The Nanny Diaries A Novel

Wanted:Oneyoungwomantotakecareoffour-year-oldboy.Mustbecheerful,enthusiasticandselfless—borderingonmasochistic.Mustrelishsixteen-hourshiftswithadeliberatelynap-deprivedpreschooler.Mustlovegettingthrownupon,literallyandfiguratively,byeveryoneinhisfamily.Mustenjoythedeliciousanticipationofridiculouslyerraticpay.Mostly,mustlovebeingtreatedlikefungusfoundgrowingoutofemployersHermèsbag.Thosewhotakeitpersonallyneednotapply.Whowouldn’twantthisjob?StrugglingtograduatefromNYUandaffordhermicroscopicstudioapartment,NannytakesapositioncaringfortheonlysonofthewealthyXfamily.SherapidlylearnstheinsaneamountofjugglinginvolvedtoensurethataParkAvenuewifewhodoesn’twork,cook,clean,orraiseherownchildhasasmoothday.WhentheXsmarriagebeginstodisintegrate,Nannyendsupinvolvedwaybeyondtheboundsofhumandecencyorgoodtaste.HertenurewiththeXfamilybecomesanearlyimpossiblemissiontomaintainthementalhealthoftheirfour-year-old,herownintegrityand,mostimportantly,hersenseofhumor.Overninetensemonths,Mrs.XandNannyperformtheage-olddanceofdecorumandpowerastheytestthelimitsofmodern-dayservitude.