A review by map755
The Maid by Nita Prose

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

I had many issues with this book, mostly directly related to the protagonist's portrayal. While it's never said directly, it's very clear that the author intended the audience to read the titular maid, Molly, as autistic. The author made this clear by giving Molly every characteristic that comes up when you Google "high functioning autism symptoms." That's a problem on its own as no autistic person has every single one of those characteristics and even if one does they're not going to be displayed in such a rigid way. Beyond that, the author very inconsistenly applied these traits to Molly, and used them only when it was convenient for the story. Molly liked following rules, including those for etiquette that her grandmother taught her, but her rule following could be abandoned if it moved the story forward. We even see her magically begin to start understand facial expressions, with no explanation for why she would have this breakthrough now. Further, Molly's place as an autistic character does nothing for the community as nearly every other character in the book (including in the courthouse, where, inexplicably her lawyer is present and direct examining her when she's not on trial) laughs at her for her quirky differentness. Rather than being an empowering character who autistic people can claim as one of their own, Molly is the butt of the joke in the book for all of her inconsistenly applied traits. Shakily applied misunderstanding of autism is not representation anyone wants.
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