Chambermaid - by Saira Rao (Paperback)

About the Book

Debut novelist Rao boldly takes readers into the mysterious world of the third branch of the U.S. government, where the leaders are not elected and can never be fired. With its biting wit and laugh-out-loud humor, this novel challenges the notion of how great lawyers--and judges--are made.

Book Synopsis

The devil holds a gavel in this wickedly entertaining debut novel about a young attorney's eventful year clerking for a federal judge. Sheila Raj is a recent graduate of a top-ten law school with dreams of working for the ACLU but law school did not prepare her for the power-hungry sociopath, Judge Helga Friedman. While her beleaguered colleagues begin quitting their jobs, Sheila is assigned to a high-profile death penalty case and suddenly realizes that she has to survive the year as Friedman's chambermaid--not just her sanity, but actual lives hang in the balance. With Chambermaid, debut novelist Saira Rao breaks the code of silence surrounding the clerkship and boldly takes us into the mysterious world of the third branch of the U.S. government, where the leaders are not elected and can never be fired. With its biting wit and laugh-out-loud humor, this novel will change everything you think you know about how great lawyers, and great judges, are made.

Review Quotes

"A smart, in-depth look behind the courtroom walls, revealing the lack of honor toiling for an honorable judge, showing the devil really wears a black robe; luckily for Rao's determined, funny heroine, justice is ultimately served." -- Jill Kargman

"Funny and charming." -- Gary Shteyngart