I’m taking a new writing prompt for a spin wherein at the start of my review, I will throw out five words to give a quick look into what the book is about. Helps my brain get a review going and maybe will tell you, dear reader, if this is a book for you. In five words: unexpected, mystery, nuerodivergent, grandmother, loneliness
This book was lurking on one of the display shelves at my library, and I’m always down for a cozy mystery so nabbed it, plus it was recommended by both a friend and someone I find inspirational (Neil Pasricha, author and speaker). I was expecting a standard locked-room whodunnit mystery, but this book is not that. I was so surprised by this novel as it was a real pivot and challenge to my expecations. It made me SO uncomfortable but I liked it in the end more than I thought I would, and would recommend giving it a try, though I don’t think it’s for everybody.
A quarter of the way through, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it. Molly’s life was so bleak and heartbreaking and her loneliness so overwhelming it was hard to watch. Molly is in her early 20s and proud to be a maid for an upscale hotel. After the death of her only companion, her dear grandmother, she is truly lost.
Molly isn’t like everyone else, though not labeled in the novel she seems to be obsessive to the point of OCD and on the autism spectrum in a way that makes interaction with her coworkers, and really the entire world, a difficult task. She has almost no social cues and a naivete that is shocking. But she is good at her job, unflinching in her adherence to protocol, and starved for affection. When a famous and wealthy guest is found dead, she can hardly believe that his young wife, one of the few people that show her kindness, is responsible and she is caught in the middle of the investigations.
Reviews of this book were all over the map, with many finding her to be unbelievable obvlious to the world around her (to the point of sophomoric), but I do believe that there are people like her, struggling to make it in a world that doesn’t understand them, so I appreciate that Prose gave thos people a voice.
All told, I’m not in a rush to pick up book 2… I don’t know if I’m interested in Molly’s continuing the journey with Molly but if you are looking for a mystery, this one is unconventional and worth a peek.