the household to care for Mila and Andrew, and slowly see her unravel. Odd behaviours and thoughts begin to manifest and build. Wedged in between these chapters are small paragraphs told from other view points from after the murders - which I found jarring and confusing, as the police try to piece together what happened.
A quick read, but I’m not sure what all the fuss is about. I’ve read better.
- 3 stars
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