What do readers think of The Cleaner by Brandi Wells? Write your own review.

I'd give this book negative stars if I could.

To summarize, The Cleaner is about a janitor who takes it upon herself to snoop in other people's things in the building where she works. She plays matchmaker, crochet enthusiast, morality judge, corporate embezzlement investigator, and mother hen. For some employees she leaves little tidbits to encourage their professional growth, relationships or hobbies; for others, she sabotages their employment or their marriages. She is sociopathically meddlesome, narcississtic, and benevolent, all at the same time.

Not only was the writing dull and monotone, but the characters were never fully developed, or even named. It became confusing trying to remember who was who (characters were named with an initial or some nickname, like Yarn Guy). Most people like to gain something from their reading, but my experience with this book was creepy, painful, boring, and tasteless. I'm pretty sure the janitors that I know would all be offended that they were represented in such a derogatory way.

‘The Cleaner’ is written in first person by an unnamed person who cleans office spaces at night. No one is named in the book except for an initial or a made-up name such ‘The Intern’ or ‘Yarn Guy’. She (I THINK the writer is a ‘she’) feels she is intimately involved in the lives of the office workers because she goes through their desk drawers and uses their computers. She also takes things from their desks and sometimes leaves things or gives them to others. This deeply offended me on many levels, especially because I dealt with this situation many years ago. I reported what I suspected—that the cleaning person was using my computer and moving things on my desk (the drawers were locked). Security set up a camera to catch them, and they were fired immediately. Other than this, the ‘cleaner’ was invading the privacy of people and trying to ‘fix’ their lives. I struggled to finish the book because I intensely disliked her, nor did I like the writing style. Not recommended.