The Au Pair by Emma Rous

"We all did bad things..."

This is a complicated and completely absorbing mystery/drama about family. It's told from the point of view of two different narrators: Seraphine Mayes in the present day and Laura Silveira from the past.

The set-up reveals that 25 years ago Laura was working at Summerbourne as an au pair to Edwin Mayes, the 4-year-old son of Dominic and Ruth. Laura initially enjoys her new job and settles in with the family quite easily. Ruth is a bit temperamental and Dominic is gone off to work away from the estate quite often. Ruth longs for another baby and she soon becomes pregnant. That's when everything falls apart. Almost immediately after she gives birth, Ruth commits suicide by jumping off a cliff leaving behind twins -- a boy and a girl -- to be raised by their father, Dominic, and their maternal grandmother, Vera, who owns the manse. Laura, who helped Ruth give birth, leaves Summerbourne that very day.

Flash forward -- Dominic has recently died in an accident and while Seraphine (the twin daughter) is going through some papers, she finds a photo of her parents, with Edwin, and with her mother holding only one infant. The photo was taken on the day of her birth. She's very confused about the picture and has questions about what really happened and is concerned about the fact that her mother is holding only one baby. So she determines that she will find Laura to get her answers. What ensues is quite the story and I'll give no spoilers here.

I was quite surprised to find myself entranced with this family and the saga. I'm not saying that I didn't have suspicions that proved accurate as far as what had gone on, but it was all so well-written that I was happy to let the revelations come at their own pace. The characters were interesting and complex and their relationships described in such as way as to make it all believable even as fantastic as it was. The somewhat gothic tone, the tales of sprites and curses, as well as the close-knit nature of the villagers -- and who isn't interested in a story about ill-fated twins? I think it's best to read this in one sitting, if possible, as there are so many people and details to keep straight!

I really enjoyed this debut and I'd like to thank NetGalley and Berkley (Penguin Random House) for the e-book ARC to read and review. Recommended!

This is a standalone and not part of any series.