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Emily May's Reviews > The Maid
The Maid
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My brain is still having an argument with itself about this book.
Emily1: How is it no one in this book thought "hey, maybe Molly is acting so 'strange' because she's neurodivergent?"
Emily2: Could she not be neurodivergent? Maybe she just has some severe social issues. The author called her "socially-awkward" in an interview.
Emily1: Oh, please. She reads like someone googled "signs of autism".
Emily2: Maybe the author doesn't know these suggest autism. YOU didn't for a long time.
Emily1: *shifty eyes* And no one in the publishing process noticed either?
Emily2: Okay, let's say it's intentional. Maybe she... didn't want to label her?
Emily1: Pfft. Yeah, sure. Because "autism" or "neurodivergent" would be bad, scary words, whereas "quirky" is nice and cute and unthreatening?
Emily2: You didn't have a problem with Eleanor Oliphant and it's not mentioned there either.
Emily1: But it was believable to me that Eleanor was passing as eccentric-- Eleanor was so much like me that I didn't understand why others thought she was autistic when I first read it (I didn't know I was at the time) --not so much Molly. And it wasn't so damn quirky, so manic aspie dream girl.
Emily2: 'kay. Write your review, grouch.
I didn't find it to be like Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, as some other readers did. Eleanor Oliphant was, I felt, quite a dark read with a few uplifting moments, whereas The Maid was often teeth-grindingly twee and quirky. This latter also didn't sit quite right with me.
The premise is that Molly, a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, one day finds one of the hotel's wealthiest guests dead in their bed. Looks like foul play, but who could have done it? Molly gets dragged deeper and deeper into the mystery until she herself starts to look guilty.
Many reviewers have described the protagonist, Molly, as neurodivergent or autistic, and I agree she does seem to be pretty much a checklist of stereotypes for autism, though the author either has not noticed this or is playing it very coy. Despite the modern setting, the characters in this book act like it's at least thirty years ago, scratching their heads at the "odd" Molly, jaws dropping when she behaves "weird". I could believe Eleanor Oliphant went through her life with undiagnosed autism (I related to her a lot and I didn't find out until my twenties) but I find it harder to believe with Molly.
Are there people like Molly? Sure there are. Autistic people are all so different that there must be a Molly somewhere. But the way the author used her to pop up and say something comically straightforward, the way her quirks resulted in ludicrous moments... I couldn't help feeling that the author was, as Molly would say, laughing at her, not with her.
It's not just Molly, though. Juan Manuel (a Mexican undocumented immigrant who (view spoiler)) is another character who seemed to verge too close to being the butt of the joke. The author writes him as naive, unintelligent and helpless. When both he and Molly find themselves in hot water, you can bet it's a couple of white neurotypical characters who save the day.
To be honest, though, it wasn't just the depiction of Molly and Juan, or the refusal to mention neurodivergence, that bothered me, but the whole tone of the book. The whole slightly farcical, whimsical nature of it. I have low tolerance for whimsy anyway, but it felt especially off in a book with a protagonist like Molly. Please let's not have a manic aspie dream girl subgenre.
Emily1: How is it no one in this book thought "hey, maybe Molly is acting so 'strange' because she's neurodivergent?"
Emily2: Could she not be neurodivergent? Maybe she just has some severe social issues. The author called her "socially-awkward" in an interview.
Emily1: Oh, please. She reads like someone googled "signs of autism".
Emily2: Maybe the author doesn't know these suggest autism. YOU didn't for a long time.
Emily1: *shifty eyes* And no one in the publishing process noticed either?
Emily2: Okay, let's say it's intentional. Maybe she... didn't want to label her?
Emily1: Pfft. Yeah, sure. Because "autism" or "neurodivergent" would be bad, scary words, whereas "quirky" is nice and cute and unthreatening?
Emily2: You didn't have a problem with Eleanor Oliphant and it's not mentioned there either.
Emily1: But it was believable to me that Eleanor was passing as eccentric-- Eleanor was so much like me that I didn't understand why others thought she was autistic when I first read it (I didn't know I was at the time) --not so much Molly. And it wasn't so damn quirky, so manic aspie dream girl.
Emily2: 'kay. Write your review, grouch.
I didn't find it to be like Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, as some other readers did. Eleanor Oliphant was, I felt, quite a dark read with a few uplifting moments, whereas The Maid was often teeth-grindingly twee and quirky. This latter also didn't sit quite right with me.
The premise is that Molly, a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, one day finds one of the hotel's wealthiest guests dead in their bed. Looks like foul play, but who could have done it? Molly gets dragged deeper and deeper into the mystery until she herself starts to look guilty.
Many reviewers have described the protagonist, Molly, as neurodivergent or autistic, and I agree she does seem to be pretty much a checklist of stereotypes for autism, though the author either has not noticed this or is playing it very coy. Despite the modern setting, the characters in this book act like it's at least thirty years ago, scratching their heads at the "odd" Molly, jaws dropping when she behaves "weird". I could believe Eleanor Oliphant went through her life with undiagnosed autism (I related to her a lot and I didn't find out until my twenties) but I find it harder to believe with Molly.
