By this point Rose's unreliability as a narrator is clear; as is the fact that Bad Things are going to happen. Rose is an unreliable narrator, but only because she imagines killing the guy; her version is almost regretful; Odalie is a sociopath. I am reminded of Humbert Humbert, both as a dubious source of information, but as a narrator with obsession and boundary issues. The story centres around Rose who is employed as a stenographer in a New York Police Department and appears to be innocent and naive and somewhat staid in her ways. It is forbidden to copy anything for publication elsewhere without written permission from the copyright holder.

The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell: 9780425268421 The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell: 9780425268421

Odalie is a rich, high society dame with a personal agenda who comes to work at the precinct and befriends Rose who soon becomes her roommate and bosom buddy moving into her classy upscale hotel. As Rose and Odalie grow closer, Rose realizes that Odalie is involved is some unsavory activities having to do with bootlegging. Raised as an orphan in a convent, Rose prides herself on her extreme control of her emotions and her sense of uptight morality. I loved taking a step back into the 1920s, and the author did a fine job bringing that decade to life. I can't imagine anyone being shocked at the ending because Rindell very strongly hints at it throughout the entire novel.

This lonely, scorned figure learns herbs and potions, surrounds herself with lions, and, in a heart-stopping chapter, outwits the monster Scylla to propel Daedalus and his boat to safety.

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But while she may hear about shootings, knifings, and crimes of passion, as soon as she leaves the room, she reverts to a dignified and proper lady. yet at the same time we'd managed to make a generational career out of pretending virginal adolescence. A few passages coil toward melodrama, and one inelegant line after a rape seems jarringly modern, but the spell holds fast.We are led to believe that Odalie corrupts Rose, dressing her in riches and dragging her to speakeasies where bootleg booze is served. You will absolutely love how the book flowed but you will also be afraid for Rose as she enters this new relationship with Odalie. I type 92 wpm on a modern computer keyboard, but I learned on a 1920s era Underwood, which is why I checked. Indeed, as she later remarks of Odalie, “So many of her stories could be true, if only they didn’t cancel one another out.

The Other Typist - The Gilmore Guide to Books The Other Typist - The Gilmore Guide to Books

In theory, people were either black or white with nothing in between and the times where the author did try for autonomy seemed forced and superficial (The scene between Rose and Vitali in the interview room where she draws blood? Moderately entertaining, I suppose, but this has to be one of the most overwritten books of all time. By that I mean, I believe these characters could have indeed existed as people and that these events could indeed have happened, however I did not believe the development was sufficient in making the characters multidimensional and circumstances were insufficiently described. Take a dollop of Alfred Hitchcock, a dollop of Patricia Highsmith, throw in some Great Gatsby flourishes, and the result is Rindell’s debut, a pitch-black comedy about a police stenographer accused of murder in 1920s Manhattan.The voice and perspective reminded me a lot like A Thousand White Women, another book many people loved more than I did. A twisty or surprise ending is not an asset if it's so confusing that nobody can actually figure out what the hell happened.

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If Odalie is referred to by name, by someone other than Rose, the person (the Lieutenant, for instance) does not exist outside of Rose's mind. Rose is a police typist who falls into an obsession with modern flapper-girl Odalie who comes to work in the same precinct. That ending may also be a cliff hanger; Rindell is working on another book, and I may be wrong, but I think Odalie is at large. You could make a one-sitting read of The Other Typist: it maintains the riveting dance of question-provoking answers that earn page-turners their name, and Suzanne Rindell's Jazz Age NYC is gritty, glamorous, and utterly absorbing.I just finished the book and there is no concrete evidence to support that two individuals (Rose and Odalie/Ginevra) didn't exist. It was quite easy to get involved in the characters' lives which made the book difficult to put down.