Scan barcode
lauren_soderberg's review
3.0
3.5 stars
“There is something half remembered there, some other name, the contours of a profile glimpsed in a dark mirror, a bad dream disappearing back into the muddy depths of sleep...”
Emily Beyda’s 'The Body Double' features a nameless protagonist, who finds her sense of self—and her sanity—slipping away, as she dives deeply into impersonating a famous Hollywood actress. Her only contact with the outside world is the mysterious Max, whom she both loves and fears. And there is also the specter of Rosanna, the diaphanous starlet whom the protagonist is trying to imitate. And as she delves further into Rosanna's world, and begins to impersonate her in public, many questions begin to arise.
This is a deftly written noir that constantly challenges the reader’s perceptions and understanding of the events being portrayed. It’s opaque, almost annoying so, but the opacity works for this particular narrative, because it hinges on a slow unraveling of facts. In some places, the novel is perhaps a little overambitious and convoluted, but there are also moments of suspenseful brilliance.
If you’re a fan of suspense and plot ambiguity and fluidity of interpretation, this is a great read. You have to work for it, but the payoff is worth it.
“There is something half remembered there, some other name, the contours of a profile glimpsed in a dark mirror, a bad dream disappearing back into the muddy depths of sleep...”
Emily Beyda’s 'The Body Double' features a nameless protagonist, who finds her sense of self—and her sanity—slipping away, as she dives deeply into impersonating a famous Hollywood actress. Her only contact with the outside world is the mysterious Max, whom she both loves and fears. And there is also the specter of Rosanna, the diaphanous starlet whom the protagonist is trying to imitate. And as she delves further into Rosanna's world, and begins to impersonate her in public, many questions begin to arise.
This is a deftly written noir that constantly challenges the reader’s perceptions and understanding of the events being portrayed. It’s opaque, almost annoying so, but the opacity works for this particular narrative, because it hinges on a slow unraveling of facts. In some places, the novel is perhaps a little overambitious and convoluted, but there are also moments of suspenseful brilliance.
If you’re a fan of suspense and plot ambiguity and fluidity of interpretation, this is a great read. You have to work for it, but the payoff is worth it.
ridgewaygirl's review
3.0
She's working in a run-down mall movie theater when a man appears and hires her to work as the body double for a celebrity who has disappeared from the public eye due to a breakdown. It's a lot of money and the unnamed narrator accepts the job, shedding her own identity to become adept at impersonating the celebrity. As she slowly takes on more public appearances, the risk of discovery become higher and her own sense of who she is begins to shift. But both she and the man who hired her are keeping secrets that might just be bigger than the deception they're pulling on the public and those who knew the celebrity.
Emily Beyda's novel begins strong, spins its wheels in the middle and then finishes with a lot less than is foreshadowed throughout the story. There was a lot of promise in the first chapters and the potential for so many exciting things to happen, which were all bypassed in favor of sitting around in an empty apartment and the gentlest of ending.
Emily Beyda's novel begins strong, spins its wheels in the middle and then finishes with a lot less than is foreshadowed throughout the story. There was a lot of promise in the first chapters and the potential for so many exciting things to happen, which were all bypassed in favor of sitting around in an empty apartment and the gentlest of ending.
rlinnyc's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, Body horror, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
undermeyou's review
4.0
I can definitely understand why people reading this when it came out did not like it. Expecting a thriller and then getting a predictable drawn out story of two delusional characters feeding off of each other would be a huge disappointment. Having that background knowledge I enjoyed this and read it very quickly. I do agree with many of the reviews about the beginning being more drawn out than necessary. It was interesting to see the detail into the body double learning Rosanna inside and out. But it may have been more interesting to get more interaction with her figuring out what is happening and refusing to see it and hold on to her delusion than just watching the delusion grow.
brooke_review's review
4.0
They say that everyone in the world has a doppelganger - someone else walking around with your face. Some people may view this premise as intriguing, others as chilling. Both sides of the coin are presented in The Body Double, a novel by debut author Emily Beyda, which brings this theory to life in a captivating, noir-esque sort of way.
Many people may be flattered to be told they have the face of a beautiful celebrity, but for the unnamed protagonist of The Body Double, this compliment goes so much further than skin deep. She is simply living her life, working a dead-end job at a seedy movie theater in a rundown part of town when her boss introduces her to a headhunter, Max. She is the girl he has been looking for - the girl with Rosanna's face, the face Rosanna needs.
