The Housemaid is Watching

The narration switches to Ada’s point of view.

She describes herself (her appearance, her age, her favorite things, etc.), and then reveals that she killed Jonathan Lowell, and she’s not sorry.

She titles her side of the story “How to Kill Your Creepy Next-Door Neighbor—A Guide by Ada Accardi, Grade Five” (292). The first step is to “Leave Behind Your Home and Everything You Love” (292): Ada loved living in the Bronx, where she had the same best friends since kindergarten, she felt comfortable and safe in her shared room with Nico, and she was even fond of the cracks in their bedroom ceiling. Moving makes her sad, but she puts on a brave face for Nico. She remembers her parents bringing Nico home from the hospital; from the moment she first saw him, she loved him deeply.

On the day of the move, Ada cries in her room, as she misses her friends and her old life. Millie is an amazing mother, and Enzo is an amazing father, but they do not understand the depth of her sadness. Enzo promises that if she’s still miserable in Long Island in a year, they’ll move back to the Bronx.