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Seeing Other People
Which comes first—those you love, or those you want?
Charlie’s skin was stinging. Not with heat or sweat, but with that intense, body-defining self-consciousness—that sense of being watched. She lowered her eyes from Eleanor’s loving gaze. Her throat taut with tears, she swallowed. ‘You’re a good sister, Eleanor.�
‘Don’t say that.�
After two years of lockdowns, there’s change in the air. Eleanor has just broken up with her boyfriend, Charlie’s career as an actress is starting up again. They’re finally ready to pursue their dreams—relationships, career, family—if only they can work out what it is they really want.
When principles and desires clash, Eleanor and Charlie are forced to ask: where is the line between self-love and selfishness? In all their confusion, mistakes will be made and lies will be told as they reckon with the limits of their own self-awareness.
Seeing Other People is the darkly funny story of two very different sisters, and the summer that stretches their relationship almost to breaking point.
Charlie’s skin was stinging. Not with heat or sweat, but with that intense, body-defining self-consciousness—that sense of being watched. She lowered her eyes from Eleanor’s loving gaze. Her throat taut with tears, she swallowed. ‘You’re a good sister, Eleanor.�
‘Don’t say that.�
After two years of lockdowns, there’s change in the air. Eleanor has just broken up with her boyfriend, Charlie’s career as an actress is starting up again. They’re finally ready to pursue their dreams—relationships, career, family—if only they can work out what it is they really want.
When principles and desires clash, Eleanor and Charlie are forced to ask: where is the line between self-love and selfishness? In all their confusion, mistakes will be made and lies will be told as they reckon with the limits of their own self-awareness.
Seeing Other People is the darkly funny story of two very different sisters, and the summer that stretches their relationship almost to breaking point.
295 pages, Paperback
First published October 5, 2022
382 people are currently reading
13.1k people want to read
About the author
Diana Reid
5books347followersDiana Reid is a Sydney-based writer. Her debut novel, Love & Virtue, was an Australian bestseller and winner of the ABIA Book of the Year Award, the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year Award, the ABA Booksellers' Choice Fiction Book of the Year Award, and the MUD Literary Prize. Love & Virtue was also shortlisted for the Indie Debut Fiction Award, the ABIA Matt Richell New Writer Award, and Highly Commended at the NSW Premier's Literary Awards. Diana was also named a Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelist in 2022. Seeing Other People is her second novel.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name on GR
Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name on GR
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September 13, 2022Very Sally Rooney in the sense that everyone’s pretty annoying, no one can communicate, and they’re all successful young people who don’t seem to work much. Enjoyable easy read though.
November 5, 2022
What even happened??
November 7, 2022
The shameless girls did me dirty. These characters were painfully unlikable, self centred and uninteresting. This book tried really hard to be quirky but it fell very flat for me.
January 3, 2023
I simply can’t be expected to care for a character in her 20s called Helen.
Probably 2.5 stars.
Probably 2.5 stars.
June 19, 2022
I’ve been so busy reading and thinking about lockdown novels that I’ve completely neglected to think about coming out of lockdown novels. It’s this deeply interesting moment of right now where change is in the air and we’re all rethinking our entire lives and Reid is right there (YES!). Our best contemporary writers see our time and shine a light to it revealing it to ourselves (or use history to do the same). This aspect of SEEING OTHER PEOPLE is what captured me completely.
In just two books, Reid has positioned herself as a novelist deeply interested in questions of morality. As uncomfortable as I was with the behaviour of her characters and the ways they justified that behaviour, it really allowed her to mine aspects of moral character and those times when we prioritise ourselves and our desires over those we purport to love. Knowing a course of action would cause pain and heartache to someone you love and doing it anyway is pretty ripe material. Good people can behave so badly. There were moments this book verged on becoming moralistic but I think Reid walked that difficult line mostly without tripping over it. I’m already anticipating her next book (sorry, I know! And this one isn’t even out until October!) and what moral questions she will pose. Could those with reading copies please read it soon so I have people to talk to about it.
In just two books, Reid has positioned herself as a novelist deeply interested in questions of morality. As uncomfortable as I was with the behaviour of her characters and the ways they justified that behaviour, it really allowed her to mine aspects of moral character and those times when we prioritise ourselves and our desires over those we purport to love. Knowing a course of action would cause pain and heartache to someone you love and doing it anyway is pretty ripe material. Good people can behave so badly. There were moments this book verged on becoming moralistic but I think Reid walked that difficult line mostly without tripping over it. I’m already anticipating her next book (sorry, I know! And this one isn’t even out until October!) and what moral questions she will pose. Could those with reading copies please read it soon so I have people to talk to about it.
