Prose, Nita. The Maid. Ballentine Books, 2022.
Did you read Peggy Parish’s Amelia Bedelia books when you were a kid? If you did, you are going to love Molly the maid.
I don’t think I thought much about Amelia when I was a child reading her books, but when I was an adult re-reading them to my children, I thought about her a lot. Remember when her employer reminded her to “draw the drapes” while she was cleaning? Amelia didn’t want to stop and take the time for an art project in the middle of her busy day, but she always did what she was told. That is how Molly Gray behaves in The Maid.
Just like her alter ego, Amelia Bedelia, Molly is loveable. You will quickly become offended for her as her co-workers make fun of her odd and literal way of tackling her dream job of cleaning a grand hotel, “restoring everything to perfection!” You will secretly hope that all of the maids who clean your hotel rooms are just like Molly! Hardworking and honest to a fault.
At first, you might feel a bit bored by the ho-hum humdrum rhythm of Molly’s life as she arrives at work day after day and nothing much happens other than a few snide remarks and some tip stealing. Soon, the clues begin to add up and you will find yourself rooting for Molly.
The whole adventure takes place in one work week. Monday – Friday is all it takes for things at the Regency Grand Hotel to go from mundane to murder. After the first five days, there is a short “Several Months Later” section and an “Epilogue.”
Between Monday and Friday, the reader begins to realize Molly is not what she seems on the surface. The 25 year-old-maid knows how to keep a secret and knows when to reveal it in order to keep herself and her friends safe.
This isn’t great literature, but at 280 pages, I think it would be useful in the classroom for high school students. It is light and breezy for the most part, not too complicated with a nice twist or two at the end to surprise a reader. Mostly, it would be good because it sheds a light on the feelings of people on the autism spectrum. Molly remembers how horribly she was treated in school when children noticed that she was different.
One thing I didn’t like is that I never could figure out where it was set. Other than the Regency Grand Hotel, Molly’s apartment and a few shops, the location is mysterious. Molly’s love of tea and crumpets makes it sound British and her grandmother’s job as a domestic maid makes it sound 1950 ish, but it is never made clear. Am I alone in being bothered by that? Years ago, I read The Room and I was about crazy with wondering about the setting until it was revealed. I kept hoping that Prose would throw me a bone and leave a clue as to the year and the town. They used cell phones, so I know it was modern, still, bits and pieces, like bread crumbs dropped willy nilly kept me guessing.
If I were to use this book in my classroom, I would make it a goal for students to piece together all the clues and decide on a time and a place.
I liked it, it came highly recommended, but I’m not sure why it is a New York Times #1 best seller. I would be surprised if it made it to Oprah’s list.
Do you remember Amelia Bedelia?
Have you ever been bothered by not knowing a book’s setting?