comment on structure

The structure of the novel is an integral part of how it functions. The first chapter in the book reveals the climax of the story. Before we know anything else about the characters, we know that the children are somehow going to be brutally murdered by their nanny. This revelation at the start of the novel changes the way in which readers approach the rest of the story, which jumps back in time to the moment in which Paul and Myriam first met and hired Louise. From there, time moves forward, with occasional setbacks while the omniscient narrator pauses to reveal information from the past, such as Myriam’s time in law school or Paul’s reaction to the birth of his children.