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2000s: Paris as seen through the eyes of several American au-pairs
2000s: Paris as seen through the eyes of several American au-pairs
In the smart Parisian suburb of Maisons-Larue, in the wake of the Paris 2015 terrorist attacks, an au pair is arrested after the sudden and suspicious death of her nine-year-old charge…
The truth behind what happened is unravelled through six women: Geraldine, a heartbroken French teacher who struggles to connect with her vulnerable students; Lou, an incompetent au pair fired by the family next door; Charlotte, a chilly socialite and reluctant mother; Holly, an anxious au pair who yearns to feel at home in Paris; Nathalie, an isolated French teenager desperate for her mother’s attention; and finally, Alena, the au pair accused of killing a child.
All of them play a part in nine-year-old Julien’s death…
Paris is very much a backdrop in this novel and it’s set in a fictional suburb of Paris called Maisons-Larue. This is some 20 mins from the centre however as a characters complains about the distance and bemoans the fact she cannot escape to the city during the work day and return at a reasonable hour.
The setting is not the city but the people in that city, the role and situation of the all too familiar au-pair and what can go so tragically wrong.
The Eiffel Tower does of course get a mention as does the Seine which at one point in the novel floods.
Destination/Location: Paris Author: Amanda Bestor-Siegal Departure: 2000s
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