A review by mvonmalmborg
Other People's Clothes by Calla Henkel

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

managed to absolutely devour this novel in the 4 hours my usual 2 hour flight took to land (thankyou storm eunice). loved it the whole way through. typically only a reader of the horror/mystery genre when i find myself in a slump, using the fast moving narrative to get me hooked, typically finishing them in a matter of hours. this was like no other, simultaneously a book completely new in its genre. mystery books are meant to be fast paced, narrative over characters, but opc precariously balances the two. characters have a backstory, we get to know them, silly little details like their favourite lipstick colour or a book they liked. these facts however proved to be crucial later, only making the final blows feel more personal, utterly immersed in the storytelling. in the first twenty pages i spotted a riverdale reference, already feeling like a faux-pas, current tv pop culture is something i believe is better left untouched in literature. as well as this, the facts about the time of place the story unfolds (2008) are so minuscule i believe that they will make it a difficult read even ten years in the future. this is what happened with the amanda knox case, a murder referenced to in expected intervals throughout, with a main character almost worshipping all of its explicitly gory details. whilst this was an infamously horrific happening, it is not one i believe will hold the test of time in murder mystery culture the same way that of ted bundy and jack the ripper have done, feeding into what makes this a book that is unlikely to stand the test of time. however, this is me thinking for the future. to read it now was refreshing, referring to our bizarre internet life in an ironic and sarcastic way that i really enjoyed. henkel also plays on the misogynistic ways women are not only referenced to in the news, but especially that of murder mysteries. cleverly playing on the mad woman trope in a way we know not to be true, curating a more empathetic approach to this overtly generic character in future. that being said, i adored this book. it didn’t fall into cheap tropes, every time i thought i had guessed the next step - as i so easily do with the rest of the genre - i was proved penultimately wrong. henkel toys with our expectations in a way only a debut novelist could. unique and well written doesn’t do justice. whilst looking for my next read, i was locked on blurbs and reviews, clearly an internet sensation. in many cases, this was listed as an LGBTQ read, of which i was expecting much more. carefully teetering on the line of queerbaiting (but cleverly never falling over) this book did just enough to get diversity points. stories were left unfinished, characters were left undeveloped. the wlw storyline satisfies the want and need for casual representation, but no more. it took a backseat when it could of have so much more, left undeserving of its weighty categorisation of a queer read. all in all, i really enjoyed this book. my issues were minor, not affecting my overall experience of reading whatsoever. it was special to find a horror/mystery that made you feel emotions for characters. developing on more than just shock factor is a quality i

know i’ll struggle to find elsewhere.