I have recently finished reading The Housemaid, written by Freida McFadden. I didn’t expect it to be as intense as it is. Right from the beginning, the story pulled me in because of how mysterious and creepy it felt. The main character, Millie, starts working for this rich family, the Winchester’s things seems normal at first, but then very strange things start happening. Nina’s mood constantly changes, she’s kind one moment and cruel the next. Millie hears noises from locked rooms she’s told not to enter and finds messes that seem to appear out of nowhere. The family’s stories don’t add up, and she begins to feel like she’s being watched.
As I read more, I realized that the book isn’t just a thriller; it’s also about power, control, and survival. It made me think about how people act when they feel trapped or desperate. I think that’s what makes this book so good, it’s scary but it also feels real in some ways.
“My mind is now drowning in worry, I go for the door and I realize then that I’ve been locked inside. The door doesn’t open. No matter how hard I pull, I’m trapped. My breath catches in my throat as I finally understand — this house isn’t what it seems.” (p. 142)
In this quotation a lot of tension is building between Millie and the Winchester family. She’s been working as their maid for a few months now, but Nina the wife, keeps acting strange yelling at her one minute and being nice the next. Millie starts noticing weird things in the house, like locked rooms and secrets that don’t make sense. When she realizes she’s been locked inside, it’s the moment all those red flags start to make sense. She understands that she’s not just dealing with an odd family but something very dangerous is actually going on. This scene marks the point where the story turns from uncomfortable to terrifying, and Millie has to figure out how to escape.