Having received the news that Freida McFadden is out with her new book The Housemaid Is Watching, I couldn’t wait to get it on my shelf! McFadden has established herself in the genre as a contemporary author who writes suspenseful, twisty novels and the most awaited. If you have read her writing before, you would know that each of her books is an impressive blend of suspense and plot twists. Books like The Housemaid and The Wife Between Us subtitles have raised the standards; I was eager to see how her latest book would follow.
In The Housemaid Is Watching, McFadden writes about secrets, lies, and the strange dynamics of family relations, filling in the pieces to a psychological thriller that is woven within so intricately that it does not easily get put down. Its the kind of book that you start reading and cannot stop till the end, with all the twists and turns. In particular, I look forward to reviewing this novel because it does so in such a way that I can only imagine how the plot unfolds with each character, revealing small bits of information at a time.
Book Summary
As the title suggests, in The Housemaid Is Watching, the protagonist, one of the housemaids, is called Emma, the housemaid hired by the wealthy and enigmatic Parker family and employs a rather sinister art behind the mask of one. The Parker’s head, Mr. Parker, who is strong among everyone, is the one who has the insatiable need of ego more than anything else. Picture a married couple, well set up with a house in the suburbs and a few children. On the surface, the Parkers appear to have it all – a lovely home, a tight-knit family, and all the comforts of wealth. However, it’s not long before Emma comes to understand that this is not the case within the Parker household.
In the initial phases of her employment, while adjusting to her new position, Emma starts to hear strange things and sees peculiar habits and ceremonies that make her second guess about the people she works for. The Parker family seem awfully quiet and a bit too secretive generally speaking, Mrs. Parker’s anxious behavior doesn’t help matters either, but the real action starts when understanding of other members of the family starts growing when three words are spoken ‘the silence resonates. Emma begins to perceive anomalous sounds and visuals which are pathetically horrifying and false images in the mirrors all about her around the house.
The Parkers’ home transforms into a rather haunting space or more like a character itself with its shadows, closed doors, and sense of terror. Emma and the reader as well are left with more questions than answers in every chapter. It is because of this that Emma resolves to know what’s happening, partly because she has her own traumatic history which is beginning to come back to haunt her and in the process, distort her reality.
The plot comes together to an intense peak as Emma learns the dark secrets of the Parker family. With every twist, McFadden tactfully raises the stakes and you are put in a position where you have to question whose word you can trust and what will take place. Also, when you think you have it all, The Housemaid Is Watching offers such a twist that changes the entire plot and idea of the book which is an absolute delight with jaw dropping leaves you.
In-depth Review
Freida McFadden is a name I came across while reading one of her books and her style became one of my favorite features of her writing. The Housemaid Is Watching has been written in the same style. Her text possesses qualities that are able to articulate imagery which is straightforward and captures the reader’s head on with Emma’s perspective. Some thrillers seem more focused on getting the reader lined with excitement all through the narration, not McFadden who builds suspense by slowly revealing details and clues throughout the story which makes the reader put pieces of the puzzle together. This type of engaging reading enhances one’s experience as every word of every sentence feels like a lead to the deeper heart of the matter.
Emma, the central character, has been fully developed and constructed. Her weakness, sense of curiosity, and firm resolve allow the audience to highly relate to her. Though her backstory is more of a lament, it is slowly uncovered with the advancement of the plot, which helps to develop her personality and gives a sense to her deeds. She has every reason to conquer her qualms regarding the home that is a hot kettle ready to burst. Emma inspires sympathy throughout the book as she strives to face her demons one step at a time.
The characters played, as well as their roles, do not as well disappoint. In particular, the Parkers. Mr. Parker is extremely charming but has an intimidating presence whereas Mrs. Parker appears to be eternally burdened with her own fears and insecurities. From this perspective, every scene overall is highly volatile, and it is difficult to anticipate how particular members will respond in the course of events. It’s McFadden’s style that the smallest of roles are equally well performed and remembered and causes more suspense and complexity in the case.
