The Housekeepers
The Housekeepers
By: Alex Hay
[On my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2023]
[Fulfilled ‘A book with a heist’ prompt as part of Shelf Reflection’s 2024 Reading Challenge]
For some reason when I started this book I didn’t realize it wasn’t a present-day setting. This is set in the 1900s in Mayfair, London which actually just added to the intrigue because pulling off a heist before the age of technology is a whole different beast.
I’m a fan of the ‘heist’ concept. I enjoyed all the Oceans movies even though to some they felt repetitive. I like the ‘planning’ phase and the ‘executing’ phase. I can picture this book as a movie in that regard.
The mastermind behind the heist in The Housekeepers is the freshly fired main Housekeeper Mrs. King. Having worked in the house for a long time and then running it, she knows all the ins and outs of the interworkings, the staff, and the inventory therein.
This heist is mostly an act of revenge, but possibly something else underlies her motives for seeking to empty the entire house of its contents.
The target go-time is the night of a ball the house’s Mistress is putting on. Imagine all of Mayfair’s elite society packed into a grand house while a team works behind the scenes to remove every painting, tapestry, fork, and chair from the premises to sell on the black market.
This is somewhat of a women-helping-women concept as the main players are all women, each with their own connection to the house. There is a thread of #MeToo in it as well.
I’m not sure I really ever felt a connection to the characters, though. They were hard to picture and keep distinct from one another, except maybe the Janes.
I do like the concept of of housekeepers banding together to pull one over on their employer. Housekeepers are a popular character trope these days, but I think this one is an interesting take. Makes you realize how much the help was trusted and what could happen if they got it in their heads to get what they deserved!
I was a little disappointed in the finished product of this book. I really like the concept and the setting. And I wasn’t expecting or looking for a book that was ‘realistic’ because heist-type situations usually require some imagination. But something about the book just didn’t really deliver.
It may have just been that since I’m so used to seeing this type of story, to read it was a different and harder to picture story. It was also less exciting if you’re not invested in the characters’ success or failure.
I also wasn’t thrilled with the way the lady of the house— Miss De Vries— was portrayed or the other character’s ‘tryst’ with her. It seemed like an unnecessary inclusion that didn’t add to the story in a meaningful way. It could have ended up being some sort of twist, but wasn’t even really that. De Vries’s character felt too one-dimensional and inconsequential for what events were going on around her.
If this became a movie, I’d definitely watch it.
I also think I would read another of Alex Hay’s books— this one is his debut. I think he has a creative mind for writing and I enjoy Victorian England settings in books.
I wouldn’t say this is a must-read, unputdownable book, but overall I still enjoyed it even if it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for. For sure if you like heists, I would give it a try.
[Content Advisory: Not much, if any swearing; one romantic scene between two women, but it’s short and non-descriptive]
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