Suitable Employment

Jill Simmons Drake is a recent young widow trying to reclaim her identity through purposeful employment. She seeks refuge with friends in Hong Kong to escape being known forever as 'the widow.' The challenges of being a foreigner and having a child to care for limits her employment opportunities. She eventually gains employment as a nanny. At first it seems a downgrade from her former work as a medical researcher. Soon, it becomes evident that she has become the binder that holds this conflicted family together. With her practical outlook and caring nature, she is able to nurture her own wounded self, her daughter's growth, the somewhat damaged children in her care, and her overwhelmed employer. She makes a disjointed household function as a unified body. Yes, being a nanny can equate to doing complex research since each new discovery brings new challenges.