The Housemaid's Wedding

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, physical abuse, and emotional abuse.

“The Housemaid’s Wedding” is a domestic and psychological thriller, creating a sense of constant danger as Millie is stalked on her wedding day. McFadden explores Millie’s psychology, as Millie insists that the man is no true danger to her but feels increasing fear as the man makes it clear that he is watching and following her. Her wedding, which is supposed to be a time of happiness and love, is instead threatened by vengeful violence. This unsettling blend of romance and suspense keeps readers emotionally disoriented, mirroring Millie’s own whiplash between joy and fear. The genre fusion also reinforces how trauma often intersects with even the most hopeful milestones.

McFadden uses the story’s structure itself to build suspense. The story creates tension as the mystery—of who is calling, how dangerous they are, and whether he will actually attack Millie—unfolds, building toward the climax and resolution to the threat. With small, divided chapters, McFadden uses repeated cliffhangers that create a sense of foreboding. For example, as Millie receives a phone call in the café bathroom and the man tells her that he is outside the door, Chapter 7 ends with the line “And then the doorknob starts to turn” (37). The specific image of the doorknob turning evokes a cinematic slow burn, where the reader is held in the exact moment before potential violence. This evokes a sense of unease while creating questions of whether the man is turning the knob, whether he will hurt Millie, and whether there will finally be a confrontation between them. These structural decisions sustain a high level of narrative tension, making each chapter feel like a trapdoor that might give way beneath Millie at any moment. This cliffhanger technique also aligns with domestic thrillers that use presumably safe spaces—like a bathroom or bedroom—as the very sites where danger erupts.

In a similar situation, Millie is alone in her apartment when the man implies that he is in her closet, creating immediate tension and danger. At first, she assures herself that she is fine, as they always keep their apartment locked. However, the suspense slowly builds as she questions whether Enzo locked the door and whether a person could’ve snuck in while she was in the bathroom. Throughout this section, McFadden uses repetition to create her mood of foreboding. The phrase “If you’re so sure, why don’t you check?” repeats (20, 21, 23), permeating both the pages and Millie’s mind as she questions her own safety, creating a feeling of danger in Millie’s apartment. This rhetorical repetition functions as a psychological weapon, echoing the circular, intrusive thoughts experienced during trauma responses. The fact that the line is both a challenge and a dare adds to the intensity of the power struggle between Millie and her unseen stalker.

McFadden subverts a typical story structure, instead building to several different climaxes, heightening suspense and danger. Three separate points could serve as a climax: when Millie believes the man is in her closet, when she thinks he’s outside the bathroom door, and when she confronts Paul on the street. As with a typical domestic thriller, the reader expects a final confrontation between Millie and the man to serve as the story’s climax. Instead, the narration shifts in the Epilogue, and Enzo easily confronts and subdues the man, insisting that he is not going to “let this ruin [their] wedding day” (61). This line, spoken by Enzo, mirrors Millie’s early insistence that she “will not let it ruin this day” (4), creating a thematic bookend that underscores their shared desire for peace despite external threats. In this way, the story’s atypical structure, with its false climaxes and lack of any dramatic confrontation, shifts the focus of the story from the danger of the man to the happiness of Millie and Enzo’s wedding. The hopeful and happy resolution to the text emphasizes the theme of The Enduring Power of Love, as nothing will destroy their plan of starting a new life together. This structural reversal serves as a narrative reclamation, with Enzo’s quiet but firm protection allowing the emotional arc to close with healing. The anticlimactic resolution also critiques the traditional thriller arc by centering the aftermath and emotional survival rather than violence.

Central to Millie and Enzo’s characters are their histories, filled with trauma and grief. Enzo’s entire family is absent; Millie notes they are “either deceased or back in Sicily” after Enzo was forced to flee to the United States (10). Millie’s parents disowned her over a decade ago and cancel their plans for a reunion minutes before her wedding. The first two novels in the series explore the work that Enzo and Millie have done in helping survivors of domestic abuse escape their marriages, leading to the ever-present danger of retaliation from angry spouses. As Millie explains, “I have helped a lot of women escape terrible marriages, and along the way, I have made some enemies. It goes with the territory” (18-19). This admission positions Millie as both a protector and target, reinforcing the cyclical nature of violence when abusers seek retribution. As a result, the titular wedding becomes a key moment in their lives, serving as a chance for them to find happiness amid the danger and trauma of their careers. Their wedding represents a refusal to let past violence dictate the course of their future.

McFadden juxtaposes the happy, “perfect” wedding that Millie expects with the dangerous conflict occurring with the man on the phone. At the story’s start, she is fixated on the idea of a traditional wedding that will create a good start to her new life. Her character exemplifies the theme of Expectations and Desires Versus Reality, as she has idealized the perfect wedding. Vital components of her perfect wedding day include nice weather, her parents’ presence, and the traditional wedding items of something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. However, as each of these collapses, permeated by the dangerous death threats, Millie’s expectations for her perfect day also collapse. In the end, through this juxtaposition, Millie learns that these two things can exist simultaneously. It is possible for her to have a happy wedding and start a new, comfortable life even with the dangers that will always exist for her and Enzo. This nuanced realization allows Millie to redefine what “perfection” means—not the absence of conflict but the presence of love, resilience, and a shared future. The wedding becomes the beginning of a married life shaped by honesty, mutual care, and the recognition that safety is not guaranteed.

The secondary conflict, which occurs between Millie and her mother, emphasizes the impact that Millie’s past has on her current sense of happiness. Over 10 years ago, when Millie killed her friend’s boyfriend to defend her friend from abuse, Millie went to prison, leading her mother to disown her. In Millie’s mind, her perfect wedding day requires the repairing of her relationship with her parents, allowing her to build a new life with their support. When her mother cancels, it adds another layer of disappointment to Millie’s tense day. This moment demonstrates that the people who should have protected Millie instead punish her for surviving and choosing to protect others at great personal risk. However, Enzo stepping in and supporting Millie conveys the theme of The Value of Support in Confronting Trauma. While Millie fixates on mending things with her mother, Enzo recognizes the instability of her mother’s love. Mrs. Calloway has abandoned Millie for over a decade and insists to Enzo that she is still “dangerous.” She also tells Millie, “[W]e realized you’re just as much of a mess as you always were” (45). This distant, cruel line encapsulates the emotional manipulation that Millie has internalized. While Millie’s efforts to salvage the relationship with her mother are admirable, they also demonstrate the effects of abandonment, leaving Millie to desperately seek reconciliation. Contrastingly, Enzo’s support emphasizes the value of her marriage, which allows her to create a healthy, happy family and move on from the trauma of her past. Millie’s emotional growth lies in her ability to recognize that chosen family can offer the stability and love that her biological one never could. By aligning herself with Enzo and their unborn daughter, Millie protects herself and reclaims her narrative.