"The Au Pair"

“The Au Pair”

Written by Emma Rous

Review written by Diana Iozzia

 

“The Au Pair” is a mystery novel that is told in two perspectives: Seraphine, a woman who unravels her past and family secrets, and Laura, the au pair who took care of her older brother, up until the suicide of Ruth, Seraphine and her twin brother, Danny’s mother, on the night they were born. Already, this book sounds confusing beyond belief, and I personally was intrigued. I listened to this using the Overdrive / Libby app, which is a great way to borrow audiobooks and e-books. I think that one of the main downfalls of this book is the plot.

First and foremost, Laura’s perspective explains the past and what led Ruth to her suicide. Seraphine is unraveling these facts, slowly, as the tale progresses. Unfortunately, other than this, there is no true conflict. I think that a mystery novel still should have some elements of a plot. I have grown a bit too disinterested in mystery novels that only concern with a death and those left alive to figure out why. The characters are not currently in danger. A dead bird on the porch and a lipstick message on the bathroom mirror do not frighten me or feel like compelling threats.

I felt highly disappointed once all of the facts and details were revealed. Although I did not predict every solution to the mystery, I felt that I wasn’t excited or curious enough to be on the edge of my seat. In the end, the mystery still felt unsolved a bit. I don’t really understand why Ruth did choose to kill herself.

Perhaps one of the added layers of my confusion about the book was that I listened to an audio version. It felt like the story dragged on too long, because the audio version was about 12 hours. I would have read this book in a three-hour sitting or two short sittings.

I enjoyed Laura’s perspective more than Seraphine’s, because that one was interesting. I felt Seraphine constantly droned on about how she didn’t know who she was and what was happening. She must have asked “Who am I?” at least 8 times. I understand that it could be difficult to be in her position, but it did not add an interesting element to the story. Laura’s time with the family and the mysterious secrets she involved herself was interesting, and it revealed the plot in an intriguing way. However, when all of the plot twists and surprises are revealed in one long story, it feels anticlimactic. I’m not the biggest fan of characters just rambling on for pages on end.

I recommend that if you read this, do not listen to the audiobook if you want a quick, fast, easy read. The audiobook has great actresses performing the parts in very different accents and voices, but I’m not sure it’s worth the effort. This wasn’t the best mystery I’ve ever read, but I would consider reading a future book by Emma Rous.