52 pages • 1 hour read
Leïla SlimaniThe Perfect Nanny
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2016A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
EpilogueChapter Summaries & Analyses
Epilogue Summary
The book’s final chapter takes place after Adam and Mila have been killed. It’s been three months since the murder. This chapter is told from the perspective of Captain Nina Dorval, the police officer investigating the murders: “Nina Dorval plunged her hands into Louise’s rotting soul. She wanted to know everything about her” (226). There is no doubt that Louise killed Adam and Mila. Captain Dorval has spoken to everyone she could find who knew Louise, from Wafa to Rose Grinberg to Louise’s landlord. However, she still doesn’t fully understand why Louise killed Adam and Mila. The next day, she plans to recreate the day of the murder, to metaphorically step into Louise’s shoes as she reimagines the afternoon’s events. She still doesn’t know the answer to the big why and, it’s hinted, she never will.
Epilogue Analysis
The Epilogue is told from a new perspective, that of Captain Nina Dorval. Captain Dorval has put together many of the puzzle pieces revealed by the book’s omniscient narrator, talking to everyone from Rose Grinberg to Wafa to Louise’s landlord. However, she still doesn’t understand that there is no single reason for Louise’s actions. Financial issues, an abusive husband, and worries about her impending job loss all could have contributed. Louise also had a history of mental health conditions.
These are all concrete problems that could have contributed to Louise’s violent behavior, but Captain Dorval will never fully understand the motives for Louise’s murder because she lacks a comprehensive view of Louise’s situation and humanity. Louise’s circumstances aren’t as simple as not being able to afford rent. There are huge societal issues at play that have helped to pigeonhole Louise and create her desperate situation: racism, sexism, and socioeconomic discrimination all played a part in the events leading up to the murder. The Perfect Nanny shows how these blurry, large-scale concepts can have concrete, individualized repercussions for one person’s life. While the omniscient narrator and the reader can recognize this, it’s unlikely that Captain Nina Dorval will truly solve the case, because it’s a case that’s bigger than Louise. Instead, Slimani suggests that t’s a case for society to solve.
