The Housekeeper

Fielding’s (Cul-de-Sac) latest is an exciting roller-coaster ride of family dysfunction, marital dynamics, and gaslighting. Jodi Bishop is a successful real estate agent, wife, and mother whose busy life is made even busier by her mother’s Parkinson’s diagnosis. She hires Elyse Woodley as a housekeeper to take care of her mother and help her aging father, and couldn’t be happier with her choice. Elyse is kind and hardworking, ingratiating herself and becoming a confidante to Jodi. She seems like a dream come true until suddenly she’s shutting Jodi out and her mother’s health declines rapidly. Elyse is wearing her mother’s jewelry, flirting with her father, controlling everything. How did it go wrong so quickly, and why is Jodi the only one who notices? Fielding’s novel is gripping from the beginning, and Jodi is a fleshed-out, relatable protagonist. The plot builds to a nail-biting climax, but readers might feel let down by the quick, albeit satisfying, conclusion.