My Cleaner
 First edition | |
| Author | Maggie Gee |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Saqi Books |
Publication date | 2005 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 318 |
| ISBN | 0-86356-544-1 |
| Followed by | My Driver |
My Cleaner is a novel by English author Maggie Gee. It was first published in 2005 by Saqi Books and concerns racism and family life.[1] According to Bernardine Evaristo it was her best novel to that date.[2]
Maggie Gee visited Uganda in 2003, sponsored by the Cheltenham Literature Festival's 'Across Continents' commission and a Society of Authors grant,[3] and the novel features many scenes set in that country. The story is continued in My Driver (2009).[4]
Plot introduction
The story is told from the viewpoint of Vanessa Henman, an English writer, and Mary Tendo Ugandan graduate of Makerere University. Vanessa's 22-year-old son Justin refuses to get out of bed with depression. Justin asks for Mary who looked after him as a child so Vanessa writes to her. Mary returns to London to help Justin, but this time not as a cleaner...
References
- ^ Lisa O'Kelly, "Cross your cleaner at your peril. Maggie Gee returns to racism and family life in My Cleaner", The Observer, 21 August 2005.
- ^ Back cover, 1st edition
- ^ 1st edition frontispiece
- ^ Patrick ness, "Out of struggle", The Guardian, 28 March 2009.
External links
- "Cross your cleaner at your peril". Review from The Observer,
- Review from The Times,
- Fiction - Role reversal Review from New Statesman,