February 11, 2023
This second book of Diana Reid's was my first. Sometimes reminicent of Sally Rooney in that she gets inside of people's heads and sees relationships from an inner and outer viewpoint.
I really enjoyed this for the most part, taking place in my Eastern Sydney neighbourhood in many familiar places. This tale of two sisters and their convoluted relationships with the same two people. Sometimes, what was going on in each character's heads was convoluted and confusing, but in the end this is the story of a love between sisters, who often get into compromising situations.
Reading this, if this is the way younger people have relationships in Sydney, I'm very glad to be well beyond that.
Some notable quotes from the book (I cannot seem to bookmark them from my Kindle Reader on my computer):
'Charlie knew from experience that the ocean was as intimate as it was immense. A perfect summer's day was a special thing to share, and never moreso than the start of a newborn year.'
'Social media isn't intimacy. People can control how they're perceived. That's performance.'
'So Charlie held herself to a higher standard than a horny teen. and now adopted an uncharacterlesstically rational approach.'
'This was how any woman would look, Eleanor thought, if she did not own a mirror and just happened to be perfect.'
'I don't care Eleanor. I know what you're like - and I love you anyway. You. Not some idealised version. I even love the bits you don't like about yourself.'
'She wished she were the type of person who could just take her clothes off and let the water have her. For one thing, she'd need to have a different body, or one that she had a different relationship with her current one.'
Beautifully written book.
I really enjoyed this for the most part, taking place in my Eastern Sydney neighbourhood in many familiar places. This tale of two sisters and their convoluted relationships with the same two people. Sometimes, what was going on in each character's heads was convoluted and confusing, but in the end this is the story of a love between sisters, who often get into compromising situations.
Reading this, if this is the way younger people have relationships in Sydney, I'm very glad to be well beyond that.
Some notable quotes from the book (I cannot seem to bookmark them from my Kindle Reader on my computer):
'Charlie knew from experience that the ocean was as intimate as it was immense. A perfect summer's day was a special thing to share, and never moreso than the start of a newborn year.'
'Social media isn't intimacy. People can control how they're perceived. That's performance.'
'So Charlie held herself to a higher standard than a horny teen. and now adopted an uncharacterlesstically rational approach.'
'This was how any woman would look, Eleanor thought, if she did not own a mirror and just happened to be perfect.'
'I don't care Eleanor. I know what you're like - and I love you anyway. You. Not some idealised version. I even love the bits you don't like about yourself.'
'She wished she were the type of person who could just take her clothes off and let the water have her. For one thing, she'd need to have a different body, or one that she had a different relationship with her current one.'
Beautifully written book.
December 26, 2022
I actually had lots of fun reading this, mostly in the same day. I had the same gripes about it as most people, I think. As someone with lots of siblings, I’m always interested in these relationships, but I found the sisters� betrayals and the aftermath a bit unconvincing. I was frustrated by the neat wrap up which felt rushed. Certainly I think Seeing Other People doesn’t achieve the same heights as Love & Virtue, but I still think Reid is super talented.
Something I did like was Reid’s commentary on zoomer “therapy-speak�. The tiktok-informed personality disorder diagnoses etc is something that really frustrates me and haven’t been able to fully explain it until I read her comments about it in an interview, which I’ll put here cos I can’t be bothered to write my own thoughts down.
“Q: There’s a fair skewering of self-help and psychobabble in the book—what’s your interest/preoccupation there?
A: Oh wow, how long have I got? Kidding haha, but I’m glad you picked up what I was putting down. I think that my generation (people in their twenties) are very fluent in therapy-speak, and we apply it readily to ourselves and other people.
Obviously, this is broadly a good thing. It’s great that we’re equipped to discuss our mental health, both to make sense of our own experiences, and to articulate our struggles to other people. However, as a novelist—and therefore someone who’s always interested in language—I worry that the use of these technical terms can be more weaponising than empowering.
The objective, technical language of therapy-speak claims a medical authority that implies: case closed; we’ve gotten to the bottom of the matter. If, for example, you say you’ve been “gaslit� instead of “contradicted,� you’re positioning yourself as a victim and saying—not only that there’s a disagreement—but also that you’re objectively on the right side of it.
