Netflix's miniseries Maid was inspired by Stephanie Land's memoir called Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive; here's how it compares to the book. In the TV show, young mother Alex Russell (Margaret Qualley) flees in the night with her daughter Maddy (Rylea Nevaeh Whittet) from her abusive ex-boyfriend Sean Boyd (Nick Robinson). With no money and nowhere to go, Alex struggles to support herself and her child. Along with the many difficulties she faces acquiring employment, housing, and government assistance, Alex also has to deal with Sean repeatedly fighting her for custody.
Many of the main plot elements in Netflix's Maid TV show also happened in the book, though sometimes in a different order. Like Alex, Land did not really have any family that could help her out when she was at her lowest, and she also suffered through multiple court trials fighting for custody of her child after leaving an abusive ex. The car accident that totaled Alex's car after she pulled over trying to find Maddy's doll happened to Land as well, and her memoir detailed lasting emotional effects of the crash that the series did not have time to really delve into. Just like Alex, Land worked both with a company and independently cleaning houses and doing yard work for a pitifully small income, and she and her daughter also lived in a place with black mold that made them very sick.
Land explained (via The Seattle Times) that she eventually agreed to sell her book's rights to Netflix after multiple meetings with executive producer Margot Robbie for her production company, Lucky Chap, and writer John Wells, who offered to fictionalize her story. While some of the characters and events in Maid are similar to the memoir, the miniseries explored other perspectives and diversified the characters. "I felt very strongly about the show looking like how the world looks," Land said. The location names were also changed, even though Alex's hometown was clearly inspired by Port Townsend, where Land's story took place. Here's some of the biggest changes Maid makes to Land's book.
Abuse Was Not The Focus
Domestic violence was a central theme in Netflix's Maid. Sean's abuse toward Alex, as well as the repeated abuse experienced by Alex's mother Paula Langley—played by Andie MacDowell, known for Groundhog Day and other roles—was one of the show's primary conflicts. The book kept these issues on the periphery of the story, focusing more on Land's financial difficulties and the social stigmas placed on those in poverty. Land repeatedly emphasized how concerned she was about other people's judgments whenever she had to use SNAP benefits in the grocery store. Her awareness of how others perceived her was much more prominent in the book than the Netflix show, which emphasized Alex's relationships instead. The memoir revealed very little about the father of Land's daughter, other than briefly recalling his abusive nature and how little he cared about her. This ex, who Land called Jamie, only ever seemed to insult and reject her, even kicking her out when their child was less than a year old. Alex's ex in the miniseries was also emotionally abusive—a big departure from Nick Robinson’s previous roles in Jurassic World and Love, Simon—but he tried repeatedly to get Alex back after she left. Unlike Jamie, Sean never kicked Alex out. He even tried to sober up to be better for Alex and Maddy. The series ended on a hopeful note that he would eventually improve enough to be there for his daughter.
Incorporated Other Perspectives
Land's memoir was very introspective, partly because, according to Land, she was very isolated for much of that time. Her memoir was limited to her own experience, which does not reflect the reality of those in poverty and domestic work, most of whom are people of color. Maid's miniseries strived to diversify the cast to better reflect real life, and also included elements not mentioned in the book. Along with Alex's struggles with domestic abuse and financial hardship, Netflix's Maid introduced Sean's difficulties with alcoholism and Paula's undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Neither of them had a lot of resources available to them to help, and their poverty made accessing those resources even more difficult. In Sean's case, working double shifts prevented him from attending A.A. meetings and also increased his stress levels, making him want to drink even more. Netflix's Maid also better incorporated characters, such as the social worker, and other domestic violence survivors like Paula and Danielle (Aimee Carrero), who befriended Alex her first time visiting the domestic violence shelter. Danielle eventually returned to her abuser, much to the confusion and sadness of Alex.
Her Mother Was Not Involved
In the Maid Netflix series, Alex's mother lived nearby in an artistic community. Her flighty nature made her an unreliable resource for Alex whenever she needed help with Maddy, but she did also clearly care about her daughter and granddaughter. However, in the memoir, Land's mother lived overseas with a much-younger husband and a fake British accent, with Land noting the husband as only being seven years older than her. Land also explained in the book that her mother struggled with being overweight at various points in her life but she did not mention her having bipolar disorder. Her mother's distance, both literally and emotionally, meant she was not very involved in Land's life.
Getting Into College Was Only The Beginning
In her memoir, Land took classes with a local community college throughout the story, which is a big change from the book since in Netflix’s Maid she didn’t start taking classes until the end. Although Land still had a dream to move to Missoula and receive a creative writing degree, she was actively working toward a paralegal degree instead. Land tried to be practical in her choices, pursuing a future career that would offer stability and health insurance. Yet, she couldn't shake the desire to visit Missoula, where her dream school was located. Near the end of the book, she was finally able to visit and immediately fell in love with the place, eventually moving with her daughter and getting a bachelor's degree at the University of Montana. While the memoir ended when Land was halfway through finishing her degree, the Maid miniseries concluded with Alex arriving with Maddy in Missoula, more hopeful than she had been in a long time.