The Maid's Diary

Boon is Kit’s best friend and a member of her theatrical group. His role in the novel is as her accomplice. Boon is portrayed as an outsider and a victim of prejudice although his negative experiences have made him into a supportive and compassionate friend. He knows Kit well and his narrative acts as a counterpoint to hers, giving the reader information which augments, and sometimes contradicts, the unreliable narrative of her diary.

Like Kit, Boon is the son of immigrants living in modest circumstances. His family comes from Thailand, and he is ridiculed at school in Whistler, just as Kit is. To add to his troubles, Boon realizes that he is gay but must hide this in fear for his safety. Boon attends the ski lodge party where Kit is raped, but he never goes to the police for fear of consequences to himself. Years later, he befriends Kit in Vancouver. When she exposes his complicity in her sexual assault, Boon is overwhelmed with guilt, and he agrees to help Kit stage her dangerous scheme to see the Rittenbergs brought to justice. At the end of the novel, Kit forgives him and invites Boon to visit her in Thailand, which he happily agrees to do.

Daisy is an attractive blond woman whose parents are billionaires. Daisy has always lived a life of wealth and privilege and is quite spoilt. Although she has many advantages, Daisy marries straight out of school, to a man who she knows to be a bully and a rapist. Her role in the book is to explore the nature of female complicity and hypocrisy, within the wider context of a patriarchal society that rewards women who enable men.

Daisy meets Olympic ski star Jon Rittenberg in high school. After he rapes Kit, Daisy helps to cover up Jon’s crime because she wants to marry him. Years later, Daisy will also cover up another sexual assault perpetrated by Jon in Colorado. Daisy is shown to understand Jon’s character and little trust in him: She kept a video recording of the night of Kit’s rape as insurance in case Jon causes trouble for her. It is this evidence that will allow Kit to reveal Jon’s rape and Daisy’s complicity, emphasizing the hubris of Daisy’s selfishness and cowardice.

Jon is the antagonist of the novel. He is a classic villain in that his motivations and behaviors are consistently revealed to be immoral.

Jon is a former gold medal Olympic athlete. After his ski career ends, he marries Daisy and works for her father’s company as a resort manager. Jon enjoys an affluent life because of his wife and eyes the COO position once his father-in-law retires. When the rest of the board chooses another candidate, Jon hires a private investigator to dig up dirt on his competition.

Jon also proves to be an unfaithful husband. He resents the imminent arrival of Daisy’s baby, misses his glory days as a skier, and longs for adulation. He soon starts an affair with a mysterious woman named Mia. Like his wife, Jon finds the tables turned when Mia drugs and sexually assaults him. His past catches up with him when Kit presents Jon and Daisy with evidence of their crimes. Jon eventually loses his job and his marriage. As the novel ends, he is about to stand trial for his offenses.

Mal is the detective sergeant in charge of the Rittenberg investigation. Her character represents official justice and police procedure and her role in the novel helps to explicate the details of Kit’s case, adding to the mystery plotline. When the novel begins, she assumes Daisy is the missing person but soon learns that a maid named Kit may actually be the murder victim. Mal is nearing retirement age and is a mature and steady investigator. She follows down every lead until the trail of breadcrumbs leads to the Rittenbergs as the probable murderers. It isn’t until the end of the story that she realizes Kit has staged her own mock murder to expose Jon and Daisy’s crimes from years before. When the novel ends, Mal is about to retire, but not before making sure the Rittenbergs answer for their actions before the law.