Max offers this lookalike a proposition - to be Rosanna's body double. Rosanna, a reclusive celebrity who has been spending some time out of the spotlight due to personal struggles, would like to get back into the game, but feels unable to leave her home in the Hollywood hills. She needs a lookalike to pick up some of her engagements and spend some time in the limelight, letting the world know she is back.
This girl is the closest they have come to finding someone who could pass as Rosanna, but will she do it? She must give up her old life; never speak to anyone she knows again. Move to Los Angeles and train to become Rosanna. And of course, there is money involved - this position will be lucrative for her if she accepts. Which she does, although she may not fully be prepared for what her acceptance of this position involves.
The Body Double is a peculiar, atmospheric novel, which explores themes of identity, trust, and perception. The story has a murky, tense feel - all the while reading it, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop because things were going just too well for our unnamed protagonist. I could anticipate something lurking in the shadows, ready to pull the rug out from underneath Rosanna's media-polished life. Fans of film noir will find much to like about The Body Double and the spine-tingling vibes it gives off.
Readers will find this debut story contemplative and introspective. How much would you trust a stranger with an odd proposition, and how far would you go to fulfill a task handed to you? Do you believe your own perceptions of the world and the people in it, and if you do, how do you know that your perception is not skewed by factors you have no knowledge of?
I anticipate some readers finding this book to be a little slow and light on the plot. Also, the twist ending, or at least some aspects of it, are fairly predictable. I found the ending to be my least favorite part of this suspense novel, as I could have imagined more shocking ways to end this book after so much build-up. However, these factors did not detract from my overall enjoyment of this novel. I enjoyed the languid pace, as it felt right in line with the noir genre, and while the ending was a bit muddled and disappointing, I still really liked this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Many people may be flattered to be told they have the face of a beautiful celebrity, but for the unnamed protagonist of The Body Double, this compliment goes so much further than skin deep. She is simply living her life, working a dead-end job at a seedy movie theater in a rundown part of town when her boss introduces her to a headhunter, Max. She is the girl he has been looking for - the girl with Rosanna's face, the face Rosanna needs.
Max offers this lookalike a proposition - to be Rosanna's body double. Rosanna, a reclusive celebrity who has been spending some time out of the spotlight due to personal struggles, would like to get back into the game, but feels unable to leave her home in the Hollywood hills. She needs a lookalike to pick up some of her engagements and spend some time in the limelight, letting the world know she is back.
This girl is the closest they have come to finding someone who could pass as Rosanna, but will she do it? She must give up her old life; never speak to anyone she knows again. Move to Los Angeles and train to become Rosanna. And of course, there is money involved - this position will be lucrative for her if she accepts. Which she does, although she may not fully be prepared for what her acceptance of this position involves.
The Body Double is a peculiar, atmospheric novel, which explores themes of identity, trust, and perception. The story has a murky, tense feel - all the while reading it, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop because things were going just too well for our unnamed protagonist. I could anticipate something lurking in the shadows, ready to pull the rug out from underneath Rosanna's media-polished life. Fans of film noir will find much to like about The Body Double and the spine-tingling vibes it gives off.
Readers will find this debut story contemplative and introspective. How much would you trust a stranger with an odd proposition, and how far would you go to fulfill a task handed to you? Do you believe your own perceptions of the world and the people in it, and if you do, how do you know that your perception is not skewed by factors you have no knowledge of?
I anticipate some readers finding this book to be a little slow and light on the plot. Also, the twist ending, or at least some aspects of it, are fairly predictable. I found the ending to be my least favorite part of this suspense novel, as I could have imagined more shocking ways to end this book after so much build-up. However, these factors did not detract from my overall enjoyment of this novel. I enjoyed the languid pace, as it felt right in line with the noir genre, and while the ending was a bit muddled and disappointing, I still really liked this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
backshelfbooks's review
3.0
You know when you start a book and think it’s going to be a certain way and the book actually goes there and it’s super satisfying? And you end up not disappointed by a book you thought was going to disappoint you? The Body Double was that kind of book for me. This book was wild and had some amazingly well done paranormal-esque twists that were, in my opinion, very successful.
The Body Double starts with our nameless main character/narrator working her boring job at a boring movie theater. One day, though, a man offers her a job she can’t refuse- to be the body double for the wealthy LA socialite, Rosanna Feld, who has suffered a mental breakdown and wants to protect her place in society. Because our narrator has practically no family and no friends, she knows that no one will miss her when she’s gone, and she takes the job and heads to LA. Over many months, our narrator goes through a lot of changes (physically, emotionally, and mentally) and tries her best to become Rosanna, enough to convince even Rosanna’s closest friends.
