Genre Fiction
![Amanda Bestor-Siegal - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B094PF9Y56.jpg)
The Caretakers: A Novel
"Bestor-Siegal switches perspective among a group of characters with tenderness and intimacy. . . . The writing is smooth as honey. . . It's utterly absorbing." - NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
"Thrilling and deeply moving, gorgeously written and intricately plotted . . . bold and brilliant." –ELIZABETH MCCRACKEN
Recommended by New York Times Book Review •USA Today• Glamour • Business Insider • Popsugar • CrimeReads • The Millions • BookRiot • and more!
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
"Thrilling and deeply moving, gorgeously written and intricately plotted . . . bold and brilliant." –ELIZABETH MCCRACKEN
Recommended by New York Times Book Review •USA Today• Glamour • Business Insider • Popsugar • CrimeReads • The Millions • BookRiot • and more!
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
"Bestor-Siegal switches perspective among a group of characters-the au pairs, the families and Madame Géraldine, a local French teacher who has inserted herself into their lives-with tenderness and intimacy. . . . The writing is smooth as honey. As a study into the complex psychology of a bunch of damaged people, it's utterly absorbing." - New York Times Book Review
"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
"Amanda Bestor-Siegal's emotionally riveting debut novel focuses on several dynamic women in a wealthy suburb of Paris and a tragic event that changes their lives. Bestor-Siegal had me at Paris and she never let go. The Caretakers is extraordinary." - Laura Dave, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me
"A well-paced narrative that moves through time and multiple perspectives with deft precision, this is a heart-wrenching exploration of who counts as family and how dangerous it can be to let someone in. A novel about the ‘people who aren't completely part of the family' and the true cost of belonging." - Kirkus (starred 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 ...
"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
"Amanda Bestor-Siegal's emotionally riveting debut novel focuses on several dynamic women in a wealthy suburb of Paris and a tragic event that changes their lives. Bestor-Siegal had me at Paris and she never let go. The Caretakers is extraordinary." - Laura Dave, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me
"A well-paced narrative that moves through time and multiple perspectives with deft precision, this is a heart-wrenching exploration of who counts as family and how dangerous it can be to let someone in. A novel about the ‘people who aren't completely part of the family' and the true cost of belonging." - Kirkus (starred 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 ...
Readers Top Reviews
ALEX FITZGERALD
Terrific read with insight into lives of au-pairs living with difficult families, children and personal difficulties.
Kristen ThayerALE
The opening really draws you in and the whole story is written beautifully. Such amazing and complex character development. A real page turner! You won't be disappointed when you can’t put this book down.
DeniseMjaleziKris
Plot line is slow and meandering. It was difficult to me track of the career characters because they lacked depth. I or finished the book because I kept that something was going to happen to spare interest and move the pile along. It never did..
J. MunnoDeniseMja
I found this hard to put down. All the female characters were quite complex and most had significant trauma in their pasts. At first you might think this is just a story of abused au pairs and the horrible mothers, and there’s that, but it is so much more. The writing is elegant and is it is hard to believe this is the author’s first.
Kindle Susan M B
It was a great writing and a good story, but such an odd flow. Each chapter was like it's own short story and I'm not really a fan of short story novels. So overall just okay.
