The Maid, written by Nina Prose, has been floating around my Instagram for weeks, luring me with its glamorous reviews and its placement among the most anticipated books for 2022. So I gave in and requested an advanced reader copy from Net Galley to form my own opinion before the book comes to shelves and reviews flood the internet. The conclusion? I don’t think I liked it.

The book tells the story of Molly Gray, a twenty-five-year-old hotel maid who struggles with social skills and reading people’s intentions. Her beloved grandmother used to turn situations into rules so Molly could navigate the world around her. But no rules prove helpful when Molly finds a dead body in one of the hotel rooms and becomes a suspect in the sudden death of a wealthy guest, Charles Black.

While the book offers no label or diagnosis, it’s obvious (and I hope not just to me) that Molly the Maid is somewhere on the spectrum. The more surprising is the level of bullying Molly has to deal with as an adult in a workplace. Call me naive about the ways of this world—I just couldn’t stomach it.

A few pages in, I found the main character to be oddly inconsistent—one moment, she was able to assess the situation perfectly with surprising wisdom, another she was lost for words, unable to read facial expressions and intentions.

I have to credit the author for the plot idea—it’s what got me drawn to the story in the first place. But when it comes to the suspense, even with the final twist (or maybe because of the final twist, which was more of information withholding), I can’t say I was too shocked or surprised. Maybe, just maybe, I was over it by then. Maybe the narration was served to me in a manner that lost me before I reached the final paragraphs.

The Maid has been compared to Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Sure, if you try really hard to see similarities, the protagonists of both books have issues with social interactions. But while I cared for Eleanor, I can’t say the same about Molly. I’m sorry, Molly.

If you’re looking for an easy read to start the year, The Maid will do the job. Just be ready to never be able to read the phrase “state of perfection,” or the word “delightful” for that matter, without thinking about Molly the Maid.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️