The Maid by Nita Prose: Voice, Trauma, and Finding Your People

Ok, I want to start this off by talking about a different book. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. When I read that book, it blew my goddamn mind. It spoke to the deepest parts of me and it had a voice that was both unique and very specific.

The Maid didn’t make me feel the exact same, but it was very close.

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Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.

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This. book. I don’t know what I was expecting but it was not this.

The voice alone blew me away. I love when a character’s voice is so incredibly specific but also stays true to the character the whole way through the book. It’s a very difficult thing to do but this book makes it look easy.

Molly has a very unique way of looking at things, at life, and at people and it would have been very easy for the author to lose that voice as the story continued. But that NEVER HAPPENED.

I also love how Nita Prose revealed things very slowly over the course of the story. We know Molly’s gran has died but we don’t know the how or the why and when it’s revealed…HOLY SHIT. It’s been a while since I sobbed that hard. (no spoilers. y’all have to be wrecked like I was). When you find out, it explains a lot about Molly. It was a huge source of trauma for her.

And that doesn’t even get to the murder/crime part. Molly is a bit naive, a little too trusting. But it’s not her fault people can be dickwads.

Molly is the one that finds that body and the way the author shows how this affects her is really well done. Like you know all those detective or crime books? Someone finds a body and then they are just fine?!?! That doesn’t happen here and I really appreciated that.

And then the twists and turns that get to the point where Molly is blamed for the murder. Really good! So much shit goes down. Molly does things that make her look guilty but that she did just because she trusted the people she worked with.

Also…THERE IS A WICKHAM IN THIS BOOK. Not actually, but there’s a dude character who you think might be good but who is actually a huge shitstain. It was a delight to see him go down lol.

Let’s get to the found family part of the book. After Molly is charged with the murder, the people who really care about her come together and make sure she’s taken care of. The doorman of the hotel she works at, Mr. Preston, gets his daughter (an amazing lawyer) to fight Molly’s case. And he makes sure he is there every step of the way so she’s never alone.

When Molly finally understands what happened to her and how/why she is being accused of murder, she doesn’t only want to fight for herself. She also wants to fight for her co-worker, Juan Manuel, who was also pulled into the dark dealings going on inside the hotel as well. She makes sure her lawyer fights for him as well.

Juan Manual and Molly’s relationship is so cute and just….it’s just comforting to see them together. Taking care of one another.

Overall, I love Molly. I love her love for her Gran. I loved how much of an old soul she is. I loved Mr. Preston. I loved Molly’s Gran. I loved Juan Manuel. And most of all, I loved the writing. I loved following this mystery to the end.

But while the mystery was interesting, it’s the characters that made this book what it is. I’m giving The Maid by Nita Prose 4 out of 5 stars.

I know this book will not be for everyone, but if you like a mystery with a character with a strong voice/point of view, you should definitely give it a try.

The Maid is out now!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

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