I was checking my blog when I remembered I tried my hand at writing in the Indonesian language once recently — and quickly decided to revert to English. That said, I wanted to re-write the post now, in English. The post was Bahas Buku: “The Maid” oleh Nita Prose. Not exactly rewrite word by word, though. I wanted to rewrite the blog post in English with the usual style.
This is the first book of the series by Nita Prose, and when I read the book’s blurb, it reminded me of Agatha Christie’s quote (was it her? I think it was her), “no-one paid attention to hotel maids. They are free to roam, go inside the rooms, and go out unnoticed.” And this is what the book’s main character is all about. A hotel maid.
I love unassuming characters. Those who are usually overlooked at, and the whole fiber of their being only have one objective: To blend in the background. Those who are supposed to support the main characters, and they are so goddamn good at it. They are not The Chosen One(s), they are those folks you see on your daily commute, grocery runs, or some familiar strangers sweeping the front door of their store in the morning. This novel has exactly that: A housekeeping staff, and I presume they are neurodivergent (which made this novel even more endearing because YES INCLUSIVITY YES DIVERSITY YES MEDIA REPRESENTATION AND VISIBILITY), that got caught in the middle of a murder investigation.
(Why “presumed”? Because, even though it’s never stated explicitly in the novel, the breadcrumbs are scattered here and there. Molly (the character’s name) being called “Robot”, or “Roomba”, and being made fun of for her habits in ensuring everything is tidy and clean. Sounds familiar?)
It feels like reading “Forrest Gump” in a hotel setting with a housekeeping, and less (waaaaay less!) crass humor, hahah.
Murder mystery-wise, the build-up of the mystery itself is taking its pace nicely. I don’t want to dwell for too long on the murder mystery part because it would spoil things (also, I suck at it.) What I love most, though, is how we see Molly’s life and daily activities unfold. We know her past, her memories, and how those memories carried to the present as Molly wiped her shoes whenever she arrived home. We can sense Molly’s earnestness as she ensures everything is clean and in its proper place. In some ways, I learned about ensuring things are in order from Molly.
The author, Nita Prose, shared that the character Molly and the novel came to be from her experience on a business trip in 2019.
“It happened on a business trip in 2019, during which I stayed at a hotel in London.
…
After a meeting outside the hotel, I returned to my room and startled the maid who was folding the jogging pants I’d thrown in a tangled mess on the bed.
It occurred to me in that moment what an intimate and invisible job it is to be a maid. Simply by cleaning my room every day, this maid knew so much about me.
But what did I know about her?“
Those who prefer action-packed stories with twisty twists as many as pretzels that you could gobble in one sitting would find this book insufferable, so I advise you to steer clear of this book, hahah. But if you are looking for a change in pace, or a bit of a warm cup of tea with scones by the window is your forte, then this book is for you. This book is not for one of those Great Literatures out there, and honestly, I don’t think this book aspires to be the next Murakami. For me, though, this book is one of those comfort books. This book does not aspire to be the zenith of the literary world, but it has been a good friend for me, and for me, that’s enough.
