Book Review: ‘The Caretaker’ by Marcus Kliewer

Marcus Kliewer’s The Caretaker is a haunting and taut novel. The novel contains psychological themes associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, and the aching effects of grief. The book follows 22-year-old Macy Mullins. Macy is struggling with the passing of her father, mountains of inherited debt, and assuming the care of her younger, rebellious sister, Jemma. After receiving dozens of job rejection letters, she sees an ad on Craigslist asking for a “caretaker” for just a few days. With an eviction notice on her doorstep and a drawn-out insurance payment that never seems to surface, it is hard for her to pass up the opportunity. After arriving at the house, she is met by a wealthy, older woman who presents Macy with a twist. The job is actually to care for the home, not for her husband. 

In the novel, it is hard to distinguish what is real and what is not. The OCD references are deeply rooted in the narrative. The peak of its prevalence is during the introduction with the husband performing his routines in and around the home. Typically, an individual with OCD engages in these acts with the belief that doing so will prevent harm from happening to them, the people that they care for or know, or in the world around them. In The Caretaker, these compulsions are called “rites,” which often follow nonsensical requirements. For example, demanding that Macy needed to wake up around 3:00 a.m. to ensure that no lights are on in the house or catching and releasing rabbits if they hop onto the property line. All the while, the husband assures her in his tapes that this must be done to protect the world from something horrible. 

As Macy struggled to complete the tasks, I found myself getting increasingly stressed, feeling the pressure of impending doom at the doorstep. Reading it felt like being trapped in a loop. She had all of these chances to complete the task as it was written, but she continued to struggle. It makes you wonder about all of the possible outcomes of her actions. You will find yourself getting hooked on the twists and turns of the clever and expressive prose of Kliewer. 

I love a good thriller novel. I haven’t dipped into many horror novels, but The Caretaker was hard to put down. The Caretaker is written in such a way that you find yourself easing into Macy’s words, as if you had known her your entire life. She’s wildly relatable in the way she interacts with her sister — if you know, you know — and expresses a similar unknowingness about the future that I’m sure many post-undergraduates feel. 

When hearing the truth about the advertisement, I’m tempted to yell at her through the book. It sounds like a terrible idea with not a lot of concrete information, pushed under a thick, shady guise of aging-related mental health problems. The novel is entirely anxiety-provoking, with strong supernatural elements and scintillating onomatopoeia. Macy did not take the rites seriously, despite the heavy warnings and debilitating consequences that threatened each misstep she took. It’s easy to fall into a state of worry, following along as she tears open the backup envelope with another task to complete when she fails the original rite. The ending is a speed-run of jaw-dropping suspense, leaving the reader wondering and without answers. 

The Caretaker is perfect for individuals who love twisting horror novels entrenched in rich descriptive scenes and spine-prickling plots. There are several trigger and content warnings to take note of before reading, so make sure you are aware of them going in. Nevertheless, Kliewer’s The Caretaker is an exciting and psychologically thrilling read that will leave you stunned.