March Book Club picks up "Now You See Us"

#ReadWithMC-Welcome to Marie Claire's virtual book club. It is a pleasure to meet you, and for the month of March we will be reading "Now You See Us" by Balli Kaur Jaswal. This is a sharp thriller about three domestic workers who band together to solve one murder. Read an excerpt below and find out how you can participate. (1]

Cora knows that the first rule of being a maid is to be invisible. She walks sideways from room to room and pretends to know nothing that she has not been directly informed about. However, she is surprised by Mrs. Fan's words. The Lee family has never hired a maid. How did they cook and clean? Between the living room, dining room, and the five rooms upstairs, it would take a whole day just to wash all the curtains. Who swept the dead leaves from that wide back porch or carried the laundry out when the thunder started?" It is hard to imagine Mrs. Elizabeth, full of composure and grace, kneeling down to scrub the floor. But when Cora arrived, the house was clean, albeit the pantry was a bit bare.

Mrs. Fan's eyes narrowed when she found Cora paying attention. She nudges Mrs. Elizabeth and says something in Mandarin.

Mrs. Elizabeth replies in English. 'Establishing trust is a two-way street, don't you think, Po Cho?'

At her answer, Mrs. Fan blushes. She pulled away from Mrs. Elizabeth slightly, her tone as cold as ice. 'I hope so. Older maids tend to be better, hmmm."

"Maybe age makes them move slower and more sensible. By the way, my girl."

Cora followed the direction of Mrs. Fan's nod and immediately recognized the problem. Dressed in a skin-tight pink tank top and tiny white denim shorts that revealed her thin legs, the girl did not look apologetic about anything. Her hoop earrings with large rhinestones swayed as her hair swung from side to side. If Mrs. Fan's husband is letting loose, she has reason to be concerned.

Long ago, Cora overheard her former employer, Mrs. Motwani, advising her neighbors not to hire pretty maids. 'Have you seen my maid? 'I'd hardly call that a threat,' she said without raising her voice, as if she thought Cora was not only deaf but plain. Mrs. Fan's maid, with her long, slender hair and heavy-lined eyes, seemed to know this. Her purse, dangling from a thin strap over her shoulder, matches the cherry-red sheen of her lipstick and nails. She carries two plastic bags from Cold Storage languidly under her arm, as if she wants to forget them.

Mrs. Elizabeth and Cora walk with Mrs. Fan toward the supermarket, and as Mrs. Fan checks the contents of the bags, Cora smiles understandingly at the girl. The girl stares back at her calmly.

"Donita, I told you no breasts." Mrs. Fan's voice echoes.

Yes, I see your point, Cora wants to say. How many more faults will Mrs. Fan find with the maid, who clearly does not understand the unwritten rules about modesty? Then she saw Mrs. Fan holding a package of chicken fillets. 'I need the bones to make broth for the soup.' Her voice echoed off the walls. 'She asked Mrs. Elizabeth. 'She gets every little thing wrong. It should make our lives easier, but I have more work to do correcting her mistakes.'

"I suppose in the beginning," Mrs. Elizabeth said. 'Give her time to get used to it.' She gives Donita a reassuring smile, but the girl's sullen expression remains.

"Ay, Elizabeth, you are very patient," Mrs. Fan says, and she looks around conspiratorially before continuing. 'I think Belinda Quek's standards have dropped. Even her office staff is at the lowest level. When I finally asked the receptionist to tell me where she was, she said, 'A recruiting trip to Myanmar. I used to hire a Merry Maid, but now I am a Budget Maid. As a matter of fact, I was thinking of going somewhere else to hire someone better, but I wonder what they would think of me."

As she begins to write another complaint about the maid company, Cora introduces herself to Donita in Tagalog. 'I am Corazon Bautista, from Manila.'

"I am Donita." Her eyes light up at the chance to say her name. Raymond was the same age. If he were alive, like that young man in the sandals, he would have stayed close by, suffering from tasting after tasting of terrible pizza flavor combinations in order to get a closer look at Donita.

Cora glances at Mrs. Fan. 'Is she always like this?' [Donita says." She doesn't give proper instructions."

"To scold me for not being able to read her mind," she holds up her hands, pasty and shaking. She says, "She made me wash all my laundry by hand last night because I asked her how to use the washing machine. They made me hand-wash all my laundry last night because I asked them how to use the washing machine.

Donita speaks Tagalog with a strong Ilocano accent. 'Are you from the north? Cora asks.

Donita nods, a flash of longing in her eyes as she talks about home. The first few months are the hardest. She wants to tell Donita that it will get better, but she knows that with an employer like Mrs. Fan, it will be a long road. [Cora says." If you hide a little more, she might give you an easier time."

Donita says.

Donita's expression hardens again, and she defiantly turns her chin up and says, ". If she doesn't like it, that's her problem."

.

Her reply twisted something in Cora's gut. Maybe Donita is too young and idealistic to understand that no one cares who she is. Cora reminds me of my younger self when I used to crumple my hair for passport photos. Surely the family at Serangoon Gardens would not let Cora sleep in the tin shed outside when they have two spare bedrooms. Surely the Motwani children would stop shouting insults at each other, "You are dumber than the maid. Roberta's husband, who always misplaces things, will never accuse Cora of throwing his parking ticket in the trash. Time slowed down one last time to accept her denial as he picked up the ashtray and flipped his hand back.

She said nothing, of course, and soon Donita turned away and Mrs. Fan hurried her to the supermarket to return the other groceries she had made a mistake with.

Mrs. Elizabeth smiles and waves. She and Cora walk in opposite directions toward the elevator to the basement where Mrs. Elizabeth has parked her car. Cora has to hurry to catch up with Mrs. Elizabeth. When the neon sign for Cold Storage disappears, Cora doesn't remind Mrs. Elizabeth that she still needs to buy groceries. She is just glad that she was able to leave Mrs. Fan and Donita behind.

Now You See Us. copyright © 2023 by Balli Kaur Jaswal. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except for brief quotations in review articles or book reviews. Address correspondence to HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.

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