Genre Fiction
![Amanda Bestor-Siegal - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B094PF9Y56.jpg)
The Caretakers: A Novel
"Thrilling and deeply moving, gorgeously written and intricately plotted . . . bold and brilliant." –ELIZABETH MCCRACKEN
Set in a wealthy Parisian suburb, an emotionally riveting debut told from the point of view of six women, and centered around a group of au pairs, one of whom is arrested after a sudden and suspicious tragedy strikes her host family-a dramatic exploration of identity, class, and caregiving from a profoundly talented new writer.
Paris, 2015. A crowd gathers outside the Chauvet home in the affluent suburban community of Maisons-Larue, watching as the family's American au pair is led away in handcuffs after the sudden death of her young charge. The grieving mother believes the caretaker is to blame, and the neighborhood is thrown into chaos, unsure who is at fault-the enigmatic, young foreigner or the mother herself, who has never seemed an active participant in the lives of her children.
The truth lies with six women: Géraldine, a heartbroken French teacher struggling to support her vulnerable young students; Lou, an incompetent au pair who was recently fired by the family next door; Charlotte, a chilly socialite and reluctant mother; Nathalie, an isolated French teenager desperate for her mother's attention; Holly, a socially anxious au pair yearning to belong in her adopted country; and finally, Alena, the one accused of the crime, who has gone to great lengths to avoid emotional connection, and now finds herself caught in the turbulent power dynamics of her host family's household.
Set during the weeks leading up to the event, The Caretakers is a poignant and suspenseful drama featuring complicated women. It's a sensitive exploration of the weight of secrets, the pressures of country, community, and family-and miscommunications and misunderstandings that can have fatal consequences.
"A deep, enthralling pleasure, as wise as it is lovely. I read it voraciously, desperate to discover the fates of its unforgettable characters . . . Magnificent." – ROBIN WASSERMAN
Set in a wealthy Parisian suburb, an emotionally riveting debut told from the point of view of six women, and centered around a group of au pairs, one of whom is arrested after a sudden and suspicious tragedy strikes her host family-a dramatic exploration of identity, class, and caregiving from a profoundly talented new writer.
Paris, 2015. A crowd gathers outside the Chauvet home in the affluent suburban community of Maisons-Larue, watching as the family's American au pair is led away in handcuffs after the sudden death of her young charge. The grieving mother believes the caretaker is to blame, and the neighborhood is thrown into chaos, unsure who is at fault-the enigmatic, young foreigner or the mother herself, who has never seemed an active participant in the lives of her children.
The truth lies with six women: Géraldine, a heartbroken French teacher struggling to support her vulnerable young students; Lou, an incompetent au pair who was recently fired by the family next door; Charlotte, a chilly socialite and reluctant mother; Nathalie, an isolated French teenager desperate for her mother's attention; Holly, a socially anxious au pair yearning to belong in her adopted country; and finally, Alena, the one accused of the crime, who has gone to great lengths to avoid emotional connection, and now finds herself caught in the turbulent power dynamics of her host family's household.
Set during the weeks leading up to the event, The Caretakers is a poignant and suspenseful drama featuring complicated women. It's a sensitive exploration of the weight of secrets, the pressures of country, community, and family-and miscommunications and misunderstandings that can have fatal consequences.
"A deep, enthralling pleasure, as wise as it is lovely. I read it voraciously, desperate to discover the fates of its unforgettable characters . . . Magnificent." – ROBIN WASSERMAN
Editorial Reviews
"An American au pair is arrested in Paris after the unexpected death of a child-but whose fault is it really? The mystery unfolds through the perspectives of six women, exploring the inner worlds of caretakers." -- USA Today
"I could not stop reading this book . . Bestor-Siegal's writing is addictive but never cheap, vivid but not obvious. I stayed up late into the night scrambling through this book, craving the answer to the murder mystery and the sinister lives behind the beautifully kept window treatments in Maisons-Larue." -- Jenny Singer, Glamour, The Best New Books This Month Offer Something for Every Reader
"The Caretakers kicks off on an ominous note, and doesn't ease up on the atmosphere gas pedal until the dark and suspenseful ending. The only thing that's a certainty in this book is that everyone has a secret." -- The Amazon Book Review
"How rare this is, a book-a first book-that has it all. The Caretakers is thrilling and deeply moving, gorgeously written and intricately plotted, morally complex and surprising and sweeping and intimate, with some of the most indelible and heart-breaking characters I have ever encountered in a novel. It's a bold and brilliant book." -- Elizabeth McCracken, author of Bowlaway and The Souvenir Museum
"The Caretakers is a deep, enthralling pleasure, as wise as it is lovely. I read it voraciously, desperate to discover the fates of its unforgettable characters-but also with a deep regret that each page was bringing me closer to the end. I could have happily luxuriated in its words and world forever. It defies belief that this is a debut novel: It is magnificent." -- Robin Wasserman, author of Girls on Fire and Mother Daughter Widow Wife
"Tender, brutal, frightening, captivating, The Caretakers is a novel about child care and abandonment that is as beautifully complicated as parenting itself. Amanda Bestor-Siegal opens for us the bloody heart of the contemporary family and exposes its darkest chambers-the loneliness, the longing, the love-to the light." -- Julia Phillips...
