Do you think Rose is a reliable or unreliable narrator? Why? If you did question her veracity, at what point in the novel did you begin to do so? To go any further would be to create spoilers. Let me say this: this book will have you guessing until the very last line – and I do mean the very last line. It’s a psychological study that evokes Zoe Heller’s Notes From A Scandal and Patricia Ripley’s The Incredible Mr. Ripley, with a touch of The Great Gatsby thrown in for good measure.

The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell | Waterstones The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell | Waterstones

Rose Baker is our wonderfully unreliable narrator, and I suspect you’ll come to love her as a character, even if you find her ever so slightly sinister, too. With Rose, we grow fascinated with Odalie Lazare, the alluring and fashionable new typist who joins her at the police precinct. Before long Rose becomes Odalie’s roommate at her luxury apartment and, as their friendship deepens, they start to seem like sisters – or twins, even. The combination of Suzanne Rindell's impeccable storytelling technique, plus the perfectly understated and prim voice of her narrator, Rose Baker (typist/transcriptionist for criminal confessions at a police department in 1923), plus a riveting story make The Other Typist irresistible and un-put-downable. And I think I would feel this even if I'd never worked as a typist and deposition transcriptionist. Rose, the narrator, is a young typist in a NYC police precinct in 1923. An orphan raised by nuns, she is prim, repressed and smugly considers herself an astute observer of human nature. One day, a new typist is hired. Odalie has a husky, purring voice, expensive clothes and an alluring personality. Rose watches Odalie closely and before long, is under her spell. Odalie suggests Rose move in with her and they become roommates in Odalie’s posh hotel suite. Why would a humble typist be living in an expensive hotel suite? As it turns out, Odalie is hiding a few big secrets and Rose – well, Rose has some serious issues.But WAIT! What the eff? What DID really happen? Tell me!! Within seconds I was totally frustrated by the ambiguity. Yes, I was driven to go online to read other reviewer’s theories about what happened, and yes, it would be a great read for a book club—I can see all the animated conversations right now.

Keira Knightley to star in The Other Typist

I read this book years ago, and still wonder about the ending from time to time. Would love to reread at some point... Obviously, I got a little obsessed myself with trying to figure out the ending; some would say that if it sent me off in search of an answer, the book was plenty good. But I ended up mad that I waited all this time only to be left confused. What a ripoff! The sergeant incident also bothers me; he's a father figure to Rose, and Odalie is having sex with him? Rose's head would explode if she were a multiple. Yet soon enough, a particularly intoxicating new typist named Odalie is hired and Rose – just like her much-admired and morally upright Sargeant and more forgiving Lieutenant Detective – falls under her spell. Rose in particular is captivated by Odalie and flattered that this lovely creature has taken an interest in her. Before too long, they are the best of friends, navigating a dual life of police work during the day and speakeasies when the day winds down.This was an excellent debut, and the author will no doubt go on to write some great stuff. I see this as a movie. First published in 2013, The Other Typist is described as a psycho-sexual suspense thriller. It is set in New York City during the height of the Prohibition era where it follows the story of an unworldly police department typist named Rose Baker as she gets drawn into the shady world of her glamorous new co-worker, Odalie (Knightley), but when the ultimate crime is committed, it’s uncertain which of the two women was the more treacherous. The novel covers the themes of identity, class, obsession, and misplaced desire. Oh, that fascinating unreliable narrator! How we love to hate her! Suzanne Rindell introduces a particularly mystifying narrator to the forefront in the person of Rose – a typist in the New York City Police Department during the time of the speakeasies. It's the roaring 20's in New York City and a psycho-lunatic is on the loose disguised as a young woman. (no spoiler here)