The world seems to be divided into two types of people: The people who drive for rideshare services, and the people who use them. The people who deliver for DoorDash, and the people who order from them. The folks who clean houses, and the folks who use house cleaning services. Often, the latter are nearly invisible to the former, who go about their lives as if these helpers aren’t people.
It's this kind of invisibility that Esmie (Esmerelda) is counting on in Mary Watson’s latest thriller, The Cleaner. Seeking revenge over her brother Nico’s ruin, she leaves her small Central American village to become a cleaner for a group of friends in Ireland whom she blames for Nico’s downfall and subsequent comatose state. But as Esmie becomes enmeshed in the lives of the people who knew Nico, she risks falling for the same temptations that ensnared him.
Revenge stories have been popular since The Count of Monte Cristo, and for good reason. Who doesn’t dream of getting even with someone who has hurt them or a loved one? But while revenge may be a dish best served cold, often the person eating it is the one who sought revenge in the first place. Watson hints at these themes while developing them in an unexpected direction.
Esmie arrives at the gated community the Woodlands with a clear goal: Find out which of the three women in the neighborhood lured Nico into an affair and got him hooked on drugs, and expose her. The writing is richer and deeper than a straightforward revenge plot would suggest, with Watson making sure to fully develop all the characters in Esmie’s orbit. Watson’s writing is almost poetic at times, and a subplot about a character’s obsession with a dead poet plays into this as well. Watson creates an almost fairy tale setting at times, with the woods playing an important role in the drama. The climax takes place during a Midsummer Night’s Dream themed-birthday party, a resonant detail that adds to the book’s lush visuals.
Esmie’s character is just as complex, as she begins to empathize with her would-be victims. The story is told from her first-person point-of-view in the present, and her third- person point-of-view in the past. The chapters from the past give more detail on her relationship with Nico and her rivalry with Nico’s fiancée Simone, who was once Esmie’s best friend. Some of these chapters don’t paint Esmie in the best light, making it hard to root for her at times.
While the pacing does drag on at times, and the third-act twist is one that genre readers will see coming from a mile away, the climax is gripping and the epilogue satisfying.
Domestic thriller fans who appreciate thoughtful prose as much as chapter-ending cliffhangers will enjoy The Cleaner. And if you’re reading it on your beach vacation, please don’t forget to tip the hotel maid.
Thanks to Crown for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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