I just worry that if we keep parsing our social interactions in these terms, we’ll lose sight of how complex they really are. Aside from being destructive to interpersonal relationships (it’s exhausting to always feel objectively wronged rather than subjectively hurt, and to always be blaming other people for the way you experience life), it also strikes me as a very boring way to view the world: one that omits so much nuance. And that’s precisely why literature is so important! TikTok videos and Instagram reels can tell us about narcissistic personality traits, but a novel can introduce us to a real human person, who maybe exhibits some of those traits, but also has a personal history, hopes for the future, a desire to be loved and to do better—and all the normal human frailties we all suffer from.�
Something I did like was Reid’s commentary on zoomer “therapy-speak�. The tiktok-informed personality disorder diagnoses etc is something that really frustrates me and haven’t been able to fully explain it until I read her comments about it in an interview, which I’ll put here cos I can’t be bothered to write my own thoughts down.
“Q: There’s a fair skewering of self-help and psychobabble in the book—what’s your interest/preoccupation there?
A: Oh wow, how long have I got? Kidding haha, but I’m glad you picked up what I was putting down. I think that my generation (people in their twenties) are very fluent in therapy-speak, and we apply it readily to ourselves and other people.
Obviously, this is broadly a good thing. It’s great that we’re equipped to discuss our mental health, both to make sense of our own experiences, and to articulate our struggles to other people. However, as a novelist—and therefore someone who’s always interested in language—I worry that the use of these technical terms can be more weaponising than empowering.
The objective, technical language of therapy-speak claims a medical authority that implies: case closed; we’ve gotten to the bottom of the matter. If, for example, you say you’ve been “gaslit� instead of “contradicted,� you’re positioning yourself as a victim and saying—not only that there’s a disagreement—but also that you’re objectively on the right side of it.
I just worry that if we keep parsing our social interactions in these terms, we’ll lose sight of how complex they really are. Aside from being destructive to interpersonal relationships (it’s exhausting to always feel objectively wronged rather than subjectively hurt, and to always be blaming other people for the way you experience life), it also strikes me as a very boring way to view the world: one that omits so much nuance. And that’s precisely why literature is so important! TikTok videos and Instagram reels can tell us about narcissistic personality traits, but a novel can introduce us to a real human person, who maybe exhibits some of those traits, but also has a personal history, hopes for the future, a desire to be loved and to do better—and all the normal human frailties we all suffer from.�
October 24, 2022
nice. big enjoyment. want the screen adaptation immediately. found myself spoken-wording scenes all teary eyed & shit.
There are hints of intellectual conversation, social and political commentary (similar to that which Rooney indulges in) which was present in Love and Virtue - but only hints. I wanted more. MORE.
The characters are strong, the plot not so much, but it grows stronger as you fall more in love with the characters.
The Hasbulla thing felt a lil tacky.
I underlined a lot. A lot of relatable things. A lot of insightful things. A lot of nostalgic things.
Did I mention I love Eleanor a lot?
There are hints of intellectual conversation, social and political commentary (similar to that which Rooney indulges in) which was present in Love and Virtue - but only hints. I wanted more. MORE.
The characters are strong, the plot not so much, but it grows stronger as you fall more in love with the characters.
The Hasbulla thing felt a lil tacky.
I underlined a lot. A lot of relatable things. A lot of insightful things. A lot of nostalgic things.
Did I mention I love Eleanor a lot?
October 16, 2022
Diana Reid gets it.
I really loved her first book so my expectations were incredibly high for her second one, especially when I found out it centred on relationships between queer women. Seeing Other People definitely lived up to my expectations. I find it deeply annoying when it feels like every white woman who writes books about women is compared to Sally Rooney, but I do think it fits here. I might even prefer Reid's style, even though I am easily won over by anything focused on queer women. Reid is exceptional at breaking things down so they feel simple and profound. I loved getting to have three different perspectives throughout the book: the two sisters, Eleanor and Charlie, and the women they're both into, Helen, though I wish Helen's was more in depth. I loved the contrast between the three of them, the different dynamics between them all, and the focus on what it actually means to be a good person. I liked the openness of the ending and the growth everyone went through. Reid has an ability to create a universe that feels incredibly real and intimate while not getting lost in the grit of details. I really wish this book was easier to get outside of Australia because I truly think it is one of the best books I've ever read.
