The Maid

1. What did you think of Molly as a character? What made her believable to you? What were your feelings about the revelations in the epilogue about Molly's involvement in the case?

2. Gran has a number of iconic sayings that Molly relies on to get her through both very happy and very difficult situations. What were some of your favorites?

3. Gran and Molly believe in the three E's-Etiquette, Elocution, and Erudition. Is there a moment in the novel where Molly's application of these three values stood out to you? If you had to pick just one of these, which would you say is the most important?

4. Molly says she is "blessed with this ability-to clean my mind as I would a room. I picture offensive people or recall uncomfortable moments, and I wipe them away." What did you make of some of the moments when Molly's memories came creeping back in? Did some of her darker memories, when she finally revealed them, surprise you? Did you understand why she'd want to "wipe them away"?

5. Molly is aware that others tend to make assumptions about her based on her demeanor and her position as a maid. This is a fact that she uses to her advantage during her interrogation by saying, "I'm a hotel maid. Who would ever want to talk to me?" when asked about her friendship with Giselle. The detective easily accepts this answer and lets Molly go free, which feels like a bittersweet victory. What did you think of this exchange? What does it suggest about power dynamics, and about the assumptions people tend to make about others who are different from themselves?

6. Molly has a very distinct sense of what is right and wrong, but sometimes this takes the form of her Gran's "Robin Hood" morality, in which her sense of fairness and justice can override what others may traditionally consider "right" or "wrong." Do you think this willingness to help others is brave or naive? What would you do in her situation?

7. Despite the danger to his family and himself, Juan Manuel decides to help Molly in the end. While everything ends up okay, each one of Molly's allies risks something to help her. What do you think influenced each of their decisions?

8. What were some of your takeaways from the book? What message do you think the author was trying to convey?