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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Enjoyable isn’t the word I’d use to describe Other People’s Clothes, but it certainly had me turning the pages!
Zoe and Hailey are American art students thrown together in Berlin on a study exchange. Dissatisfied by their experiences academically and socially, things start to unravel around them when it becomes clear their landlady is watching them from afar.
What stood out to me was how this book is effectively a study in identity. The title itself can refer to at least four plot points, all with different implications. Zoe and Hailey move through multiple phases of ‘self’, from their pre-college selves, to their New York student selves, to different versions of their Berlin selves. Womanhood, art, sexuality, motherhood, and reputation are all explored, set against an increasingly claustrophobic backdrop of parties, drugs, and creeping paranoia.
Overall a read that held my attention in the way of watching a car crash unfold in slow motion. Strange, at times depressing, yet mesmerising.
(Small quibble: the last sentence felt… unnecessary.
Was it supposed to imply Zoe was going to meet the same fate? Or was it simply adding an extra layer of fucked upness to what had happened?)
Zoe and Hailey are American art students thrown together in Berlin on a study exchange. Dissatisfied by their experiences academically and socially, things start to unravel around them when it becomes clear their landlady is watching them from afar.
What stood out to me was how this book is effectively a study in identity. The title itself can refer to at least four plot points, all with different implications. Zoe and Hailey move through multiple phases of ‘self’, from their pre-college selves, to their New York student selves, to different versions of their Berlin selves. Womanhood, art, sexuality, motherhood, and reputation are all explored, set against an increasingly claustrophobic backdrop of parties, drugs, and creeping paranoia.
Overall a read that held my attention in the way of watching a car crash unfold in slow motion. Strange, at times depressing, yet mesmerising.
(Small quibble: the last sentence felt… unnecessary.
Was it supposed to imply Zoe was going to meet the same fate? Or was it simply adding an extra layer of fucked upness to what had happened?)
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The book itself was great - but when I say I GASPED at the final sentence, I'm talking an audible-fill-your-lungs-omg kind of gasp. Just incredible.
other people’s clothes by calla henkel is a riveting story of two american art students living in berlin. scenic and the epitome of “life of the party”, this bright and fun story gradually takes a dark turn when their landlady and famed author, beatrice becks, starts stalking them, finding inspiration for her new thriller.
this was a ride. it truly was. everything about this book intoxicated me the way strong alcohols and chemicals consumed our two main characters, hailey and zoe. intoxicated them in the dead of nights and even in the broad daylight. the plot was absolutely gripping and it grows vastly intense towards the conclusion. absolutely brilliant and genius, this book is filled with not only the mystery of being the subject of fiction but also the mystery of being one’s self which we can see deeply in zoe’s character, a twenty year old woman completely conflicted by her own identity.
at first, i find myself relating to both of them in so many different ways until the dark side of each and every one of them emerges and suddenly it felt like i never knew them at all. calla henkel have done such a great job in creating yet another excellently unlikable characters for me to add to my list. zoe’s friendship with hailey, ivy, and even her relationship with jesse and holiday was simply toxic to begin with which is a lesson learned for me: choose the right circle. a lesson in which we all often tend to overlook without realising as we age. hailey too was such a compelling character. her obsession with warhol and art really mirrors my own—often ridiculous—obsession with my favourite authors and literatures.
the mystery element of it definitely starts off not as strong as the ending did yet it is still an intrinsic element to the story that made me enjoy it even more. the authentic early 2000s vibe completely adds on the spice as well. calla henkel’s brilliant writing definitely has guaranteed herself into my auto-buy list in the future. a well done debut indeed.
i had so much fun discussing about some the characters and the parts with erina as we’re reading along together. thank you to definitely books by pansing for sending me this
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i made a bet with myself that berghain would show up in the first 20 pages, i won the bet
not to be that girl but the lack of trigger warnings is not okay especially when the biggest trigger (ED) is not even handled well at all
um so incredibly boring for the first 250 pages and then whiplash for the last 50
the last 50 tried to trick me into rating this higher and then i remembered how much i wanted to put this book down
honestly the ending wasnt even that satisfying like i kinda wanted it to end bad for zoe to wrap up the whole mess and yeah i woulda been angry but thats kinda like how the whole book should make you feel???
its so clear this author wanted to write a thriller but needed to come off as intelligent and im sorry but the intelligence to keep me gripped for 300 pages was not found BUT the upside is the humour was actually good which is unusual for these books
also did jesse kill ivy?
not to be that girl but the lack of trigger warnings is not okay especially when the biggest trigger (ED) is not even handled well at all
um so incredibly boring for the first 250 pages and then whiplash for the last 50
the last 50 tried to trick me into rating this higher and then i remembered how much i wanted to put this book down
honestly the ending wasnt even that satisfying like i kinda wanted it to end bad for zoe to wrap up the whole mess and yeah i woulda been angry but thats kinda like how the whole book should make you feel???
its so clear this author wanted to write a thriller but needed to come off as intelligent and im sorry but the intelligence to keep me gripped for 300 pages was not found BUT the upside is the humour was actually good which is unusual for these books
also did jesse kill ivy?
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated