The Maid's Diary

This was my first reading of an Loreth Anne White novel and I’m delighted to say I’ve absolutely found another top tier thriller author to add to my reading list. The characters, the plot, and the twists and turns were all sublimely interwoven to create a truly entertaining page-turner that I couldn’t put down once I’d started getting into it.

One aspect of the novel that I felt was particularly on point was the pertinent social commentary accompanying the plot, highlighting areas that really make you ask yourself a lot of questions about society as a whole. From the faux nature of social media narratives to deeply disturbing inequalities in how certain elements of society are able to escape justice and pay to make certain “inconveniences” disappear with the right amount of money and connections, this book will really make you think and truly is a reflection on reality, unfortunately, in some aspects.

The book goes deeper than this, though, with the multi-narrational elements. You get to see the effects of trauma play out on both sides of the fence of inequality, and while generally critical of the patriarchal society that enables certain ways of thinking and behavior by men, the author also isn’t afraid to show how women, too, can be caught up in the web and act as enablers or attempt to cover things up that are inconvenient for the sake of their own families or reputations, even at the expense of other women’s well-being. A bold narrative that unfortunately reflects accurately on how things sometimes play out outside of the world of fiction.

I found the manner in which the story was told to be excellent as well. We get fragments of the story from multiple characters’ points of view, in a non-sequential manner that leaves you, the reader, to piece everything together. The multi-timeframe narrative where we get some pieces before and some pieces after the incident mixed together adds to that jigsaw puzzle feeling and allows you as a reader to build up the scenes in your head and piece things together. This was enjoyable, as you quickly realize what seems like a relatively straightforward event has layers and layers of complexity that you’re treated to as you slowly unpeel the onion.

The other aspect I felt was strong in this novel was the character work. I wouldn’t particularly say there were any overtly likeable characters involved in this story, but that was entirely understandable in the narrative that played out. Everyone’s a shade of gray to some extent, and that mirrors reality and is very in-keeping with the themes used in the storytelling here.

Overall the pacing was good, the plot was enjoyable and there’s a lot of complexity there that really makes you think and reflect on how the world can be. It can be emotionally heavy and deal with some very disturbing topics, such as rape, sexual abuse and gaslighting, but I found a certain sense of contentment with how it all came together in the end.

Thoroughly recommended and a must-read for any fans of murder mysteries and crime psychological thrillers.