My bonus mother recommended The Housekeeper: A Novel. She said they read it in her book club, which stuck with her. So, this was a surefire addition to my 24 books to read in the 2024 list.
The Housekeeper: A Novel
A woman hires a housekeeper to care for her aging parents—only to watch as she takes over their lives in this riveting novel from the New York Times bestselling author Samantha M. Bailey calls “an ingenious master of domestic suspense.”
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Reader’s Digest
In the end, I have only myself to blame. I’m the one who let her in.
Jodi Bishop knows success. She’s the breadwinner, a top-notch real estate agent. Her husband, Harrison . . . not so much. Once, he had big dreams. But now, he’s a middling writer who resents his wife’s success.
Jodi’s father, Vic, now in his late seventies and retired, is a very controlling man. His wife, Audrey, was herself no shrinking violet. But things changed when Audrey developed Parkinson’s ten years ago and Vic retired to devote himself to her care. But while still reasonably spry and rakishly handsome, Vic is worn down by his wife’s deteriorating condition.
Exhausted from trying to balance her career, her family, and her parents’ needs, Jodi starts interviewing housekeepers to help care for Audrey and Vic. She settles on Elyse Woodley, an energetic and attractive widow in her early sixties, who seems perfect for the job. While Vic is initially resistant, he soon warms to Elyse’s sunny personality and engaging ways.
And Jodi is pleased to have an ally, someone she can talk to and occasionally even confide in. Until . . .
She shuts Jodi out. And Audrey’s condition worsens—rapidly. Who is this woman suddenly wearing her mother’s jewelry? What is she after? And how far will she go to get it?
My Review of The Housekeeper: A Novel Book
You can’t put down this book even if you’re starving. At least I couldn’t! I had to use the trick of having my Alexa read to me as I cooked meals and did laundry many times.
I may have gotten so wrapped up in this book because this book could easily turn into a nonfiction scenario for many families. I may feel that way because I hear horror stories happening to the elderly I help during my day-to-day job often. It’s rather scary to see the number of criminals that surround us unknowingly.
This is also something I am deeply worried about happening to my own Dad. Granted, I don’t have a close enough relationship to him to have any say into who he brings in his life. However, I do see a woman wigglingly in her way into his life and getting everything from him.
This storyline was captivating and left just enough to the imagination that you wanted to find out what happened all the way to the end. The ending is not what I expected either. The Housekeeper: A Novel is the ideal read while you’re bathing in the sun or any other opporunity that allows you to read in peace.
This book has 4.3 out of 5 stars out of 2,196 ratings on Amazon and 3.9 on Goodreads out of 10,364 ratings.
I agree with many of the reviewers about the characters in the book. They are not people I would want to know in real life. No bond of family ties would make me tolerate the treatment the main character accepted.
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Read the Rest of the Reviews from the 24 Books in 2024
