The Perfect Nanny

The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani, 228 pages

When Myriam and Paul decide to find a nanny to take care of their two small children, they think they've hit the jackpot with Louise, a woman who not only takes exquisite care of their two small children, but also cooks, cleans, and is available at all hours at no extra cost. But they should have realized that Louise is no Mary Poppins — I mean, the readers knew, since what else could we expect from a book that starts with the line, "The baby was dead."?

This is a slow-burning, tension-filled book, filled with plenty of meditations on the guilt associated with motherhood, as well as the roles of race and class in upper-middle-class society. I liked this way more than I thought I would, and zoomed through it. I'd recommend it for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.