We all feel like an outsider sometimes (or all the time). So it’s no surprise that we love to root for outsider protagonists, especially when they’re infiltrating the household and lives of wealthy, badly behaving families. No role is better suited for this than that of the nanny, babysitter, housekeeper, or maid. These figures are the true keepers of the most intimate of family secrets. They’re the ones who handle the dirty laundry—both literally and figuratively. In my debut novel, Someone Else’s Secret, one of the two main characters is a recent college graduate who moves in with an elite family on Martha’s Vineyard for the summer to work as their nanny. She hopes that the job will result in career advancement for her, but it leads to a much more sinister education in a world where greed, jealousy, and secrets have the power to consume us all.
If you are fascinated by stories told through the eyes of the people doing the household and childcare work, here are several books you might enjoy as much as I do:
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Timely and important, but a breeze to read and full of whip smart observations and details, this story follows a black babysitter in her twenties who cares for the young boy of a rich, white family. When she and the boy go to the neighborhood market together one evening, at the mother’s request, a racist security guard there accuses her of having kidnapped the child. The incident begins an unraveling of larger, more complicated family secrets from the past, and the mother of the child in particular is forced to face the ugliest parts of herself.
Maid by Stephanie Land
The only non-fiction book on this list proves that oftentimes, reality is much more terrible and heartbreaking than any fiction could conjure. Land describes the excruciatingly difficult years working as a maid while raising her child alone. She takes us into the homes she cleans with such vivid detail that you can almost taste and smell the mold and dust. But you can also feel the overwhelming sense of victory when she starts to create the life for herself that she’s always wanted.
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
Set in Nigeria, this powerful book follows fourteen year-old Adunni, who runs away to the city in order to escape an arranged marriage to an older man. She winds up working as a maid for a wealthy couple, but her troubles multiply when the couple quickly becomes abusive. All Adunni wants is access to education. Through her own strength and determination, she finds a way to claw herself out of enslavement. This story will leave you sobbing and cheering at the same time.
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
Perhaps the quirkiest and most comedic of the books on this list, the protagonist of this book is Lillian, a lone wolf who has lost her way. When her estranged high school friend Madison asks for her to come be the nanny to her two step kids, Lillian agrees. It’s only after she moves in with Madison’s family that Lillian learns the truth: that the two kids have a rare disorder that causes them to, well, spontaneously combust and catch on fire whenever they’re upsetting. The emotion of this story will surprise you.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
This one is pretty obvious, and might be considered the OG book of this category. If you’ve never read the book, now’s the time—even if you’ve seen the show. In the world of Gilead, women are servants of all kinds—maids, cooks, and, worst of all, handmaids, who’s primary purpose is to bear children for the master of their homes. This book will knock the wind out of you.
Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan
When Elisabeth, a writer and new mom, needs to find a babysitter to help her out, she hires Sam, a college senior at the women’s college in town. Though more character-driven than the rest of the books on this list, this story dives deep into issues of class, education, gender roles, motherhood, and more, as the complex relationship between the mother and the babysitter develops.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
In pursuit of a fresh start, Jane takes a job as a governess for a sweet child at a grand manor called Thornfield. What could go wrong? Throw in a mysterious and brooding master of the house, a locked-up wife that’s gone mad, a few house fires, a secret family fortune, multiple marriage proposals, and you’ve got a sprawling story bursting with romance, deception, difficult decisions, and lots of contemplation overlooking the misty moors.
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