substitute me

While I was in Florida, I read a great new novel called Substitute Me. (Full disclosure: the author, Lori Tharps, is a friend of mine.) Still, it's worth mentioning here for several reasons, one of which is that it is almost compulsively readable. On the plane, I kept passing Ju into my husband lap, and feeding the older boys crackers, so that I could finish it before we landed.

But Substitute Me is not only an engaging, pleasurable read. It tackles questions of race and class in fascinating ways, and also addresses the nanny question, one that is, as my readers know, near and dear to my own heart.

The novel is about a thirty-year old black woman from an upper-middle class upbringing who takes a job as a nanny for a white family. The story is told in alternating points of view, by Zora, the nanny, and her employer, Kate.

Both are portrayed as complex, nuanced characters, likable but flawed. Yet I found myself sympathizing more with Zora. It made me ask myself why. Maybe it has to do with the choices I've made in my own life that made me wince at the extra hours Kate put in, and how she justified them to herself.

But most interesting are the open-ended, unanswerable questions this book raises: is it possible, as a mother, to hire someone to care for your kids without major sacrifice (especially grievous, in the Kate's case)? Is it possible to transcend one's socioeconomic origins? Is Park Slope the new Mount Airy? Or is Mount Airy the new Park Slope?

(As a former Mount Airy-ite myself, I also appreciated the book's playful jabs at the Philadelphia neighborhood's hokey, endearing Berkeley-wanna-be vibe).

Overall, it's a great read, smart and entertaining. Highly recommended!