The Au Pair

Wayne (The Winner) delivers a sharp domestic thriller centered on former literary wunderkind Steven Hammer. After Steven’s sophomore novel flops, he sleepwalks through teaching undergraduate fiction workshops and struggles to make progress on his third book. Meanwhile, the corporate paycheck of his ambitious wife, Lucy, sustains the couple and their two children—an arrangement that only deepens Steven’s frustration and resentment. When the couple’s elderly live-in nanny dies suddenly, Lucy suggests they find a replacement. Steven chooses Astrid, a 24-year-old aspiring novelist from Norway who bonds easily with the children and quickly becomes a source of validation for Steven. Her presence unsettles Lucy, however, whose high-pressure job and fraying patience widen the rift at home. Steven and Astrid try to resist their mutual attraction, but once Steven discovers Lucy is having an affair, they give in to temptation. The dalliance reignites both Steven’s sexual desire and his creativity; with Astrid’s encouragement, he begins a more personal writing project. Then a tragic accident during a family vacation shatters the fragile equilibrium and casts doubt on the motives of both women. Wayne spins his familiar premise into an intricate look at the perils of seeking admiration. Readers will be hard-pressed to put this down. (June)