***COSMOPOLITAN 'BOOKS OF 2019 TO BRING TO YOUR BOOKCLUB'***
***NOW AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER***
'Entrancing, compelling, atmospheric, reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier. A beautiful read that delivers a shocking and satisfying ending' Liv Constantine, bestselling author of The Last Mrs Parrish
'Delicious and spellbinding . . . absolutely absorbing and scandalous' Booklist
'Enthralling and addictive' Lisa Ballantyne, bestselling author of The Guilty One
Seraphine Mayes and her brother Danny are the first set of twins to be born at Summerbourne House. But on the day they were born their mother threw herself to her death, their au pair fled, and the village thrilled with whispers of a stolen baby.
Now twenty-five, and mourning the recent death of her father, Seraphine uncovers a family photograph taken on the day the twins were born featuring both parents posing with just one baby. Seraphine soon becomes fixated with the notion that she and Danny might not be twins after all, that she wasn't the baby born that day and that there was more to her mother's death than she has ever been told...
Why did their beloved au pair flee that day?
Where is she now?
Does she hold the key to what really happened?
'Don't just pick up and read Emma Rous' The Au Pair, dive into it and get washed away with it' A bookseller
'Filled with mystery and intrigue. I was gripped until the very last page!' Fiona Valpy, bestselling author of Sea of Memories
'This will keep you turning those pages. The characters are still playing on my mind' Jane Corry, bestselling author of My Husband's Wife
'One hell of a ride' New York Post
'Vivid characters, a magical setting and a tightly knitted plot . . . jaw-dropping climax' Bookpage
'Family secrets come to light in this compelling debut with a gothic touch and a shocking denouement. Enthralling and addictive' Lisa Ballantyne, bestselling author of The Guilty One
'A page-turner' Publisher's Weekly
'A juicy and compelling read by a promising new author' Shelf Awareness
Caffeinated Reasons to grab your headphones and listen to the Au Pair
- The story unfolds in two timelines until the past meets the present. It gives us the narratives of Seraphine (present) whose mother leapt to her death the day of her birth and those of Laura (past), the au pair who was there that fateful summer.
- Seraphine's father dies unexpectedly and as she sorts through things she comes across a photo of her mother. Taken on the day of her and her brother's birth, it shows only one babe with her mother and father. She knows nothing about that day, and with her father gone she realizes she may never know. This sparks her to ask questions. When she realizes the au pair must have taken the photo, she begins there. However someone seems to warn her off.
- Townsfolk believe there is a curse affecting twins at Summerbourne. Whispers surround the twins and they refer to Seraphine and her brother as the "Summerbourne Sprites"
- Family, friends and the local doctor assist or attempt to deter Seraphine, even Laura. I must admit I became swept up in searching for clues and trying to determine who wanted her to stop digging into the past.
- Emma Rous shared the POV of the au pair, Laura with us. It added a gothic vibe I found incredibly addictive Sometimes one narrative or timeline is slower, but this wasn't the case.
- Much went on at the Summerbourne Estate, and signs of how dysfunctional things were within its gates drew me in.
- Twists, turns, and danger kept me listening to the present. The events of that fateful summer in the past held me equally spellbound. I thought Rous did an excellent job of keeping me guessing and weaving her web. I admit things took me by surprise. Occasionally, I felt she took the easy route with clues but she ended up leaving me stunned.
- From pacing to tone The Au Pair was brilliant, thanks in part to narrators, Elizabeth Sastre and Nicola Barber. Having two distinct voices for our POVs captured the characters' emotions and enhanced the atmospheric tone of the storyline.
This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Reading updates
-
Started reading
-
14 January, 2019:
Finished reading
-
14 January, 2019:
Reviewed