The Autistic Book Club discussion

I haven't finished 'The Maid' yet, what do you think of it? I had heard there was a neurodivergent main character, how accurate do you feel the representation is?

Maid? More like "Mid."

I feel that the ND MC is a caricature of neurodivergence. Think manic aspie dream girl

Molly the maid is naive to the point of stupidity. I mean we've all had our moments I most certainly have, but how has this girl survived this long?

The author used Molly as she would say, "laughing at her, not with her."
Prose seemed far more interested in spectacle rather than substance. That stupid twist ending for example (view spoiler)[Molly knew who the killer was the entire time, but never once thought about it until it was convenient to the reader. This book is written first person perspective! (hide spoiler)]

To quote the Booktuber James Tullos. "The Maid is An Edgy Amelia Bedelia Reboot"

I LOVED Amelia Bedelia as a child...Does anybody have a headcanon of her being autistic?

If you can't tell I didn't enjoy The Maid. I DNF it.

Yes. I do agree with Lina on the sensory view of the world.

Now that the group has moved on to the next book, I got The Maid from the library! I wasn't even gonna read it, but I found interesting spoilers...

I'm only a quarter of the way through. I'm to the day after the murder(view spoiler)[, when she thinks what's-his-face asked her on a date (hide spoiler)].
I agree that she seems like a caricature, but it doesn't annoy me? What bothers me is the writing itself. Because of it, I have zero interest in Molly. I get sometimes things can be dull in our brains(mine at least), and I don't understand what's happening around me, or even in my own body sometimes, but really? All that's happened so far is she's told us what has happened. There's nothing to connect us with the character's thoughts, feelings, or experiences. We're just witnessing them as if the story was third-person omniscient. We should be invested in the story, but we're just kinda... there. If that makes sense.

Another thing that stands out, is how it's written half and half, in the past and present. Just the way the past and present are merged is interesting, if not annoying. That might be a genre thing though--I never read mystery.

Aaaalso, I'm reading it as a writer, instead of an autistic person? I'd love to know if anyone had any comments on their reading experience(if they enjoyed it), vs how they feel about it as a book that might represent autism

Edit: Oh yeah, does this group meet up? I thought they did, but I couldn't actually find the info

Hi Ariana, Welcome to the group!
The Book Club runs on ‘Meetup’, search for ‘Autistic Book Club’ and you’ll find us or the link is in my bio.

We have international Autistic Zoom Book Clubs and in-person meetups in St Kilda, Australia. RSVP via Meetup to receive the Zoom link or St Kilda address.

Hope that helps!

Oops, ‘St Kilda address’!

Ariana: Yeah, Prose's prose is very boring. She seemed far more concerned with surprising you than making sense. Sadly, a lot of contemporary books are like this.

I have read a lot of mystery and flashbacks can be used quite effectively. This did not succeed in doing that. It was very disjointed

When things get dull in our brains it's called depersonalization.

I am also a writer and autistic person, and I didn't enjoy it either way.

I was not very invested in the characters or the world.

How do you guys feel about The Maid winning the Goodreads award?

Ariana wrote: "How do you guys feel about The Maid winning the Goodreads award?"

Not good. I feel that it won due to popularity. Sometimes people vote for books that they want to read not ones that they've read.

I am…surprised tbh!

I'm surprised too! But I also think Chara has a point... it was nominated under two categories, and by GMA book club, so I guess it was bound to get some votes. *sigh* Not the type of Autism representation I need in my life though

Ariana wrote: "I'm surprised too! But I also think Chara has a point... it was nominated under two categories, and by GMA book club, so I guess it was bound to get some votes. *sigh* Not the type of Autism repres..."

Yep. I also feel that it's a bit duplicitous. The book and the author have never confirmed that Molly the maid is actually autistic. The exact words have been "she's quirky" This is the autistic version of queer-baiting. It gives me The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time vibes

The Maid is getting a sequel. The Mystery Guest

Do you think that it will be better or worse?

Should it be a upcoming read for this club?