The Housemaid is Watching

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• The Housemaid Is Watching is the third book in a series penned by Freida McFadden. Have you read the first two books (The Housemaid and The Housemaid’s Secret)? If you have, how does this one compare to the others—did you find it more or less enjoyable or suspenseful? If you haven’t read the others, did you feel like you gained enough expository information to contextualize and understand the characters and their motivations?
• What elements of the other books in The Housemaid series can you recognize in this one? Are there patterns or repetitions in McFadden’s storytelling? If you spotted them, did they help you predict the events in this story? If you haven’t read the other novels, what genre elements typical of thrillers did you notice?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

• Enzo and Millie both share a strong motivation to help women who are in dangerous and abusive situations. Do you see this shared connection as a healthy foundation for a relationship? What are some fundamentals that you believe are necessary to build a strong and lasting relationship? 
• The danger of keeping secrets within a family is an important theme in the novel. Why do you think open communication is often difficult in close relationships? Have your own experiences shaped your views on this?
• In the novel, the lines between deception and trust are often blurry. Do you believe there are situations in which deception is warranted or excusable? How would you identify such a situation?
• Millie’s rising blood pressure underlines how psychological stressors can have a long-lasting effect on physical health. What are some of the physical reactions you have noticed in yourself in times of stress? What are some tools that you have used to effectively combat these symptoms?
• Do you think the characters in the novel—their pasts, motivations, and choices—present a case for moral relativism? Why or why not?

3. Societal and Cultural Context

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

• Comment on the representation of trauma, mental illness, psychopathology, and therapy in the novel. Do you think the narrative contributes to further stigmatization of mental illness, or do you believe it is realistically and sensitively portrayed?
• Discuss how the novel explores class mobility and the personal and societal challenges that arise from it. Overall, what attitude does the novel take toward class?

4. Literary Analysis

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

• Millie has experienced a number of traumatic events and has even lashed out in response to such trauma. Why, then, is she unable to identify this as the seat of Nico's behavioral changes? How is Ada able to do so instead? How do their differing responses develop the novel’s portrayal of trauma?
• Trace how McFadden uses foreshadowing and misdirection to maintain the narrative tension in the book while keeping the element of mystery alive.
• Examine the title of the book. Millie is no longer a housemaid, and while she is still watchful and wary, there is plenty that she misses. What, then, is the significance of the title? How does Millie’s change of social status, from housemaid to suburban wife, impact her ability to see things clearly?
• Millie mistakenly worries that Nico has inherited some psychopathology from her. Discuss how the novel explores the interaction of nature and nurture in the development of personality. Which of Millie and Enzo’s traits are clearly inherited by their children? Which aspects of their personalities are shaped by their life experience? How do these two influence each other?
• How does the novel use physical space (e.g., the room under the stairs) to support its atmosphere and themes?

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• The Housemaid Is Watching is the third and reportedly final installment in this series by McFadden. If you had to write a sequel, what threads do you think are left to explore in Millie’s story? 
• Write out a hypothetical conversation between Martha and Millie where the former explicitly reveals her connection to Millie. What would Millie’s reaction be? Do you think she would be more or less inclined to help Martha, knowing their shared past?

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