My Hollywood

Simpson, who in her first novel, Anywhere but Here, chronicled a dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship, here explores the world of Filipino nannies caring for American children. Writing from two perspectives, she invites us into the minds of Lola, who has left her own family for many years to make enough money to put her children through college, and Claire, whose difficult son Lola helps raise. The setting is Hollywood, where Claire's workaholic husband struggles to find success as a sitcom writer. Most affecting in this story is the portrait of Lola as she comes to love her charges, only to find herself dismissed when her services are no longer needed or become unaffordable. She is caught between her own family, whom she no longer knows, and the employers who don't fully value her contributions. Not quite as interesting is Claire, who can't find success anywhere: as a composer, a mother, or a wife.