The Caretakers: A Novel

Written by Amanda Bestor-Siegal

Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld

“Bestor-Siegal switches perspective among a group of characters with tenderness and intimacy. . . . The writing is smooth as honey. . . It's utterly absorbing.” — NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

“Thrilling and deeply moving, gorgeously written and intricately plotted . . . bold and brilliant."" –ELIZABETH MCCRACKEN 

Recommended by New York Times Book Review • USA Today • Glamour • Business Insider • Popsugar • CrimeReads • The Millions • BookRiot • and more!

Set in a wealthy Parisian suburb, an emotionally riveting debut told from the point of view of six women, and centered around a group of au pairs, one of whom is arrested after a sudden and suspicious tragedy strikes her host family—a dramatic exploration of identity, class, and caregiving from a profoundly talented new writer.

Paris, 2015. A crowd gathers outside the Chauvet home in the affluent suburban community of Maisons-Larue, watching as the family’s American au pair is led away in handcuffs after the sudden death of her young charge. The grieving mother believes the caretaker is to blame, and the neighborhood is thrown into chaos, unsure who is at fault—the enigmatic, young foreigner or the mother herself, who has never seemed an active participant in the lives of her children.  

The truth lies with six women: Géraldine, a heartbroken French teacher struggling to support her vulnerable young students; Lou, an incompetent au pair who was recently fired by the family next door; Charlotte, a chilly socialite and reluctant mother; Nathalie, an isolated French teenager desperate for her mother’s attention; Holly, a socially anxious au pair yearning to belong in her adopted country; and finally, Alena, the one accused of the crime, who has gone to great lengths to avoid emotional connection, and now finds herself caught in the turbulent power dynamics of her host family’s household.

Set during the weeks leading up to the event, The Caretakers is a poignant and suspenseful drama featuring complicated women. It’s a sensitive exploration of the weight of secrets, the pressures of country, community, and family—and miscommunications and misunderstandings that can have fatal consequences.

“A deep, enthralling pleasure, as wise as it is lovely. I read it voraciously, desperate to discover the fates of its unforgettable characters . . . Magnificent.” – ROBIN WASSERMAN

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Apr 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9780063138216

Amanda Bestor-Siegal

AMANDA BESTOR-SIEGAL received her M.F.A. from the Michener Center for Writers, University of Texas, specializing in fiction and screenwriting. Her nonfiction work has been published in The Threepenny Review, River Teeth, and Literary Hub. Amanda lived in France for four years before relocating to Austin, Texas. This is her first novel.

Reviews for The Caretakers

[Sandy Conrad · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was fascinated by the depth of character and the variety of voices in this novel. The perspectives on Paris, travel, and family elevated this novel beyond so many of its kind that get you turning pages but don’t leave you with anything to chew on mentally. But, that being said, I found it to a compulsive page turner too.

[Audra Rose House · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to love this book, but unfortunately it was just ok. I loved the French language aspect. The story was a bit slow paced for my taste. At times I was confused how the characters related/connected but by the end there is certainly a sense of loss of some sort that joins them all… in general I just didn’t love it.

[Amy Hagberg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When our kids were small, I had a demanding corporate career, and my husband worked all hours starting his own company. Getting them to and from daycare was stressful, and we couldn’t stay home with them when they were sick. Like most young parents, we couldn’t afford a nanny, so we got the next best thing, an au pair. We had five different au pairs from five different countries: Denmark, Norway, England, Germany, and Slovakia. The experiences were overwhelming positive, although our first one should have been sent packing after wrecking our car twice and several of her friends expelled licorice-flavored liqueur on our family room rug. Oh, and then there was the time we had a tornado warning and she sent our 5-year-old up to her bedroom alone to get her pajamas when she sheltered in the basement. There was a touchdown less than two miles away. Such was my perspective while reading The Caretakers.

Paris, 2015. A crowd gathers outside the Chauvet home in the affluent suburban community of Maisons-Larue, watching as the family’s American au pair is led away in handcuffs after the sudden death of her eight-year-old charge, Julien. The grieving mother believes the caretaker is to blame, and the neighborhood is thrown into chaos, unsure who is at fault—the enigmatic, young foreigner or the mother herself, who has never seemed an active participant in the lives of her children.

The novel explores the complex perspectives of several women: Charlotte, Julien’s chilly socialite mother; Lou, an incompetent au pair fired by the family next door; Holly, an anxious au pair who is desperate for friends in France; Charlotte’s sullen teenage daughter, Nathalie, who is desperate for her mother’s attention; Alena, the young woman accused of the child’s death, and Madame Geraldine, the French teacher who knows all the girls intimately.

