by Mary Watson
Publisher: Bantam – an imprint of Penguin Books Australia, 2025
Review
by Rachel le Rossignol
The Cleaner is a story of obsession and vengeance, of the darker urges that drive us, and the dark places we carry inside. From the beginning, we know that Esmie has travelled to Ireland and tricked her way into a job cleaning the houses of golden couple Linc and Amber, Amber’s sister Ceanna, and their neighbour Isabelle, but we don’t know exactly why. Something happened to Esmie’s brother Nico when he lodged at Ceanna’s house to study in Ireland on a scholarship. Whatever this was, it destroyed his life, and Esmie is planning revenge. But what happened to Nico, who was behind it, and what exactly is Esmie going to do once she finds answers? These questions create an instant hook, and The Cleaner is expertly paced, each new reveal uncovering just enough of the mystery to keep drawing you eagerly on.
Esmie is a fascinating character. She is aware of the assumptions others make of her because of her ethnicity and uses that to hide her confidence, determination, and resolve. Through flashbacks, the cold lives of her wealthy employers are contrasted with the poor but love-filled life she left behind, a life shattered by whatever happened to Nico. The Cleaner weaves two stories together – Esmie’s past with her brother and her present as the cleaner, and as these unfold, they move inevitably towards a reveal of the unknown events that sit at the transition point between past and present. These events placed Esmie on her determined path towards revenge.
The plot veers and ramps up constantly, creating a growing sense of danger and urgency with each chapter. But there is a murkiness around the people and events that makes it impossible to see exactly where the danger is going to strike from – is it Esmie herself, or is a greater risk lying somewhere else? This murkiness fits with the pervasive darkness throughout the novel, a darkness coloured by the secrets of all the characters, the woods that may hold answers, and the general mood of foreboding. Ultimately, the story offers several reveals and a truly satisfying resolution.
The Cleaner is an insightful exploration of human psychology; of the shadows and secrets everyone carries, the truths we can’t face about ourselves, and the costs of leaving these unchecked. A fascinating read.
Publisher’s blurb
A beautifully sinister, propulsive page-turning adult debut that explores themes of obsession, identity, and privilege, about a woman who takes a job as a cleaner – but what she’s really after is revenge…
It’s not dust she’s looking for.
It’s dirt.
Esmie is supposed to be invisible. Just a cleaner with a foreign accent that no one quite has time to place. Her uniform of leggings and a duster allows her to explore the homes of the wealthy, unseen; an outsider creeping around the edges of privilege.
But as she sweeps through the exclusive Woodlands gated neighbourhood, cleaning is the last thing on her mind. Treading silently over the polished wooden floorboards and cloud-soft carpets, Esmie gathers up the mess of broken marriages, quiet deceptions, and careless failures. She tucks away their fragments, keeping them safe. For now.
Because one of the residents took from her the person she loves most. She’s not here to clean; she’s here for revenge – and she’ll get it using the weapons her employers unwittingly handed her along with the keys to their homes: their own secrets…