Emma Rous – The Au Pair (Literature Review)

UK author Emma Rous’ debut novel, The Au Pair, crackles with mystery, intrigue and family drama.

As one half of the summer-born twins born at Summerbourne just hours before her mother committed suicide, the village has always been full of whispers when it comes to Seraphine Mayes and her family. Following the sudden death of her father twenty-five years later, Seraphine returns to the family home and discovers an old photo of her parents taken on the day of her birth. The trouble is, the picture only features one baby.

Soon, she becomes obsessed with the idea that she and her brother Danny may not be twins after all. Determined to discover the truth, Seraphine tracks down the family’s old au pair, who mysteriously disappeared the day she was born, never to be heard from again. But the mystery surrounding Seraphine’s family runs deeper than she ever thought possible and in her quest for answers, she may be endangering not only herself, but everyone around her.

When any debut author signs a six-figure deal for a two-book contract, there’s bound to be a certain amount of expectation surrounding the novel they eventually produce. The Au Pair is no different in that respect, with the novel already earning Rous comparisons to Kate Morton and even Daphne Du Maurier. But, in my experience, novels with this amount of hype and high anticipation rarely live up to expectation.

The Au Pair isn’t one of those. If anything, it exceeds the high expectations placed upon it. Rous draws you in to a richly plotted whirlwind of unfulfilled promises and dark secrets that doesn’t let up until the very last second.

Her characters are vivid and realistic, and there’s a delicate balance of suspense and high family drama, given that Seraphine is not only hurting from the loss of her father, but is also keen to find out what really happened all those years ago. It makes a nice change from the “police procedural” type books these stories can so often become (despite the best of intentions). With dual timelines and interweaving plots, the novel is both contemporary with a slight gothic air.

The Au Pair is something of a revelation, a compelling read that goes a long way to cementing Emma Rous’ place in the literary world. If her next book is half as good as this one, we’re in for a treat.

This title is published by Hachette Australia/Piatkus (Little, Brown). To read more about Emma Rous and her work, visit her website or connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. Alternately, you may want to check out this interview from Theresa Smith Writes (no relation).