Now You See Us, Balli Kaur Jaswal
Now You See Us, Balli Kaur Jaswal
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
Club: $13.99

Now You See Us
A Novel

Author: Balli Kaur Jaswal

Narrator: Angela Lin

Unabridged: 11 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 03/07/2023


Synopsis

Crazy Rich Asians meets The Help! From Reese’s Book Club veteran Balli Kaur Jaswal comes a wildly entertaining and sharply observed story of three women who work in the homes of Singapore’s elite, and band together to solve a murder mystery involving one of their own.“Tender and heartfelt, Now You See us also manages to be laugh-out-loud funny. An uplifting story of courage and hope that will keep you enthralled until the very last page.”—Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee""A truly irresistible read. Intricately plotted, propulsive, and provocative, NOW YOU SEE US showcases an author at the peak of her talents.""--Kirstin Chen, New York Times bestselling author of CounterfeitCorazon, Donita, and Angel are Filipina domestic workers—part of the wave of women sent to Singapore to be cleaners, maids, and caregivers.Corazon: A veteran domestic worker, Cora had retired back to the Philippines for good, but she has returned to Singapore under mysterious circumstances. Now she’s keeping a secret from her wealthy employer, who is planning an extravagant wedding for her socialite daughter.Donita: Barely out of her teens, this is Donita’s first time in Singapore, and she’s had the bad luck to be hired by the notoriously fussy Mrs. Fann. Brazen and exuberant, Donita’s thrown herself into a love affair with an Indian migrant worker.Angel: Working as an in-home caregiver for an elderly employer, Angel is feeling blue after a recent breakup with the woman she loves. She’s alarmed when her employer’s son suddenly brings in a new nurse who may be a valuable ally...or meant to replace her.Then an explosive news story shatters Singapore’s famous tranquility—and sends a chill down the spine of every domestic worker. Flordeliza Martinez, a Filipina maid, has been arrested for murdering her female employer. The three women don’t know the accused well, but she could be any of them; every worker knows stories of women who were scapegoated or even executed for crimes they didn’t commit.Shocked into action, Donita, Corazon, and Angel will use their considerable moxie and insight to piece together the mystery of what really happened on the day Flordeliza’s employer was murdered. After all, no one knows the secrets of Singapore’s families like the women who work in their homes…

About Balli Kaur Jaswal

The daughter of a diplomat, Balli Kaur Jaswal was born in Singapore and grew up in Japan, Russia, and the Philippines. She received a BA in Creative Writing from Hollins University in Virginia and a PhD from Singapore’s Nanyang Technical University. Her essays and op-eds about diaspora, censorship, racism, and sexuality have appeared in the New York Times, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29, The South China Morning Post, Harper’s Bazaar, and Salon.com. She lives with her family in Singapore, where she is a professor at Yale-NUS.


Reviews

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Scene of the Crime, William Morrow, and Balli Kaur Jaswal for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 3.7!!** A slow-burn, character driven commentary on class distinction...with just a dash of mystery thrown in! Three maids (Corazon 'Cora", Donita, and Angel) have been st......more

Goodreads review by Anissa

I really enjoyed this! I don't even know quite how to classify it as there is a murder mystery here but it also has elements of and reads like either contemporary or women's fiction. From the Authors Note: "A quarter of the world's 11.5 million migrant domestic workers are women from the Philippines"......more

Goodreads review by Karen

I picked up this book on my weekly visit to my local public library for books. I was interested in reading this author because I really enjoyed her book, “Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows.” Review here: [URL not allowed] Sometimes you never know if an author can recreate the......more

Goodreads review by Thomas

I liked this novel about three Filipina domestic workers in Singapore. Their labor is generally unseen and their working conditions are often poor. Then, a shocking murder accusation is made against one of their friends which disrupts their day-to-day status quo. Each of these women has secrets to k......more

Goodreads review by Jessica

The primary focus of this novel is the real star--looking at the lives of Filipina maids in Singapore--though the maids' individual stories don't come together as much as I'd like. Still, there is a lot to like and I suspect many American readers will be finding out about the issues with domestic wo......more