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A review by shadereads
The Maid by Nita Prose
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I'm not an avid mystery reader, so I'll refrain on commenting too much on the plot, only that I thought that some parts dragged and weren't particularly interesting, and maybe that the villain was too obvious? It didn't make for much intrigue in a murder mystery.
The atmosphere was also a bit lacking. I was reading, but not picturing the scenes very well. I also had a hard time placing the setting. At first it seemed like it was set in England, due to how the characters spoke, but through the course of the story, I believe it's supposed to be some nebulous city in the US. It just would have been nice to have a clear idea.
My bigger gripes are with the characters, especially our lead, Molly the maid. She seems to have been written to be on the autism spectrum, and that was the part I was most excited about as I am also autistic. Unfortunately, it didn't land right personally. Autism is a spectrum and all autistic people are different, but Molly felt a bit too exaggerated, and it's never explicitly stated in the text that she is autistic, even though the setting is modern. She was written to be very naive, in my opinion, and oblivious to too much. She's supposed to be 25, with a whole life of masking behind her, but she never exhibited those skills. Neither did she seem to stim, nor did she have shutdowns or meltdowns when things got too much (and there were moments that should have done that to her). Instead she 'faints'. I don't know, it just feels like ASD wasn't fully researched. I also just didn't understand her reasoning for some of her actions. They barely made any sense to me, and annoyed me, especially at the end.
The ending probably brought the story down even more for me. It was annoying and revealed information we should have known in the story, not after it had wrapped up.
The atmosphere was also a bit lacking. I was reading, but not picturing the scenes very well. I also had a hard time placing the setting. At first it seemed like it was set in England, due to how the characters spoke, but through the course of the story, I believe it's supposed to be some nebulous city in the US. It just would have been nice to have a clear idea.
My bigger gripes are with the characters, especially our lead, Molly the maid. She seems to have been written to be on the autism spectrum, and that was the part I was most excited about as I am also autistic. Unfortunately, it didn't land right personally. Autism is a spectrum and all autistic people are different, but Molly felt a bit too exaggerated, and it's never explicitly stated in the text that she is autistic, even though the setting is modern. She was written to be very naive, in my opinion, and oblivious to too much. She's supposed to be 25, with a whole life of masking behind her, but she never exhibited those skills. Neither did she seem to stim, nor did she have shutdowns or meltdowns when things got too much (and there were moments that should have done that to her). Instead she 'faints'. I don't know, it just feels like ASD wasn't fully researched. I also just didn't understand her reasoning for some of her actions. They barely made any sense to me, and annoyed me, especially at the end.
The ending probably brought the story down even more for me. It was annoying and revealed information we should have known in the story, not after it had wrapped up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Murder, Toxic friendship, Death, Cancer, and Ableism
Minor: Infidelity, Drug use, and Alcohol
Contains euthanasia of a terminally ill caretaker.