Being Brutally Honest about The Mister by E.L. James

What We Expected vs. What We Got

Were you expecting The Mister to be as amazing as Fifty Shades of Grey? If the answer to this question is yes, then you’re not alone.

Millions of readers worldwide were ecstatic to find out about a new release from author E.L. James. After the international success of Fifty Shades, The Mister was expected to follow the footsteps of its predecessor.

James normalized and romanticized the damaged, BDSM-loving man in Fifty Shades and raised the bar for all other authors. Of course, we’re aware that they are two completely different books, but one can’t help but compare the characters and their traits. While Christian Grey portrays power, compassion, and a whole lot of alpha maleness, The Mister’s protagonist Maxim Trevelyan is just bland and sad.

While Maxim has so much potential, the introduction to his character is well...lacking. Granted his brother just died and he's in mourning, but his self-loathing comes off as weakness. He seems to simply not care about the outcome of his life and comes off as a bit of a cry baby.

The Mister doesn’t only follow Maxim, however. It also follows the mystery that is Alessia Demachi. She escapes her difficult, closed-off life in Albania and is given a job as Maxim’s maid. Naturally, her English is not the best and Maxim assumes that she must not be too intelligent. How empowering for women everywhere.

This all takes a very dramatic turn when Maxim finds out that Alessia is actually a musical genius and his surprise at her intelligence is obvious.

“She is Brilliant. In every way. And I’m completely spellbound.”

“Good God. She’s a fucking virtuoso.”

While she may not be fluent in English, she shows many talents besides her musical ability that proves she’s a very smart, reliable, and resourceful young woman. But instead, it seems as though Alessia is a damsel in distress and Maxim just has to save her from her haunting past.

Alessia displays an incredible amount of strength and the hardships she has to endure are absolutely heartbreaking. She is the only character worth following because her story is interesting and her journey to London is a very hard one. She and Maxim are a very unlikely couple. Their dynamic is awkward from the beginning and frankly, it is quite unrealistic because of Maxim’s initial thoughts and Alessia’s awkward demeanour.

“Who the hell is this timid creature standing in my hallway? I’m completely bemused. Have I seen her before? [...] She’s here, rooted to the hallway floor, her impish face pale, her eyes downcast.”

Now, if you’ve never heard of E.L. James, you might read The Mister first by chance. If you already know her writing style, it will be hard to get into. Dual first-person point of view is great and often favoured, but James chose a different approach that did not sit well. Maxim speaks in a first-person point of view, so we are aware of everything he’s thinking. Alessia, on the other hand, has a third-person narrative. What's odd about this isn’t even the fact that it’s set up this way, it’s that the point of view can suddenly change within a chapter.

Talk about downright confusing.

Poor reviews are rare for me and it’s sad that this particular one had to be done for E.L. James, but it had to be said. Weak-looking damsels in distress aren’t a thing anymore and stereotyping a foreigner isn’t cool.

And so, with the feelings of despair and high expectations off my chest, you can decide what you want to do.

If it were up to me, I’d rather just reread Fifty Shades.

Anyone have any love for The Mister?

Hoping to hear from our readers in the comments!