I was completely delighted and engaged by this wonderful debut. The story of Molly as a hotel maid who perceives and interacts with the world through what I consider a neurodiverse lens is well executed and the plot that has her inadvertently involved in a murder mystery and related crimes unfolds effectively and clearly.

Ms.Prose presents us with a character who loves, truly loves, her job as a maid; the job is appealing for how organized it is, the focus on cleanliness and organization and precision, and how it allows Molly unexpected chances to observe human behavior.

Early in the story, just as we sense that Molly is someone who sees more and understands more than most realize, the plot moves into a focus on murder and crime: Molly discovers the body of a regular, and seemingly important and powerful, client in his hotel room. Was he murdered? Why? What secrets are lurking within the hotel rooms? What truths might Molly be unwittingly a part of through inadvertent chance encounters? Does Molly have a secret too? Ms. Prose moves us through a thoughtful, subtly funny, and highly engaging narrative that leads to answers to these questions, though I found myself still having more and more questions about what else Molly has seen.

Overall, The Maid from Nita Prose was for me a strong mix of character study within a strong, well developed and efficient plot; I loved how genuine Molly the maid was, how Ms. Prose avoided making her a caricature or stereotype of neurodiverse people and instead presented me with a character who was logical, straightforward, but also nurturing and compassionate in her own way. In a way this story became a coming of age story, filled with character growth and triumphs, and a space for a genuinely fun and charismatic and unforgettable character to take hold my heart.

Overall, The Maid from Nita Prose was for me a strong mix of character study within a strong, well developed and efficient plot; I loved how genuine Molly the maid was, how Ms. Prose avoided making her a caricature or stereotype of neurodiverse people and instead presented me with a character who was logical, straightforward, but also nurturing and compassionate in her own way. I found the points about how women like Molly can be seen as/treated as invisible, both in terms of her job and how she interacts with the world, were particularly thoughtful as Ms. Prose makes it clear that Molly is anything but invisible, she sees and understands human behavior with particular insight and understanding and is written as vivid and passionate person. I also loved the mystery/crime story, it was an efficiently told story that had some additional points about other ways we treat/make people feel invisible (abuse, treatment of immigrants), I found the weaving in of the mystery with this theme of how we see and treat people as important and effective.

I highly recommend this book for fans of Eleanor Oliphant and Bernadette (where'd you go Bernadette?) and found some charming comparisons to Finlay Donovan in terms of inadvertent and accidental involvement in crime. I think this would be a wonderful book for many book clubs, readers who like strong female protagonists and quirky voices. and for fans of contemporary fiction and mysteries.