The Housemaid's Secret

“Tonight, I will be murdered.”

The novel begins with these prophetic words, quickly establishing the genre of the novel as a psychological thriller. These words are spoken by an unknown woman, implied by the following chapters to be either Millie Calloway or Wendy Garrick. The reason for the murder is also unclear in the Prologue, adding mystery to the plot. These words and the Prologue foreshadow the events at the end of the novel and add tension to the plot by alerting the reader that there will be a murder and it might be of an innocent woman.

“Now I have to search for something else. Maybe multiple jobs to replace that one. And it’s not as easy for me as most people. I can’t exactly put an ad up on the popular childcare apps because they all require a background check. And as soon as that happens, any job prospects are off the table. Nobody wants somebody like me working in their home.”

Millie suggests for the first time that she has a past that does not make her desirable as a housemaid or a babysitter. The reason is not explored at this point, but the idea that she has a “past” or a secret is mentioned on multiple occasions in connection to her relationship with Brock. By not revealing the secret until later, McFadden gives her readers a change to judge Millie on her character rather than her past.

“I’m just…I’m shaken from the lecture I just had. We were learning about this woman in the ‘60s who was raped in front of thirty-eight bystanders, who did nothing. How could something like that happen?”

Millie learns about Kitty Genovese and she cannot shake the idea of so many people watching a crime and doing nothing to stop it. Although the truth of what happened to Kitty Genovese was largely misreported by an article in the New York Times, the story continues to influence people’s idea that people could possibly see a crime and ignore it.