Review: 'The Housemaid' by Freida McFadden

The rich and wealthy love to outsource the busy work of keeping a house clean and tidy to others. And why not have those people pick up your kids and your trash while you're at it? But do they know who they're bringing into their homes? And is everything as nice and shiny in these homes as it appears at first glance? Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pub. Date: 4/26/2022
Publisher: Bookouture

“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…

Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of…

I've said it countless times before, but domestic thrillers have become some of my favourite reads of late. Perhaps this fascination comes from being stuck at home so much, realising how uncanny your home space becomes when you have no chance of leaving it, recognising that even the people you enjoy living with begin to grate on you if you are stuck with them. So how about when you invite a stranger into your home and suddenly they're witnesses to your most intimate moments? Can this go well? Domestic thrillers will tell you no. But then, nothing really goes well in domestic thrillers. The Housemaid tries to add a layer of class-consciousness to this by bringing together characters from different backgrounds. Although it veers ever so mildly into caricature with its rich characters, the effort is nonetheless appreciated. 

Millie needs this job. She has been living in her car and lying to her parole officer about it, so the sooner she can get back on her feet the sooner, hopefully, a sense of normalcy can return and the shadow of her past can dissipate. But something about Nina Winchester makes her uncomfortable and Millie can't help but wonder why a handsome and kind man like Andrew Winchester is married to her. As Millie gets pulled further and further into the Winchester family-secrets, the question of who can be trusted becomes more and more crucial. McFadden begins to tell you a story, but makes sure you question what you read at every step. You know that certain characters aren't telling you the full truth, but McFadden manages to make it feel earned when they do. 

Freida McFadden has set up quite the twisty tale, split into three sections. The first sees Milly enter the Winchester home, naive and hopeful. The second brings with it a major twist and has some delightful format changes which I really enjoyed. The third brings us to another twist, which both illuminates Millie's background and brings the novel to a rather neat (perhaps too neat?) end. I enjoyed this clear structure, something that is missing in quite a few thrillers which therefore needlessly drag in the middle. Through perspective changes, McFadden is able to keep things fresh and make readers reconsider the scenes they've already witnessed. I do need to say that I wasn't too sure about the ending, specifically the last page or so. Part of me loved the 'Burn it all down' energy of the ending, but another part of me, which had grown very fond of Milly, wondered whether this ending was entirely fair to her, if it gave her the ending she deserved. I'm staying purposefully vague here, but if you do read The Housemaid, let me know what you think! 

I give this novel...

3 Universes!

The Housemaid is a fast-paced thriller that holds quite some twists and surprises. Supported by its strong structure, McFadden's novel assures the reader a great time.