Are there people like Molly? Sure there are. Autistic people are all so different that there must be a Molly somewhere. But the way the author used her to pop up and say something comically straightforward, the way her quirks resulted in ludicrous moments... I couldn't help feeling that the author was, as Molly would say, laughing at her, not with her.
It's not just Molly, though. Juan Manuel (a Mexican undocumented immigrant who (view spoiler)) is another character who seemed to verge too close to being the butt of the joke. The author writes him as naive, unintelligent and helpless. When both he and Molly find themselves in hot water, you can bet it's a couple of white neurotypical characters who save the day.
To be honest, though, it wasn't just the depiction of Molly and Juan, or the refusal to mention neurodivergence, that bothered me, but the whole tone of the book. The whole slightly farcical, whimsical nature of it. I have low tolerance for whimsy anyway, but it felt especially off in a book with a protagonist like Molly. Please let's not have a manic aspie dream girl subgenre.
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Reading Progress
February 25, 2022
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Started Reading
February 25, 2022
– Shelved
February 27, 2022
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Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 183 (183 new)
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Feb 25, 2022 07:38AM
I'm really interested in seeing what you think of this one. Personally, I did not like how the MC was portrayed.
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Larissa wrote: "I'm really interested in seeing what you think of this one. Personally, I did not like how the MC was portrayed."I can see why. I'm not totally comfortable with it either.
oh, thank you so much for your review. When you said "twee", I removed it from my TBR.
Spot on Emily May, I agree with what you say. I'm just half way through now and after initially liking the book and character, I'm becoming disenchanted. Thanks for clarifying my thoughts on this one. Good stuff.
I felt the same way - like the author had read a about autism but didn’t really understand it. To me, the way Molly’s limitations are described through much of the book did not square at all with her actions as revealed at the end. It all felt uncomfortable.
Agree. The portrayal of maybe-autism veered into straight-up intellectual disability at times. It was just inauthentic.
I agree. As well as the characters and the tone felt inconsistent to me. I found the book annoying at times and it made the reading experience unpleasant at times. I almost DNF at some point.
Signing under every word! How in the world this book is getting so much attention is beyond my comprehension. I wanted to quit after every chapter but kept going to find out what people were so excited about� well, what a disappointment.
I completely agree with your review. I just felt it's even worse because - to me - the author is not only laughing at Molly but actively exploiting her neurodivergence.
Ahhh, yeah, I can see myself getting annoyed by this. Thank you for the review!
Thanks for the review! I asked a question on the book page to figure out if the author is neurodivergent, since I’d rather read a book about it by someone who’s speaking from experience. From those answers and your review, it looks like I can skip this one.
thank god i thought i was in a different universe
I agree, it was just too whimsical for my liking. And it reminded me of Eleanor and the rosie project too much. Just felt like a rehash.
Your conversation at the top of this review is definitely similar to my internal back and forth when I was writing my review. It was the author liking a review mentioning Molly was autistic that convinced me her intention was to write Molly as an autistic character. Still, who really knows when the author is so unclear about it (why she is so unclear is another mystery for me). I'm glad I was not alone with questioning Molly's character, and it's crucial to get the perspective of somebody who is autistic. To me, her character really did feel like a autism check list whose differences were meant to be exploited for the purposes of plot as well as (bad) "humor."
I felt the exact same way, I felt that there was just something off about how Molly was portrayed.
How did you feel about Kasey in The Ones We’re Meant to Find? I had similar feelings with her portrayal, especially since it takes place in the future.
Nicole wrote: "How did you feel about Kasey in The Ones We’re Meant to Find? I had similar feelings with her portrayal, especially since it takes place in the future."I didn't read it long enough to form an opinion. Just couldn't get into it.
You know, over the past couple of months I’ve found that more and more of the people I’ve been following for years and years are ND. I’ve unfollowed so many people, especially during the pandemic, but the ones that I’ve stuck with seem to all slowly be revealing their neurodivergence. I’ve only just been discovering my own and sometimes it feels so scary, but it helps so much to see others talk about it. So thank you for talking about it!
Amy wrote: "You know, over the past couple of months I’ve found that more and more of the people I’ve been following for years and years are ND. I’ve unfollowed so many people, especially during the pandemic, ..."Finding people online willing to talk about their ND was a huge part of the reason I came to understand my own too. Best of luck with your journey :)
I appreciate your candor in the beginning about going through a chunk of life unaware of your own ND—I can definitely relate to that!As for the playing it coy on Molly’s own “quirks�, I think what sealed this for me as something not written from ignorance but as a deliberate choice was the way the author described Molly depending on the tone of the interview. I saw her say that Molly was autistic in one instance and then that she’s just socially awkward in another. It’s the attempt at having it both ways, where she can reap praise for having a ND character while also refusing to fully take responsibility for the implications of that as a writer, that really bothered me.
She’s also a publishing executive if that helps clear up why this book blew up without much initial pushback.
Elle wrote: "I appreciate your candor in the beginning about going through a chunk of life unaware of your own ND—I can definitely relate to that!As for the playing it coy on Molly’s own “quirks�, I think wha..."