Things take a turn for our narrator, though, when she starts to feel how Rosanna would feel, remember things only Rosanna would remember, and actually slip into Rosanna’s character. The more she learns from and about Rosanna, the more confusing her situation becomes. She no longer knows who to trust, and begins to feel more and more that she is actually Rosanna.
I don’t typically enjoy contemporary mystery/thrillers because so many of them seem to have themes or twists involving mental illness or addiction. And if you want me to hate a book really quickly, make the crux of the book be that a character is actually just mentally ill. I dislike that trope so much, and I was so afraid that The Body Double would go that route. And, truthfully, it almost did. Instead, though, the book went a remarkably different direction, and I really liked it.
All that being said, this book has a very particular tone to it which might put some people off. The narration is slow and methodical, and our character teeters on both depression and disordered eating. These things can be tough to read, but I didn’t feel that either of these were overly done or improperly used. We do see our main character through a lot of mundane activities and through some really lonely days alone, and it can be tough.
What made this a great book for me was the larger mystery; I was constantly questioning what was real and what was simply in our narrator’s head. The book never comes to a solid conclusion on most of this, leaving a lot of the book up for reader interpretation. I also enjoyed all the bits of Hollywood life, and think the book had the perfect amount of famous/rich people drama.
All in all, I recommend this book if you like mystery/thrillers, books with substantial intrigue, and if you aren’t opposed to small bits of paranormal suspense. This wasn’t a perfect book, but I did really enjoy it. 3.5/5 stars, rounded to 4 stars!
Check out my book blog Back Shelf Books for more reviews!
A note about the audiobook: The audiobook for The Body Double was excellently narrated, and I think its a great format to experience this book. The narrator was able to capture our main character becoming Rosanna, which made the story so much more creepy. Because the book is slow and not full of action, I think the audiobook might be the best format for this.
Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday Publishing for providing me an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review. Ultimately, I listened to this book through audiobook form, with an audiobook I purchased myself!
The Body Double starts with our nameless main character/narrator working her boring job at a boring movie theater. One day, though, a man offers her a job she can’t refuse- to be the body double for the wealthy LA socialite, Rosanna Feld, who has suffered a mental breakdown and wants to protect her place in society. Because our narrator has practically no family and no friends, she knows that no one will miss her when she’s gone, and she takes the job and heads to LA. Over many months, our narrator goes through a lot of changes (physically, emotionally, and mentally) and tries her best to become Rosanna, enough to convince even Rosanna’s closest friends.
Things take a turn for our narrator, though, when she starts to feel how Rosanna would feel, remember things only Rosanna would remember, and actually slip into Rosanna’s character. The more she learns from and about Rosanna, the more confusing her situation becomes. She no longer knows who to trust, and begins to feel more and more that she is actually Rosanna.
I don’t typically enjoy contemporary mystery/thrillers because so many of them seem to have themes or twists involving mental illness or addiction. And if you want me to hate a book really quickly, make the crux of the book be that a character is actually just mentally ill. I dislike that trope so much, and I was so afraid that The Body Double would go that route. And, truthfully, it almost did. Instead, though, the book went a remarkably different direction, and I really liked it.
All that being said, this book has a very particular tone to it which might put some people off. The narration is slow and methodical, and our character teeters on both depression and disordered eating. These things can be tough to read, but I didn’t feel that either of these were overly done or improperly used. We do see our main character through a lot of mundane activities and through some really lonely days alone, and it can be tough.
What made this a great book for me was the larger mystery; I was constantly questioning what was real and what was simply in our narrator’s head. The book never comes to a solid conclusion on most of this, leaving a lot of the book up for reader interpretation. I also enjoyed all the bits of Hollywood life, and think the book had the perfect amount of famous/rich people drama.
All in all, I recommend this book if you like mystery/thrillers, books with substantial intrigue, and if you aren’t opposed to small bits of paranormal suspense. This wasn’t a perfect book, but I did really enjoy it. 3.5/5 stars, rounded to 4 stars!
Check out my book blog Back Shelf Books for more reviews!
A note about the audiobook: The audiobook for The Body Double was excellently narrated, and I think its a great format to experience this book. The narrator was able to capture our main character becoming Rosanna, which made the story so much more creepy. Because the book is slow and not full of action, I think the audiobook might be the best format for this.
Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday Publishing for providing me an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review. Ultimately, I listened to this book through audiobook form, with an audiobook I purchased myself!
solenos's review
3.0
This book was predictable, I could tell the direction it was going in from early on. However, it was very engaging and hard to put down