Slimani’s Prix Goncourt-winning novel opens with the murder of two children by their nanny — then rewinds to show exactly how we got there. Myriam and Paul, a young Parisian couple, hire the seemingly perfect Louise to look after their children. She is devoted, impeccable, indispensable. Then, slowly, unsettling.

Tense, claustrophobic and deeply unnerving. Slimani writes about class, domesticity and the unspoken transactions of employed care with a cold, precise eye. Short and utterly gripping.