Woman No. 17 Summary
Edan Lepucki

Woman No. 17 Overview

Woman No. 17 is a novel that tells the story of two women who are connected through circumstance and shared history. When Lady separates from her husband and needs to hire a live-in nanny to take care of her toddler so that she can write a memoir about the experience of raising her mute 18-year-old son from her first marriage, she decides to hire Esther. Esther, a recent grad who has just suffered through her first heartbreak and is determined to prove herself a true artist, is seemingly perfect for the job, but as time goes on it becomes clear that Esther is not who she claims to be. The novel explores identity, motherhood, female friendships, marriage, and the nature of art itself.