Leïla Slimani

"I'll be punished for that," she hears herself think. "I'll be punished for not knowing how to love."

I think I was lucky - I had my first kid young enough when I didn't know to be worried or scared or any of the things described in this book. I didn't feel bad for working nor for the lovely home daycare I left my kids at. But I can see how that might be a struggle. And how hiring a nanny to take care of things in the house and the kids could get muddled and ugly.

I know many people struggle show more with how the story starts - you know the end right at the start - but I was glad to know beforehand and follow the complex tunnels that lead to the conclusion I already knew. It's an interesting story that really dives into the roles of women and the expectations. I enjoyed it for tackling a tough topic even if it was in a really rough way. show less

Lullaby – Short and Stunning

Lullaby by Leila Slimani is a short but stunning psychological thriller, that will have you gripped from beginning to end. This book has also been excellently translated from French by Sam Taylor, and I do not believe anything has been lost in translation. On reading Lullaby, it is easy to understand why this is a prize-winning thriller.

From the opening we know that the nanny has killed one of her two charges, the other is hanging on, but only just. What follows show more is the story of the nanny and her descent into a psychosis via obsession and wanting total control over her charges and the parents.

Myriam, a French-Moroccan mother and lawyer decides she wants to return to work and carve out her career at the Bar. Her and Paul, her husband, must find the perfect nanny to take care of their children. When they find Louise, whose references make her second to none, a quiet and devoted nanny they give her the job.

Louise and the family become deeply dependent on each other as the weeks pass. While at the same time Louise grows more obsessive about her charges and the family they have and wishes to be more involved within it, without actually being noticed. It is from this obsession that her break down will grow from.

This is a fascinating and wonderful read as we watch the Louise’s life slowly unravel around her obsession, while at the same time being given a flavour of her life and background. This really is a clever thriller, that works on all levels. show less

In French this is known as The Perfect Nanny, but Lullaby seems a better title somehow as it captures the false sense of absolute trust Miriam and Paul, and their children Mia and Adam, have in the perfect nanny Louise. Louise is hired when Miriam who has spent years as full time mother, gets the opportunity to revive her career. Of course, at first she feels guilty but gradually accepts the outsourcing of her children's upbringing - it really is much more convenient. Especially as Louise is show more not only the perfect nanny but an impeccable cleaner, gourmet cook, and general household goddess. Soon the household is wholly centred around Louise

But inevitably Louise has troubles of her own, troubles that she can't communicate to anyone, especially to Paul and Miriam who appreciate Louise but have no empathy at all for her as a human being. And this leads inevitably to the opening scene of the book, with the children dead and their murderer Louise, bleeding on the floor from her own failed suicide attempt

It might be the translation, but just as Paul and Miriam fail to understand or have empathy for Louise, neither does the author. The nature of her troubles are not clearly outlined - she has money worries, but its unclear exactly why or why she can't approach her employers for a pay rise. She is lonely and in need of companionship but its not clear how or why this situation came about. And its not at all clear what triggers her final crisis. The author is very good at exploring the bourgeois middle class Paul and Miriam, but for me, hasn't quite nailed who exactly Louise is

This is engrossing, but there is something missing and perhaps its better read in the original French. Its a Prix de Goncourt winner after all. Still very much recommended though show less

Many contemporary novels deal with experiences in and with other cultures, but what is unusual about Leila Slimani's novel is, among other things, the direction of the emigration movement: her novel is set in the 1940s and is the first volume of a trilogy. In this book, she describes the life of her grandparents. Her young, vivacious grandmother Mathilde, newly married, moves with her husband, a Moroccan officer, to the so-called French ‘protectorate’. She quickly realises that even here show more she will not be freed from the ‘domestic duties’ she fled from. What's more, her husband soon turns out to be a real patriarch, and life in the Moroccan countryside is harder than she thought. Amine takes over the remote farm at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. He has precise ideas about how he wants to run it, but he lacks the financial means and the patience. Mathilde raises their two children and insists that their daughter Aïcha be educated at the French convent school. Aïcha is a highly intelligent girl, but she is unable to fit into the French “society” of her place of residence. She is also very sensitive. The family receives support only from a Hungarian Jewish gynaecologist who fled to Morocco with his young wife during the Second World War.
Furthermore, Mathilde and Amine have to contend with increasing racist discrimination both in France and in their new home – all the more so as the conflicts with the occupiers intensify due to the independence efforts.
Slimani tells the story simply, discreetly and with all the necessary nuance. She skilfully and deftly weaves social issues with personal ones. A novel that is ‘brilliant’ precisely because of its sobriety.
She describes everyday life during the 1940s and 1950s from the Moroccan perspective and that of the French community living there. The divide between the two societies could not be greater.
I am already very excited about the second volume. show less