The Perfect Nanny: A Novel

The baby is dead. We know that from the opening sentence. And so the focus will inevitably be connecting the dots between how Louise, the seemingly perfect nanny, could be responsible for such a horrible crime.Unsatisfied with life as a stay-at-home-mom, Myriam returns to work at a local law firm. With Myriam and her husband Paul both working, they decide to hire a nanny to watch their children, Mila and Adam.At first, Louise seems like a godsend: not only is she wonderful with the children, but she cleans the house daily and doesn't seem to mind when Myriam and Paul are increasingly absent.There are little signs early on that there's something slightly off about Louise—a vague sense of menace, a cool indifference—but these are only apparent to us, the reader, at least in the beginning.The Perfect Nanny is a character-focused psychological thriller that smartly addresses universal themes ranging from motherhood and domesticity to class and race. It explores the increasingly uncomfortable power structure between Louise and the parents, and the passive aggressiveness that mounts on both sides is downright uncomfortable.I'm struggling with how to rate this one—it's really between a 3 and a 4 for me. The writing is solid and the subject matter is interesting; and I'm always appreciative of a literary psychological thriller. But I never felt like I couldn't put it down or like I just had to know what would happen next.

The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani is a very disturbing novel. You know what is going to happen from the very first page, and you keep hoping for some twist that would make you realize that you were wrong. The twist never comes, and you are left feeling devastated at the end.It is the story of a French family, where the mother wants to go back to work after having two kids. They are lucky enough to find a nanny, Louise, who ticks all the boxes for them. She is white, a legal citizen, with no family, and open to working at odd hours. In a city full of illegal immigrants working as nannies, Louise is a gift from the heavens. She has no entanglements, and her previous employers can't help but sing her praises. For the reader though, she comes across as a bit creepy from the beginning of the book.The threads of racism, sexism, class prejudice, depression and motherhood are all woven together in such a subtle manner that you only realize their existence once you look back at the story. The struggle of a mother, who wants to work and also feels guilty about leaving her kids at home, is very real. She feels resentful of the children for stopping her from achieving her potential, yet she loves them fiercely and doesn't want them to grow up without her around either. Her feelings of worthlessness and her postpartum depression, are very real and relatable.Then there is the commentary about race. There is a lot of talk about illegal immigrants and the problems associated with them. Almost all the nannies are persons of colour, and majority are immigrants, mostly illegal. That a white nanny will turn out to be the crazy one, is incomprehensible to everyone.Another issue that runs throughout the book is that of class difference. The families try their best to think of the help as one of the family, but they never are. There is always awkwardness in social situations, and the difference in class makes itself evident one way or another. The way these families decide to be generous and take the nanny with them for a holiday, and then spend the holiday being awkward and regretting their decision, sounds too close to real life. In such circumstances, it becomes difficult for the employees not to build up expectations, and then be confused once the employer decides to take it all back.There is the dependency of the nanny and the parents on each other. The couple is afraid to offend her because they rely on her, and also because they are uncomfortable with her social standing. The nanny wants them to be bereft without her, and feels offended when they seem to get by when she is not there. All this feels too real. When you employ someone, it is impossible to know everything about them. This is most dangerous when you're entrusting them with your children and your home. Checking up on references can only tell you a little bit about them, and this book preys on this fear of the reader.After reading this book, you will never want to hire another domestic worker unless they can provide you proof of their sanity. The reason why I said that this is a disturbing book, is that it tells you about the shocking and grotesque murder of two children, and takes you back to the events leading to it, but doesn't give you the neat and tidy ending that you want. It solves no mystery, it shows no justice, and it gives no solace. It is just a story about a family and a nanny. It is chilling and scary, and it doesn't have any answers.Reading this book made me wish that I knew French and could read it in its original form. Translations can never capture the true essence of a book, no matter how good they may be. Such a book deserves to read in its full original form.

Plot: Louise, a 40-something single mother of a grown daughter goes to work as a nanny for a couple - Paul and Myriam - with two very young children, Mika and Adam. I'm not spoiling anything by saying that she kills the kids, because the first sentence of the book is, "The baby is dead."I enjoyed everything about this horrific, superbly written story. Through each chapter, I felt the tension and build-up to Louise's eventual mental break. When I know how something is going to turn out, I like finding the clues to the outcome along the way. I appreciated that there was barely any physical or gratuitous descriptions of the violence that ensued. The flashbacks of Louise's life before working for the family was a plus and helped me to better understand her fragile emotional state.Glued to every page, just like the last book I read, I finished this in one sitting. Louise is a complex and obviously very disturbed person...I mean she kills two children. But the author slowly reveals her life experiences and multifaceted personality is such a brilliant way, that by the time I read the last page I fully understood why she snapped.A few days ago there was yet another school shooting - the 16th in the United States this calendar year alone! - and as I listened to the news reporters trying to explain the psychological signs the killer may have exhibited before he shot everyone, it occurred to me that sometimes it's impossible to see that type of violence coming. Without spoiling the book, I'll just say that the parents of Mila and Adam most likely didn't have a clue what was coming their way. I think they may have known that Louise had a screw loose, but I can't imagine they thought she'd go that far.I look forward to reading other books by this author. This one will definitely stay with me me for a while.

