The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell, read by Gretchen Mol
This story is set over the course of a year beginning in 1923, by a woman looking back at that year and the events that changed her life. Rose was left at an orphanage by her mother for reasons that Rose doesn't ever really forgive her for. Rose is a quiet, obedient girl and does well for herself, getting an education at a good school and becoming a typist. As the story of the year begins, we see her working as a typist at a police precinct in New York City, living at a boardinghouse, where she shares a room with another girl. She is polite with her fellow typists, but has no friends, no social life, and lives a drab existence. As the pressure to make more arrests related to Prohibition laws grows, a new typist is hired, and Odalie walks into the precinct and into Rose's life. Odalie is attractive, dresses well, and seems to have an external source of money. She gradually becomes a major influence to Rose, as Rose finds herself drawn more and more to this woman who seems to see in Rose something that Rose didn't even see in herself. As Rose's behaviour changes along with her increased exposure to Odalie, Rose does things that she never would have considered doing before and finds herself in a situation that confuses and angers her.
This is a story of influence, of the dark side of friendship. Rose is impressionable and lonely and a perfect target for someone like Odalie. Disturbing and mesmerizing, this story will have you responding to the situation as you anticipate the coming plot developments.
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