Tuesday Tea and Tomes: The Maid

 

When the protagonist of the novel asks incredulously, "is it true that some people drink tea with cream?",  we know we've got someone we can root for.

"The Maid" is the story of Molly Grey, a somewhat naive, but mostly well-intentioned young woman who, after the recent death of her grandmother, is left to navigate life alone -  an especially daunting challenge for a person who struggles with social cues and subtleties. Molly finds comfort in routine and her job as a maid in a fancy hotel in a big city perfectly suits her task-oriented nature. She takes pride in dusting, polishing and scrubbing, never taking shortcuts. But, a murder in the hotel provides another massive shake up to the order in Molly's life, leaving her vulnerable to those who seek to take advantage of her trusting nature.

As Molly's personality emerged in the first few chapters, I had an "Amy Farrah-Fowler" image come to mind. For those of you who are not acquainted with the television show, "Big Bang Theory", Amy is the girlfriend of Sheldon Cooper, the "on the spectrum" brainiac with rather robotic emotions. While Amy is slightly more socially adept than Sheldon, she's an old soul with a matronly wardrobe and a predilection for odd-ball sayings not of her generation.  Like Molly, her trusting ways and literal interpretations are part of her charm.

Throughout the book, Molly reveals the sweet, softly regimented lifestyle of Molly and "Gran": having spaghetti on Wednesday and fish every Friday, then, after dinner together, watching "Columbo" reruns where they mutually admired his crime-solving abilities (while loathing the cigar smoking). They also shared many well-brewed cups of tea served in fine china (a nod to Gran's upbringing) - and cream would most certainly not be used!

And, even in the midst of Molly's problems, she still envisions her dream date, dining on a "Tour of Italy" at Olive Garden. The joyful exuberance she placed on that experience made me smile at every mention.

"The Maid" was this month's selection of the book club de deux  (me and my super long-time amie, Loretta) and like our initial novel selection, it was a sibling referral. First, Loretta's sister recommended "The Giver of Stars" (see BTS review, May, 3, 2022) and, for this, our next read, my brother, Ed, suggested "The Maid".

Both Loretta and I were fans of Molly and her quirky ways, but until the very end of the book, I questioned how someone who didn't like cheaters and understood right from wrong, would be comfortable with bending some rules. When Loretta pointed out that one of the very bad guys was named, "Mr. Black", and Molly's last name was "Grey", it underscored that the author was signaling us a few clues into the nature of these characters at the onset.

We also liked the second Mrs. Black, Giselle.  Although flawed in many ways, her social interactions with Molly are endearing. Giselle knows how to talk to Molly as a friend in an easy manner that is neither patronizing nor condescending.

There are many characters who storm into the hotel, including the hotel manager, Mr. Snow (a snow storm, perhaps?), the first Mrs. Black, an earnest dishwasher, a concerned door man and a handsome bartender. They, too, have their stories revealed over the short week of the Monday-through-Friday chapters (plus epilogue) in the book.

Our book club de deux agreed that "The Maid" is great entertainment -  a page-turning light read full of mysteries and eccentricities. And, how can we not support a young woman who embraces her Gran's advice that  . . . "A good cup of tea will cure all ills, and if it doesn't have another".  

But, no cream, please!!