The Housemaid Is Watching - Book Review

Introduction

There is a story, titled “The Housemaid Is Watching” by Steve Aylett in the thriller genre that will always keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Aylett is noted for his peculiar and sometimes bizarre narrative techniques and in ‘how to acknowledge the holocaust on your family tree’ he puts the reader through a ride of horror that unravels within the walls of an ordinary looking home. Faulks’ novel of 2002 chronicles themes such as spying, the scare, and fact and fantasy. Basing on the complicated storyline and the wholly sinful protagonists, “The Housemaid Is Watching” is a suspense movie that impresses from beginning to the very end.

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Narrative Style and Structure

Aylett’s narrative voice is evidently piercing and intelligent, and is highlighted by the routinely witty prose and the noticeable ability to build the sense of suspense and horror. The novel presents the reader with a rather intricate plot, as the story is narrated from different characters’ vantage points. This approach gives the readers a different perspective of the occurrence of the events and make the readers feel that something big is about to happen escalating the conflict there and then.

The novel is built around the plan that hides the black continuum of the house and people living in it. It can be seen that each chapter is full of a dramatic pause or a revelation that will make readers eager to flip to the next page. These techniques employed by Aylett helps in the construction of the horror narrative thus making the narrative both interesting and frightening.

Plot Summary

The plot is brought around the lives of a family known as the Fenton who have to cultivate a large, ancestral house and hence employ the services of a maid called Eliza. To begin with Eliza considers herself as a good housemaid who is hardworking, neat, polite, and does not have a single thing to say as expected of a good housemaid. But as she is assimilated into the household more extraordinary events are witnessed.

Richard Fenton is the head of the household, a middle aged, high flying executive, who is all work and no play yet he has a strained marriage with his wife Julia. Julia on the other hand is a woman full of vices and she is suffering from mental health problems. Peter, their teenage son, is quiet and mostly unsmiling boy, who has no idea how to fit into the new family setting.

It should be noted that with the arrival of Eliza in the house, they gradually interfere with the already unstable home of the Fenton family. Strange sounds, lost objects, and the feeling that somebody is watching affect the protagonists and increase the tension. Even though the family members are going through the same incidents which can also be called paranormal, they respond in different ways that also adds to the distance in the family.

Things start becoming suds as Richard investigates Eliza, and surprisingly, he finds out that all her employers have met their demise. His discovery has consequent outcomes that lead to the horrifying dramatic denouement where it is made manifest that Eliza and all that is with her in the house are evil.

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Characters and Development

Aylett’s characters are fully developed and compound them with being cumbersome, all of the characters having their own problems and anxiety disorders. To a large extent the character of Richard Fenton can be considered a man overwhelmed with his work and marital difficulties. Mainly, he is passionate about revealing the truth about Eliza’s life, which is one of the most important storylines. Julia Fenton experiencing mental illness, alienates herself and becomes paranoid, the reality of her real world merging with the imaginary ones.

Teenage son Peter is not only doubtful about the ‘truth’, but practically rebels against it. His relations with Eliza are so tense that one can assume that he wants to avoid her: curiosity and fear are mixed here as the impulse for the man’s actions. Mystery is kept to the end concerning the identity of Eliza, the housemaid, who is an attractive character of the novel. As a viewer, a character’s motivations and true nature are gradually disclosed which gives the character dimension and depth.

So, characters’ changes are also connected to the disclosing of the mystery and looked quite logical and touching. Consequently, Aylett’s portrayal of the psychological states of the characters contributes to the adaptation of the supernatural aspect of the fairy-tale.

Themes and Symbolism

Possible themes of the story “The Housemaid Is Watching” include surveillance and paranoia are the most evident in the story. There is a feeling of surveillance that is constantly present throughout the novel and it contributes to the overall mood of suspicion. This theme is reflected in the actions of the characters and the plot which revolves round fear and suspicion peculiar to them.

Another overarching topic that can be performed is the concept of illusion. It is up to characters in the film and thus to the viewers as well; Aylett plays with reality and turns it into mere fiction and vice versa. This particular theme is well portrayed in the character of Julia, is diagnosed with mental disorder hence experiences illusions or hallucinations.

The house can be regarded as one of the primary markers that depict the Fenton family’s failed interactions. Some of these aspects include; The noisy floor represents the disgraceful past events which are a taboo to the family.On the other hand the hidden doors and dark features inside the house symbolize the secret past events , and unsolved issues that are a source of regret to the family. Thus, Eliza’s presence in the house triggers the appearance of such components in the narrative.

Aylett is also not opposed to symbolism to help build up eerie stiffness. For example, the elements of mirroring – that is, of repeating the same image or pattern, as if in a mirror – are symbolic – for example, the method of surveillance and the concept of multiple realities. For examples, the mirrors in the house have some signs that something beyond reflection is happening in the house.

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Supernatural Elements and Horror

The use of supernatural events to move the plot forward is well executed by Aylett in this aspect of horror and suspense. Supernatural elements are not very extended in the beginning but they increase in the course of the play. Thus, it is possible to state that gradual accumulation of tension does not give the reader a break, and they stay tense.

What is significant about the horror narrative in “The Housemaid is Watching is both because of the stay with enemies and because of psychological horror of characters. This way, external threats are complemented with internal conflicts, which contributes to the horror genre’s effectiveness. Again, having an understanding of the characters’ personal exteriors, Aylett helped lend further complexity to the story, and thus the horrors within it, are felt far more deeply.

Critique and Reflection

In conclusion, “The Housemaid Is Watching” is a both a great mystery/thriller and very cleanly made but it does not lack minor imperfections. Chicklit fans also may be bothered with the slow narration in the initial chapters as the author brings into focus the narrative of the story and the mystery part. Although this way of presenting the narrative might seem rather unexciting and tedious at times, it assembles the mood and people in the slow and steady fashion and the climax that comes later is well worth it.

Moreover, the variety of characters’ points of view and the intersecting structure may cause certain disorientation at certain points should one try to follow the storylines. However, some of the readers may also complain that the events of the story conclude in a quite hasty manner, some of the themes stay open. Yet, this grey area contributes to the thriller’s message as well as to the audience’s suspense and concerns.

In spite of these minor negative aspects, “The Housemaid Is Watching” can be attributed as among the most exemplary works of fiction in the thriller category. One of the major strengths of Aylett is that she manages to handle elements of psychological tension with supernatural elements and the novel is all the more thrilling to read as a result.

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Conclusion

The story entitled “The Housemaid Is Watching” by Steve Aylett incorporates elements of psychological thriller and supernatural horror to the maximum. With the help of remarkable characters, the elements of horror, and an involving plot, the novel is classified as the thriller that will not let the reader get bored. Some ideas touched in the movie are surveillance, paranoia, and instability of the reality and they all contribute to the movie’s depth.

Tolstoy’s major assets include the lush and powerful descriptions, the complex and developed heroes, and the unobtrusive escalation of the conflict. Even if it requires some time and patience to sit through, the ending of the film is very satisfying as the events from the different plots are woven together. To precisely weave Super-naturalism into any story particularly to make it more horrific such as the experience in the novel is a great accomplishment.

In general ‘The Housemaid Is Watching’ can be recognized as a thrilling and evoking read that will certainly find its audience among those readers who enjoy psychological thrillers with elements of supernatural horror. The general genre of Aylett’s narration, as well as her capacity to build the sense of impending terror, distinguish this novel from other works. Regardless of whether one is an already a follower of Aylett’s work or one is experiencing an introduction to the author’s writing, “The Housemaid Is Watching” is a novel that is full of interest and suspense from the first page to the last.

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