Have you ever read a book that left you scratching your head and wondering what the heck you just read when you finish it? That happened to me last night. I devoured The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell in a matter of days.
The Other Typist was set in 1925, Prohibition-era New York City. Rose Baker, an orphan who was raised by nuns, is a typist in a police precinct. She transcribes confessions given by criminals. She is conservative and plays by the rules. Until Odalie starts working at the precinct, too. Rose quickly becomes obsessed with the daring Odalie, with her bobbed hair and seemingly never-ending supply of cash. Odalie outfits Rose in short dresses, takes her to underground speakeasies, and convinces her to dabble in some illegal behaviors. In the end, Rose has to decide just how far she’s willing to go to keep her friendship with Odalie. Or does she?
I’m a huge fan of unreliable narrators. I’ve always liked not being sure if the narrator is being truthful. But I think Rose is the most unreliable narrator ever. I have some theories about Rose and how the book ended, but I don’t want to spoil anything. All I’ll say is that I haven’t stopped thinking about the ending of the book since last night!
Here’s a list of some of my favorite books featuring unreliable narrators:
Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
The Yellow Wall-Paper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gillman
East Cleveland Public Library 