The cover caught my eye, the writing style offered depth to the character which is seen in rare works and this was one such, the ending seemed incomplete but still the pages had to read to reach there seemed worthwhile, the detective seemed like a sidekick which doesn't happen in any story but this one, and spoilers nanny doesn't live up to the kind of perfection as indicated by the title cover, but so was the purpose I suppose. Give it a try and find the complexity for yourself.

Saw this book on Instagram blogger page and decide to order. Never liked French style. Every time I watch French movie or read French book, I tell to myself “never again”Well, my fault by not checking author 🙂But the book it self was in good condition and quick delivery:)

I read reviews how good this book was but from the first sentence I knew it wasn't going to be my kind of book. Very strange and upsetting story and written in an unappealing way. Not worth buying.

Llego manchado el libro

Diz o poema de William Ross Wallace que “a mão que balança o berço é a mão que manda no mundo”. Mas ele se refere à mão que realmente balança o berço (aí no caso não é necessariamente uma mãe) ou é de forma figurada? Escrito nos EUA do século XIX, o poema inclui profissionais que foram e ainda são responsáveis pela criação de diversas gerações? “Mulher, como sua missão é divina”, diz um verso. É qualquer mulher – incluindo aquela que precisa trabalhar o dia todo e delegar os cuidados dos filhos a outra pessoa, ou nem isso – ou só a mulher burguesa?Até que ponto a figura materna – a idealizada do poema ou aquela da vida real – tem poder de decisão (governar) o mundo? O romance THE PERFECT NANNY, da francesa Leila Slimani (Trad. Sam Taylor), não está perguntando diretamente essas questões sobre a mão que manda no mundo, mas de forma sutil investiga a quem, no século XXI, pertence essa mão e como ela balança o berço.O romance, premiado com o Gouncourt, em 2016, transformando sua autora na primeira mulher de origem marroquina a receber tal honra, é um suspense numa maneira peculiar. O crime acontece na primeira página. “The baby is dead. It only took a few seconds”, dizem as primeiras frases. Logo sabemos quem é o bebê que morreu e que sua irmã, um pouco mais velha, também foi assassinada pela babá que cuidava deles há um bom tempo.É um pesadelo de qualquer mãe ou pai se materializando nas páginas do livro, inspirado num caso que aconteceu em Nova York, em 2012. É um suspense tenso e bem escrito cujo objetivo é contar, ao seu final, como aconteceu, e não o que aconteceu – isso é dito logo de cara. É preciso malabarismo para segurar o leitor, e Slimani é boa nisso, conduzindo uma trama segura cuja tensão é criada nos detalhes – nas diferenças de classe, gênero e raça.O romance mergulha no comentário social – o que pode desagradar quem espera apenas por um thriller repleto de reviravoltas e suspense – investigando o que vem à tona (não obrigatoriamente coisas negativas) quando uma mulher precisa contratar uma desconhecida para cuidar dos seus filhos, entrar e ficar em sua casa quando estão apenas as crianças.As relações entre uma mãe (e também um pai, ou qualquer outra figura responsável pelas crianças) e uma babá é sempre complexa, porque vai além do mero trato profissional, envolve inevitavelmente afeto, e criação de vínculos. Slimani sabe disso, e é dessas dinâmica que ela tirar a construção dos suspense. Quem é a babá, realmente, vai se revelando aos poucos.A polifonia de narradores e pontos de vista – os capítulos são alternados por outros com depoimentos de ex-patroas da babá, uma vizinha, a filha etc – trazem novas dimensões à personagem e à tragédia, mas curiosamente nunca superam as amarras literárias de serem narrados todos com a mesma voz dos capítulos sobre a babá, a patroa e as crianças.Embora seja chamado na capa de “French Gone Girl”, não há quase nada em comum aqui com o livro de Gillian Flynn, nem estrutural, muito menos tematicamente – é só uma isca mesmo para vender o livro. De qualquer forma, Slimani constrói o suspense de maneira exemplar (apesar do título americano e da capa extremamente óbvios e sem graça), mas não deixa de dar a impressão que, no fundo, a culpa é da mãe, que trabalha fora de casa e teve de delegar os cuidados dos filhos a uma outra pessoa.É a mãe quem encontra as crianças mortas em seu apartamento ao chegar mais cedo do trabalho. O pai, ao longo do romance, é uma figura pálida que existe para constar - há algumas cenas dele que nunca se encaixam direito na trama, e parecem existir apenas como catalizador de outra coisa mais importante. Mas é na figura da mãe que recai todo o peso, da escolha errada, das escolhas erradas ao longo da vida. Por diversos motivos, não é o tipo de livro que mães deveriam ler, mas especialmente por que pode servir com gatilho para uma culpa que mulher nenhuma deveria sentir.