Book Review: The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani

TW: Murder, mental health, abuse / SPOILER ALERT

The book is about a couple who looks for a nanny to take care of their two kids. To their surprise, they never thought they would find Louise; someone who is so completely devoted to their kids. Not only that, Louise became an all around maid. She cooked, cleaned, even hosted parties for Myriam and Paul’s (her employer) guests. Eventually, the couple and the nanny become extremely dependent on each other until everything takes a huge turn and Louise takes a kill.

The book literally starts with the ending. Leila immediately tells us that Louise murders the two children. From there, she goes back to the past and dissects every single detail in each of the characters’ life. From Louise, to Myriam and Paul. 

Leila narrates the story rather than telling it from a person’s perspective. It tells us about a person’s day to day life and their interactions with the few characters in the book. However, because of this, there wasn’t a lot of emotional driving force in the story. Which is why when the book ended, I couldn’t help but think about the feelings and the trauma that Louise must have endured to lead up to the point of the murder.

The book is eerie in a way that simply makes you think how the things in a person’s life, big or small can lead them to something as horrendous as murder.