by Leïla Slimani
translated by Sam Taylor
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BookExcerpt
Published: 2018
Publisher: Penguin Books
Genre: Contemporary, Thriller, France, Paris
Paperback: 228
Rating: 5
First sentence(s):
The baby is dead. It only only took a few seconds.
When Myriam, a French-Moroccan lawyer, decides to return to work after having children, she and her husband look for the perfect nanny for their two young children. They never dreamed they would find Louise: a quiet, polite, devoted woman who sings to the children, cleans the family's chic apartment in Paris's upscale tenth arrondissement, 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.
My two-bits:
Perfectly creepy and chilling.
This story includes another set of unlikable characters with a dark storyline in a Paris setting.
Made me wary of "perfect" people. It's usually a facade.
* The #1 international bestseller and winner of France’s most prestigious literary prize, the Goncourt, 2016.
* part of Paris in July (here)