The book’s pacing is very much appropriate for a reader. All of the chapters finished in some form of suspense making it attractive for the reader to turn the pages. And just when you think you have everything figured out – Bam! – there is a twist that drastically changes what you thought of the whole plot. It is perhaps one of the best features the book possesses, as it makes the reader remain glued to the pages and always on edge.
Major Themes and Analysis
The Housemaid Is Watching is more than just a suspenseful thriller plot; it is a quite intricate plot that has various themes. In this case, the theme that stands out is trust, or more accurately, the lack of trust. Emma abides the whole time in a battle of sorts, whittling down who is credible or not, which the Parker family’s background only complicates. Such complexities are brought about by relationships whereby trust is predominant, and there are difficulties in differentiating between friends and enemies when bad things seem to be everywhere. Freida McFadden effectively explores the consequences of lack of trust within relationships.
Isolation is another of the themes that McFadden gets into. Surroundings with many people tend to make Emma feel isolated while in her search for the truth. She feels engulfed by the Parker household particularly the gloomy places with no windows and doors which were shut to her. This notion alone heightens her feelings of helplessness. Furthermore, this adds to the apprehensive state of mind, whereby no light, no sound or even the tiniest movement sends chills down the spine.
The betrayal and, most importantly, the lies that fill the Parkers’ household become interconnected with Emma’s life, making it slightly easier for her to comprehend the family as a whole. As Emma enhances more insight into the Parkers, she starts to see that their whole life is one big scam. This theme stands out in this generation as it is the most common case, which is the reason most people don’t usually believe in anything — it is a theme that is relevant and relatable in this fast-paced world.
Comparing to Freida McFadden’s Other Works
Readers who have followed Freida McFadden will easily notice a number of elements in The Housemaid Is Watching. Similar to The Housemaid series, this is also a story of a heroine who steadily moves from a perfect world to one which has a hidden sinister truth. In both the books, the authors have utilized the setting to create suspense by making a regular home ominous and harrowing.
But The Housemaid Is Watching is different at its heart because it is not only a story of characters but more of a psychological tale. McFadden actually takes time to build Emma’s character and emphasizes that Emma has a lot going in her mind as she struggles to bury her past and search for answers. This gives a nice layer to the plot which is otherwise missing in most of the thrillers, making the book interesting.
Moreover, this book has a fairly consistent tension and complexity just like The Wife Between Us which is yet another major work of McFadden. But, unlike The Housemaid Is Watching, this book is more barring in the sense that it is told from multiple viewpoints whereas this one is primarily Emma’s story and how she perceives events around her. This makes it very easy for readers to relate to Emma as they understand her fears and insecurities.
My Review for “The Housemaid Is Watching”
The Housemaid Is Watching by Freida McFadden is worth a 4.5 out of 5. It has a great plot sequence, the atmosphere is loaded, and of course McFadden manages to throw several unexpected turns that keep the readers glued to the book. In a way Freida McFadden combines suspense and psychological aspects so that it is not only attention seeking but also appealing from inside as well. The slight mark off is awarded for the reason that the beginners might consider the shadow of the intro to be a little too long. All in all, it is an outstanding psychological thriller.
Conclusion
To conclude, The Housemaid Is Watching by Freida McFadden is a piece of work that has been perfected with all the intricacies which are necessary to pull the audience’s attention from the start to the very end. This scary thread about its strange atmosphere, a few dense characters and rude surprises definitely holds its own in the genre and it is ideal for the fans of thrillers based on character drama and suspense.
Due to its appropriately paced plot and a protagonist that can easily be associated with, “The Housemaid Is Watching” is not only a suspense but also a story of trust, alienation and the extent to which individuals will go to in order to safeguard their secrets. It doesn’t matter if you are reading McFadden for the first time or if you happen to be a fan of her previous works, it is clear that this story is bound to be a page turner. Such a gripping and suspenseful story is something I would recommend to anyone looking over the broadest spectrum of the mystery genre.
Read my reviews on other book in the series “The Housemaid” By Freida McFadden
