Homemaker
by Ruthie Knox
CW/TW
This book contains assault, attempted murder, sexual assault, controlling partners, domestic violence, coercion, public humiliation.
I inhaled this audiobook. I recommended it to a friend when I was about 15% in – risky, I know – and then I reinforced that recommendation a few times as I continued listening. I think she wanted me to calm down.
Homemaker is as much a mystery as it is about the cost of being in a marriage that functions like a shrinking cage, with the key held by an emotionally immature man. It’s a whodunit with big stakes (a woman from their community is missing, and her family and her friends are scared and devastated) and it’s Prairie’s ability to notice important details in the minutiae of the lives around her, lives that used to be much more similar to her own, that lead her into amateur sleuthing. Some folks call her nosy, but Prairie thinks of it as extremely attentive pattern recognition. Her narration is snarky and funny, but also poignant and sometimes bleak.
The clearest way to explain the tone of this book: at one point Prairie thinks about how there were “too many…eulogies for women’s potential.” On page 2, she muses, “She could have approval, or she could live free and do what she liked.” Prairie is a divorced, middle-aged mom of two girls, and has been shunned by the other moms who used to be her social circle for both exposing a locally beloved ob/gyn and for having the audacity of divorcing a “good one.” At one point Prairie explains that she knows why she’s been shunned, but it’s no less painful for her knowing the reason. She’s tenacious and determined, and will push past firm social boundaries to access information. This information helps make what’s happening around her make sense, though the method of acquiring it causes more fractures in her social connections. I liked Prairie, especially her perspective on the community she lives in and her critiques of that same community and its social rules, and I could see why she annoyed the people around her so much.
Homemaker is extremely, vibrantly feminist, though Prairie is not so much angry all the time (she is sometimes) as she is fed up and unafraid to point out all of the ways that women’s perceptions, labor, and accomplishments are devalued – unless that women’s work makes the man in her life look good to other people. Meanwhile, Prairie’s perception, labor, and ability to notice the right details and ask the right questions make her very, very good at sleuthing. And also the part where she’s kind of fearless about social boundaries: if they’re in the way, she doesn’t pay much attention to them.
Mild spoilers inside
Readers who struggle with a character being embarrassed or shamed may struggle a bit with this element of the story, but I found that Prairie’s relentless reinforcement of her own empathy and morality, even when she makes mistakes, lessened the feelings of secondhand embarrassment for me.
There is a light romance in addition to the mystery, and it’s very sweet and emotionally nuanced. Prairie has barely re-entered the dating world, and is as methodical and organized about dating as she is with everyone else. Generally, advanced emotional awareness and emotional regulation govern so much of what Prairie does, and it’s a pleasure to listen to her whether she’s casually interviewing someone or having a date that might not be a date (but maybe it is)?
Speaking of listening – this book is in first person, past tense. Second, the story is set in Green Bay, and the narrator does a very good job differentiating between many different women’s voices, some with more Wisconsin accents than others. OH! – and there’s some MLM drama, too, for those of you who love that, and you’ll definitely guess the company that inspired the MLM. The surrounding characters are fascinating with lives and interests of their own, too.
I really can’t say much more about this book without giving too much away, especially because the contrasts that develop between Prairie’s worldview and that of the women around her are deepened the more she discovers what might be happening. I figured out the ending and how the murder was done, but I was past 50% when the penny dropped, so to speak. Some of the more cringe-worthy moments made my stomach hurt, and Prairie’s unshakable belief in her version of what’s happening sometimes came across as arrogant, especially when I could see the social car crash about to happen. But again – Prairie can have approval, or she can have freedom to do what she likes. I have to respect that attitude. I think this is going to be a terrific series, and am extremely eager for the next one.
Someone you know wants to read this, right?
– SB Sarah
Prairie Nightingale is both the midlife mother of two teenage girls and a canny entrepreneur who has turned homemaking into a salaried profession. She’s also fascinated with the gritty details of other people’s lives. So when seemingly perfect Lisa Radcliffe, a member of her former mom-friends circle, suddenly disappears, it’s in Prairie’s nature to find out why.
Given her innate talent for vital pattern recognition, Prairie is out to catch a few clues by taking a long, hard look at everyone in Lisa’s life—and uncovering their secrets. Including Lisa’s. Prairie’s dogged curiosity is especially irritating to FBI agent Foster Rosemare, the first interesting man Prairie has met since her divorce. His square jaw and sharp suits don’t hurt.
But even as the investigation begins to wreak havoc on Prairie’s carefully tended homelife, she’s resolved to use her multivalent homemaking skills to solve the mystery of a missing mom—and along the way discover the thrill of her new sleuthing ambitions.
Someone you know wants to read this, right?
This book is available from:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well.
Thanks!