Napanista

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The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani

Rating by Napanista: ⭐⭐

I was intrigued by the title and by an NPR piece, and I kept seeing it for sale at the front of the airport book shops' I have shared my own  home over the years with a number of nannies and au pairs, and have felt first hand the insecurities that go along with those relationships, as well as the strong bond that has formed with some of them.  I thought it would be an interesting read at the least. Unfortunately the book didn't live up to the hype.  Reading it was a little like not being able to turn away from a car wreck, so I did finish it.   However, this book is written more like a horror novel a la Stephen King, with a disturbing character as the nanny.  I think it would have been more successful if the nanny had been more sympathetic, and less pathetic.  The book also suffers from a cultural and translation problem.  It probably would be more successful if read in the original French.  I had a hard time giving a damn about the characters. Don't waste your time...