The Perfect Nanny

2.5 stars. This is a literary novel trying to be a thriller. There was tension/dread while reading only because the opening scene contained murdered kids. There were no surprises, no twists and turns, no significant revelations or anything. With that said, it was an okay novel. The writing style was lofty and somewhat lyrical, but what let the entire story down was the detached omniscient narrator that never came to a satisfying end/conclusion. I liked it, just barely.

I found this to be eerily and uniquely told. I enjoyed the author taking the road less traveled, giving peaks into the minds of all the characters involved, rather than a straight telling from The Nanny, or the mother or the children. It added a layer of eeriness that built.

However, for all the intentional steps taken to build the plot, I felt the ending was rushed and jarringly dull.

I will possibly write a thoughtful review at a later date. For now I am torn regarding how the novel concludes. I don't know what I wanted exactly in an ending, but I'm not sure it was this. For this reason I drop a 5 star novel to a 4 star review. I am likely to change my mind. I read this book ravenously, hungering for the next page..the next tidbit of information. At times I empathized with the parents and then equally with the nanny. In due measure also angered by all three. There are layers to this book. Cultural, social, historical layers which I felt I saw whizzing past like landscapes seen from the passengers viewpoint of a speeding train. The speeding train was of course my own pace of reading as I flew through the story. I need to really think about this book. I am glad I have read it and feel sure I will read this author again. For now it is a novel I know I must ponder. I must take time to settle my thoughts and emotions, however I feel sure it is a book I will be telling others to read as my emotional response to it cannot be denied.