"I could not stop reading this book . . Bestor-Siegal's writing is addictive but never cheap, vivid but not obvious. I stayed up late into the night scrambling through this book, craving the answer to the murder mystery and the sinister lives behind the beautifully kept window treatments in Maisons-Larue." -- Jenny Singer, Glamour, The Best New Books This Month Offer Something for Every Reader
"The Caretakers kicks off on an ominous note, and doesn't ease up on the atmosphere gas pedal until the dark and suspenseful ending. The only thing that's a certainty in this book is that everyone has a secret." -- The Amazon Book Review
"How rare this is, a book-a first book-that has it all. The Caretakers is thrilling and deeply moving, gorgeously written and intricately plotted, morally complex and surprising and sweeping and intimate, with some of the most indelible and heart-breaking characters I have ever encountered in a novel. It's a bold and brilliant book." -- Elizabeth McCracken, author of Bowlaway and The Souvenir Museum
"The Caretakers is a deep, enthralling pleasure, as wise as it is lovely. I read it voraciously, desperate to discover the fates of its unforgettable characters-but also with a deep regret that each page was bringing me closer to the end. I could have happily luxuriated in its words and world forever. It defies belief that this is a debut novel: It is magnificent." -- Robin Wasserman, author of Girls on Fire and Mother Daughter Widow Wife
"Tender, brutal, frightening, captivating, The Caretakers is a novel about child care and abandonment that is as beautifully complicated as parenting itself. Amanda Bestor-Siegal opens for us the bloody heart of the contemporary family and exposes its darkest chambers-the loneliness, the longing, the love-to the light." -- Julia Phillips...
Readers Top Reviews
J. SundayDebi Lewis
This story grabs you in the beginning as the reader steps inside the life of an American caretaker in Paris. The girls want the dream: to be free and escape from the life they had in the U.S. They’re now in the city of love: “The cafes, the wine, the history. You don’t realize how amazing life is here.” It’s 2015 and the plot begins with the rambunctious Julien who dies from a fall in their home. It’s in an affluent community not far from Paris. The boy’s mother, Charlotte, accuses his au pair, Alena, of murder. How did this happen? The author dives deep into how each character relates with their complicated lives. The officer interviews her French teacher, Geraldine, who seems like the most level of all. Then there’s Alena, the siblings and parents of the family, and her au pair friends. Each character seems to be on a dysfunctional path of some sort. Alena struggles with her role taking care of Julien while his sister, Natalie, wishes someone cared for her as much. Her older brother, Victor, is now living on his own with a disfigured face from a motor scooter accident after drinking too much. The mother, Charlotte, is focused on herself. The chapters are long and it would have been great if the author created a few more stopping points. Towards the end, I felt like the story was drifting out a little too much and could have been trimmed down some. But overall, it was enjoyable with a satisfying ending.
Anne R. MarshallGTB
The Caretakers by Amanda Bestor-Siegal is labeled a thriller, but the reality is that it is a bunch of unhappy people whining about their lives. True-many are to young to have the coping skills that would be learned, as they get older. It's too bad many marriages can't go the distance but seducing your next-door neighbor is not the answer, nor is marrying just to improve your economic condition. I wonder how many couples would hire an au pair from overseas if they realized how maladjusted many of them are. I didn't like this book, particularly. There are two neighboring couples. The female in one is jealous of the other: more money, better life, et al. She's bored with her husband, who is having an affair. He suggested she do the same. Great, huh? The kids are the losers here, plain and simple. Missing parents, au pairs that can't show they care because of their own baggage. I hate books full of whiners and people who are unable to be grateful for what they have. I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Caretakers by Harper Collins, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #harpercollins #thecaretakers #amandabestorsiegal
KpatHarvee L.
I was excited to read The Caretakers. The opening hooked me. American au pair Alena is taken out in cuffs from Charlotte and Simon Chauvet’s home in upscale Maisons-Larue superb of Paris in connection to the death of Chauvet’s young son Julien. I soon found that I needed to take notes in order to remember names of all of the characters, their backgrounds, and relationships. I ended up with 10 full pages. The story is told by six women. Chapters are exceedingly long, and I found myself rereading passages several times. There was just too much happening. I think the author had a great idea, but the story went off on two many different paths. She needed a good editor. My thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.
