Everything and Nothing by Araminta Hall

Everything and Nothing is the debut novel by journalist turned full time writer Araminta Hall. It tells the story of Christian and Ruth, to the outside world they may look like the perfect couple but on the inside they are struggling to keep it together, after Christian admits to getting his secretary pregnant but Ruth forgives him as she is also pregnant with his child and is afraid of being alone.

Fast forward three years they are miserable, Ruth stressed with her job, a tempermental daughter and a three year old that doesn’t eat, only takes a bottle and Christian has to deal with the guilt of his affair. Deciding that she can’t cope with a full time job and two young kids, Ruth decides to enlist the aid of a nanny and hires Aggie, a quiet 23 year old with a dark past. Aggie cares for the children as if they are her own and lovingly takes them under her wing, especially with Hal as she tries to hide them from the darker side of life that she was exposed to as a child.

Unknown to Ruth and Christian, they think they have found the perfect nanny but begin to suspect otherwise when Aggies mask begins to fall. Something and Nothing was a great read, I enjoyed each character and liked seeing their various sides and why they did what they did. I especially enjoyed the suspense and tension throughout the book, which was oddly more prominent at a childrens party. I found Aggie the most interesting of the main three characters, the flashbacks into her past made you almost feel sorry for the person she was and for the things she did throughout the story. Araminta Hall is definitely an author to look out for.

You can buy[amazon_link id=”0007413947″ target=”_blank” ] Everything and Nothing on Amazon [/amazon_link] and other good bookshops.