Set during the weeks leading up to the event, The Caretakers is a poignant and suspenseful drama featuring complicated women. Contemplatively written with exquisite characterization, the author pulls in her readers and never lets them go. Amanda Bestor-Siegal’s debut was brilliant. The plot was unique, intricate and salacious, and the author’s gift for character development was obvious. Each of the au pairs had very different experiences—some were treated like family, while others were mere servants to demanding host parents. The Caretakers was a fast-moving thriller unlike anything I’ve ever read. 4 stars. For more reviews visit amyhagberg.com

[memechel · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What was the aim of the thousands of perspectives-to make it clearer?! Well it was the total opposite effect unfortunately. Muddled and long-winded. Synopsis was lost among the details.

[hccpsk · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Many young people dream of running off to Paris to live as an au pair and experience France, and Amanda Bestor-Siegal’s debut novel The Caretakers looks at a group of women living in the suburbs of Paris in 2015. At the center of the story there is a mysterious death that Bestor-Siegal unravels slowly through flashbacks and a variety of POVs that reveal different characters’ motivations and backstories. For me, this was an OK book with an interesting plot, but missed the mark with too much jumping around and no central character to hold it all together. Still a decent book for readers looking for a coming-of-age story with a mystery plot line who enjoy Paris as a setting.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The Caretakers is set in a suburb of Paris and is focused on several young women who have traveled to Paris to work as au pairs. The book also reveals issues with the host families of the women, and other people in their lives, such as their own families.The book opens when one of the au pairs has been arrested for murder of a young boy, one that she was caring for as part of her job. She is being questioned by the police. Then the book goes back to tell the story of the au pairs and their families, and what may have led to the incident. I was excited to read this book based on the description, but sadly, I didn't find one likeable character in the book. The competitiveness and deceitfulness of one of the mothers, and her distance from her children, the au pairs and their drunken binges, the children who were odd and difficult - none of them warranted any sympathy from me. I felt the best part of the book was the final few pages, when Lou finally did the right thing, and also had a realization about her host family. Thanks to NetGalley and Book Club Girl / Harper Collins for the ARC. All opinions are my own and freely given.

[lorikboyd · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I looked forward to reading this beautiful book…from the stunning cover to the enticing jacket cover. Although the writing was beautiful and the storyline original, this read fell flat for me. One dimensional characters devoid of emotion, I really had no vested interest in any of the characters. So many storylines, some dissecting briefly. Too many parents that should not have become parents. Too many sad sacks that should not have been in charge of young children. I would definitely give this new author another chance. Thanks to Amanda Bestor-Siegal, William Marrow and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

[miss.mesmerized · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When Lou comes to Paris, she has quite different ideas from those of the family she works for as an au pair. Yet, her greatest concern is to leave behind her old life. Alena, another au pair, also has left much behind, but in contrast to her outgoing and loud colleague, she hardly speaks to any of the other girls and does not make friends in their language course. Holly first and foremost feels totally alone and only wants to be the friend of any of them. Geraldine, their teacher keeps them together and gathers information about the host families, especially the mothers. Such as Charlotte, who does not work but needs an au pair to comply with the social demands she perceives. Well, she actually does not have much time for her children as her marriage is beyond the point where anything could have put them together again and she prepares its final blow. For none of the inhabitants of the posh Parisian suburb anything is easy in the winter when the city is under terrorist attacks.Amanda Bestor-Siegal has created quite a number of complex characters who are linked randomly even though they hardly share anything. The most striking aspect they all show is a feeling of being alone, being misunderstood by the world and questioning the decisions they have made. “The Caretakers” is about people who do not really take care, who cannot take care as they are not at ease with themselves. They try to comply with expectations they can never fulfil and are always at the fringe of total despair.I found it easy to relate to some of the characters when their background is revealed and you get to understand how they could end up where they are at that point in their life. Showing the same event from different perspectives surely added to underline the complexity of their personalities and the mixed feelings they have. However, springing from one character to the next was a bit distracting and forced you to refocus again and again.Throughout the novel there is also a mysterious aspect about a child’s death. Even though the quest for the answer of what happened could be felt, I could have done without that element as the focus was more on the characters and less on the mystery.I enjoyed reading the novel due to the nuances in the characters’ emotions and minute differences in the cultures that are presented.