The Housewife by Frieda McFadden (Book Review)

 

The Housemaid

By Freida McFadden

Published by Bookouture, 2022

Millie has just gotten out of a long prison stint in her late 20s and has gotten fired from her first post penitentiary job. She's living out of her car and if she doesn't find another job, she might violate her parole and end up behind bars again. 

That's when she finds out about a job as a housemaid in a rich gated home in New York that is going to pay well and also be a live in position. If she can get it, it will solve her money and housing problems in one go! So she purposefully pads a fake resume hoping her employer won't make a background check. 

Her interviewer, Nina Winchester, is very professional and a perfectionist. She will be doing cleaning and some cooking for Nina, her husband Andrew, and their young daughter, Cecilia, who seems as creepy as one of the undead twins from The Shining. 

Things start to go south a bit when Millie is shown to where she will be staying, a tiny attic room with a cot, and small porthole window that doesn't open. It is only lit by two loosely hanging light bulbs. Something that begins to ring alarm bells in Millie's head is that the attic room locks from the OUTSIDE and she notices what could be scratch marks on the inside of the door like someone had desperately tried to free themselves.....

Add to that the hot ripped Italian landscaper that works for the Winchesters, who can hardly speak English, warns Millie that she is in danger.....

But Millie doesn't really have a choice in her mind. She can handle anything except going back to prison. All the danger signs probably have some other explanation right? RIGHT?

Millie gets the job and so the story begins...starting with psychotic behavior exhibited by Nina. 

The writing of this book, at least Part 1, just from a technical aspect, is not very good. Everything in the first part is on the surface. Nobody really has an inner life. The characters are about as shallow as you can get. The cliches fall like daggers from the sky. When Millie uses the word "dreamy" to describe Andrew you know as a male exactly who this book is aimed at. Millie is constantly a horn dog and commenting how ripped and sexy the landscaper, Enzo, and Nina's husband are. 

The whole time you are reading Part 1, you are thinking "Is Millie really this DUMB?". I did not like her. She reminded me of heroines from early 80s slasher movies like Halloween or Friday the 13th. Ok, you put a machete through Jason's shoulder, but you're going to leave him there, not sure if he is dead, WITH the machete??? You shot him five times. Please just go up and shoot him in the head. Don't drop the gun and run away!!! 

It is in Part 2 that the book turns around with a point of view change. Without giving anything away Nina and Millie finally become real living breathing people. And the reader is the richer for it. So if you are reading Part 1 and thinking the writing is bad, the characters are bad, start Part 2 before putting it down. It was like Frieda flipped a switch and what was dim and dark about the characters becomes light and revelatory and you get caught up in the whys and eureka moments of all that has come before. 

I will definitely be reading the next book in the series. I read this one on kindle and most of McFadden's books on Amazon go for about $5 so it doesn't cost that much for a great read!

I read the book a week before going to see this movie on opening day last Thursday so I will also be posting a movie review soon. 

My Grade: A-