Blonde Dust

This moving historical novel from de Rosnay (Sarah’s Key) is about the unexpected friendship between a young fictional maid and Marilyn Monroe. In 1960, 21-year-old Pauline works at the legendary Mapes Hotel in Reno, NV. One day, she is asked to step in for a colleague and clean Suite 614. Pauline enters, believing the suite to be empty, but she is startled when a dazed, sleepy woman appears, whom the maid only knows as “Mrs. Miller.” Soon she realizes that this is none other than Hollywood star Monroe, in town to shoot what would be her last film, The Misfits. Pauline witnesses firsthand the actress in crisis as her marriage to playwright Arthur Miller breaks down, as well as the substance-use disorder that takes its toll on the fragile Monroe. While the encounters between the maid and the actress last just a few weeks, Pauline’s future is altered dramatically. Marilyn embraces young Pauline, showing empathy toward her and giving her the confidence and the means to move forward with her life.