The Caretakers (Paperback) - Amanda Bestor-Siegal

A brilliant debut novel, for fans of Celeste Ng and Liane Moriarty.

'[This] emotionally riveting debut novel focuses on several dynamic women in a wealthy suburb of Paris and a tragic event that changes their lives. Bestor-Siegal had me at Paris and she never let go. The Caretakers is extraordinary' Laura Dave, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me

In a smart Parisian suburb, in the wake of the Paris 2015 terrorist attacks, an au pair is arrested after the sudden and suspicious death of her nine-year-old charge...

The truth behind what happened is unravelled through six women: Geraldine, a heartbroken French teacher who struggles to connect with her vulnerable students; Lou, an incompetent au pair fired by the family next door; Charlotte, a chilly socialite and reluctant mother; Holly, an anxious au pair who yearns to feel at home in Paris; Nathalie, an isolated French teenager desperate for her mother's attention; and finally, Alena, the au pair accused of killing a child.

All of them play a part in nine-year-old Julien's death...

For fans of Celeste Ng's Everything I Never Told You and Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies, The Caretakers is a compulsive and gripping read about who takes care of children, the yearning for belonging that extends beyond the homes left behind, and issues of identity, privilege, and class in both American and French culture.

About the Author

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