The Caretakers

A Novel

By: Amanda Bestor-Siegal

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

“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

©2022 Amanda Bestor-Siegal (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Well developed characters

The author took great care in developing the characters. The story was beautifully written and I was able to become fully immersed in the lives of the Caretakers.

Not my fav

The characters were unhappy to the point of misery. There was some redemption at the end, but I’m not sure it made up for the depressing read. Overall this was gloomy and oppressive. Also, I had some trouble with many French phrases for which no translation was provided.

No real plot; foul language didn’t help

Quite disappointed in the overall story…. While the description kind matches the book, the description is MUCH more intriguing than the book. I feel like the narrative jumped all around, leaving a lot of details to be caught up with later.

Upon completion, I felt like I’d missed a huge chunk of the book somewhere!!!

The random repetitive use of vulgarity did not help the book at all and seemed to be used only by the author to prove she’s an adult and can use any words however she wants.

What is this author really trying to say?

I feel that the author does protest too much- was she an aupair? She gives an impression of being anti French. I find this offensive- people can be awful, but especially in the aupair world this is not just an issue with the French! Did she choose to leave the reader up in the air as to any ending because in many great novels this is done, but this is NOT a great novel. A good story, but then again it falls flat. The end is not balanced for this style of writing.

Finished It

I finished the book but wasn’t sure why. Liked the narrator a lot, and it was interesting learning the life of au pairs. But none of the characters were very likeable.

Don't waste your time or credit

There was no plott. All this book was tell the story of unhappy au pairs. I kept waiting for is story to come together somehow but it never did.

Disjointed

Found book and story too disjointed for my tastes. The narrator did a good job.