The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud

Everyone knows a "woman upstairs." Quiet, polite, ever so helpful. Always single, sweet, and fading into the background. Third grade schoolteacher Nora knows with certainty that she is one of these, a knowledge that fills her with an all-consuming and poisonous rage. When Nora rents an art studio with the mother of one of her students, Reza Shahid, an obsession ignites that grows to encompass the whole family. In The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud (Find the e-audio version here and the ebook here), Nora's infatuation with the Shahids grows while she rails against the circumstances of a mundane life that is slowly smothering her.

Messud's novel is literary in every sense of the word: from her poetic use of language to her allusion to other classics such as Ibsen's A Doll's House, Jane Eyre, and more. The stream of consciousness narration is a fascinating look inside a head that is filled with turmoil and anger, a rage that intrigues and repels at the same time. Using Nora's overwhelming preoccupation with mother, father, and child, Messud uses the different types of love - friendship, romance, and motherhood - to explore how much we need from others and how much we can reasonably expect them to give. In this New York Times Book Review Notable Book, Messud explores the psyche of the forgotten and invisible in a searing portrayal of a woman whose obsession and need begin to take over her life.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian