Book Review – The Au Pair by Emma Rous

Some books you read have stories that stay with you.  Some books are written so well that the author completely captivates you before the story has a chance to climax.  The Au Pair by Emma Rous is both.  Rous unfolds two stories simultaneously alternating chapters between Serephine Mayes in present time and the au pair from 25 years earlier.

Serephine is mourning her father’s death when she finds a photo the day her and her twin brother were born.  But the photo only shows one baby.  The twins grew up with very few photos because the day they were born their mother committed suicide.  While Serephine tries to solve the mystery of which twin belongs to their parents, Rous weaves in the story of the year before they were born from the au pair’s perspective.  As Serephine attempts to track down the au pair, she begins to receive threats from an unknown source.

As the reader, I felt like I was trying to solve a multitude of mysteries of different magnitudes.  The book had my full attention from early on.  At one point I had to leave it in the living room because if I had brought it to bed I would have read all night.  Thanks to crutches, I couldn’t get up to go get it.  But I did have trouble falling asleep because I was going through possible outcomes in my head.

I cannot stress enough that this should be the next book you read.  It is a captivating mystery that many different readers will all enjoy.

And if you like this book…

Somewhere near the middle, the book reminded me of when I read a decade ago.  If you like this book, I recommend also checking out The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry.  The stories are only similar as far as mysterious pasts but both authors have a beautiful way of telling the stories.

Happy Reading! 📖