The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani (2019)
Laura’s Rating: 2/5 Stars
I’ve seen this book in stores for a while now and was intrigued that it was from a French author. I will say that you can tell it’s a translation, with occasional unique words or phrases in place of more common terms. It’s a fairly quick read and has a different vibe from other thrillers.
The Analysis:
When French attorney Myriam decides to go back to work after having children, she and her husband hire a nanny to look after the children. Louise is polite and devoted, going above and beyond in her duties. Myriam comes to depend on her, even as the perfect image of Louise begins to fracture. Rather than being simply meticulous and quirky, she is rigid and uncompromising. Her conscientiousness borders on obsession and her total availability borders on desperation.
The tone of the book is blunt and matter-of-fact and I didn’t feel like there was a build-up of suspense. The story jumps back and forth between the present and the past, changing which character the narration is focused on. This is occasionally confusing but usually you can adjust to the time frame within a few seconds. Because of this, the story doesn’t feel very narrative, but rather like a diary or memoir written in the third person. It was an interesting style but I felt detached from the story and it didn’t quite work for me. I wanted to like The Perfect Nanny more but it fell flat. That being said, if you’re looking for something different in the thriller category, this book may interest you.
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