I wasn't aware that the author was picking and choosing how to describe Molly! I thought she wasn't calling her autistic at all, which I could maybe explain away as ignorance. It's definitely a deliberate choice if she is deciding when to call her ND.
Emily May wrote: "I wasn't aware that the author was picking and choosing how to describe Molly! I thought she wasn't calling her autistic at all, which I could maybe explain away as ignorance. It's definitely a deliberate choice if she is deciding when to call her ND." I know as recently as last month she was on an Instagram Live explaining how she used her experience teaching autistic children to inform how she wrote Molly, so to me that just made Molly appear even more the caricature. I definitely understand trying to give people the benefit of the doubt, though! I just don’t think she deserves it.
100% agree with "Please let's not have a manic aspie dream girl subgenre" and would add "written by neurotypical authors".
꧁Persephone's Pomegranate� wrote: "Great review Emily!"Thank you! :)
“Manic aspie dream girl� is a perfect descriptor. I agree with everything you wrote here.
Thank you for this review. I didn't even know about the racism. As a Latina, this would have infuriated me, and I am already giving the book side eye as a mother of a child with autism. Although the horror genre loves to use people on the spectrum as villains (especially if they don't speak) so maybe publishing thinks this is progress. It's not.
Hands down agree. NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US. I was heartbroken when I learned the adaptation movie is starring a neurotypical actress :'( WHEN DOES IT END
Thank you. I just read the first few paragraphs and was like "who writes like this?" I'm not saying there aren't maids who like their jobs, but this definitely felt like it is written by someone who has no idea about being a maid. Or apparently ND. Everything is just another plot element to be used to make a rich white NT woman author richer.
Jo wrote: "I bloody adore your reviews!"Thank you, Jo :)
I'm 15% in and I totally agree.
I just found out last month that I'm autistic! I read maybe two lines of the description of this book and figured she was autistic, too. Shame the author didn't just say it.
Did I miss that Mr Preston and Charlotte are white? I understood them to be Black.
Samantha wrote: "Did I miss that Mr Preston and Charlotte are white? I understood them to be Black."What made you think that?
That's why I asked if I missed it. I don't know why I thought it. *spoiler* Maybe the part about how Mr. Preston wasn't allowed to marry Molly's grandmother? Combined with how long it took him to move up to being the front doorman?
100% absolutely agree with everything you wrote. I thought that perhaps partway through the book a diagnosis would be revealed and that there would be some sort of character development but the dissonance remained throughout.
This is fiction, we need to stop holding these up to reality. There's nothing "exploitative" about this book.
Hope wrote: "This is fiction, we need to stop holding these up to reality. There's nothing "exploitative" about this book."I don't really care if you separate this book from reality, Hope, but it's not true that "we" need to do anything. I can take issue with the rep here and you are free not to. Who is the one going on to the other's review space to complain about it?
What if she didn’t know she was autistic? There are many parents and people today that are undiagnosed and are adamant against getting a diagnosis. I read it as she is autistic but hasn’t been told, doesn’t have an understanding of it. I could be wrong
Sarah wrote: "What if she didn’t know she was autistic? There are many parents and people today that are undiagnosed and are adamant against getting a diagnosis. I read it as she is autistic but hasn’t been told..."It makes perfect sense that Molly wouldn't know she was autistic, but every single person she encounters (in a seemingly modern setting) acts as if they've never seen a creature like Molly before. I find that far less believable.
You hit the nail on the head. I can believe that maybe she and her gran didn’t know about ASD if the book was set 30 years ago, but it does feel really out of touch for a contemporary piece.
Agree with all of these thoughts
Oh no! I HAVE to read this for my Mystery! Book ClubAnd I really want w like it...🤐
So was Mr. Preston actually the dad of Molly’s mom? It’s kinda weird that the Grandmother was engaged to him at the age of 16, but then had a baby at 17.
I'm neurodivergent (although not autistic) and am finding Molly's portrayal to be very stereotypical, like the author has never really spent time with a neurodivergent person and is basically going down a "signs of autism" list. I'm not yet halfway through the book and find it distracting.
Thank you so much for this review as it said literally everything I thought after finishing this book. Spot on!
Totally agree with this post. Was annoyed with you the “tidiness� and slow pace of the plot. The author makes Molly out to be so slow about certain observations and yet so insightful regarding others� found it a very uneven portrayal. Also, was the police officer Stark so incredibly bad at her job?? What was that all about? Am I to believe that a seasoned detective could be so off point and get it so wrong. And was the grandmother not concerned about preparing Molly for the real world when she would be gone? This just presumes that the grandmother doesn’t even realize Molly’s differences in a practical way. This book annoyed me on so many levels.
What you say here is all totally true, but the book itself is shelved as a "cozy mystery," which means all the things you found annoying about it are part of its overall charm (or supposed to be). Stereotypical characters are at the heart of cozy mysteries. I found it kind of sweet to have a neurodivergent character put in the center of a cozy mystery - much like Monk of television. Just another viewpoint that is really a fresh approach to a genre that has needed one for a long time, in my opinion.