I really loved her first book so my expectations were incredibly high for her second one, especially when I found out it centred on relationships between queer women. Seeing Other People definitely lived up to my expectations. I find it deeply annoying when it feels like every white woman who writes books about women is compared to Sally Rooney, but I do think it fits here. I might even prefer Reid's style, even though I am easily won over by anything focused on queer women. Reid is exceptional at breaking things down so they feel simple and profound. I loved getting to have three different perspectives throughout the book: the two sisters, Eleanor and Charlie, and the women they're both into, Helen, though I wish Helen's was more in depth. I loved the contrast between the three of them, the different dynamics between them all, and the focus on what it actually means to be a good person. I liked the openness of the ending and the growth everyone went through. Reid has an ability to create a universe that feels incredibly real and intimate while not getting lost in the grit of details. I really wish this book was easier to get outside of Australia because I truly think it is one of the best books I've ever read.
November 10, 2022
I loved Diana’s first novel Love and Virtue which I read earlier this year and have previously been a big fan of Sally Rooney. I don’t know what’s changes, whether it’s me or the book, but I found Seeing Other People painful and irritating and simple (although this was in some ways a redeeming feature because it meant a quick and easy ready). I think I hate read this book. Sorry
February 1, 2024
It took me a little while to get into , which at its surface is a story about several months in the lives of two rather self-absorbed sisters in their early-mid 20s, living and working in Sydney, Australia. Like other readers, I was reminded of the characters and storylines in the couple of books I've read by Irish author , which I found similarly irritating.
"It rendered her more shameful, she felt, to stand in this sharehouse with her hangover and the delusion that she was somehow different. It made her feel as if adulthood was just an affectation and her commitment to it tenuous." (p. 89)I've come to the conclusion that I might just have to accept that I'm no longer in the target demographic!
"But the self is relational. It depends what other people want from us. (p. 171)Eleanor and Charlie Hamor are very different people, despite their closeness as sisters. Eleanor is rather straight-laced and following a "sensible" career trajectory as a business analyst. Charlie, meanwhile, lives a more bohemian existence, a talented actress who's struggling to find work in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, she lives in a fairly chaotic share house with like-minded artistic souls. The book opens with Eleanor reeling from the dramatic end of her longstanding relationship with solicitor (lawyer) Mark, after he admitted to misbehaving with a stripper during a stag night with friends. Meanwhile, Eleanor's younger sister Charlie is appearing onstage in an independent theatrical production, which she's hoping will restart her flagging career. She's becoming increasingly infatuated with the play's director, Helen, who also happens to be her housemate.
"Conformity, Eleanor thought, was depressingly inevitable. All these people - baring their unique individual snowflakeness in the fearless flash of naked cheeks, nipples, chests - looked, to her, interchangeable. (p. 77)A series of drunken and drug-fuelled parties and hungover trips to the beach lead to interrelationships between the characters becoming somewhat tangled, bringing Eleanor and Charlie's different approaches to life into a type of conflict they've never had to deal with before. One plotline of deception unfolds over the course of the narrative, while another lurks below the surface, hinted at, but not revealed in its entirety until a confrontation late in the book.
"After all, a story only becomes a secret when there's someone to keep it from." (p. 181)As readers, we're presented with a sticky moral conundrum: to what extent should we allow self actualisation - following our heart's desire - to eclipse our feelings of protectiveness and obligation towards our closest family members?
"Her unhappiness - although, infuriatingly, she was happy - her unease, then, was a price she wanted to pay. It was her only evidence of a conscience. If she did terrible things, at least she felt bad about them." (p. 180)I became much more engaged with the characters and their stories in the second half of the book, and ultimately found this a thought-provoking read. The style and attendant gravitas of 's prose is evident, despite the subject matter often feeling a little lightweight. Recommended for readers of contemporary Australian fiction and higher-brow "chick-lit".
April 12, 2023
This was the most perfect book I have read in my life, and easily topples Normal People for its beautiful, poetic, tragic stories of love. I felt every sentence so deeply. Diana Reid captures sisterhood, lying, and relationships between women so fully � it’s like she’s in my head. The characters are psychodynamically complex yet completely understandable. You can’t help but to love them.
I cannot praise this book enough, and frankly I can’t wait to read it again. If you like Sally Rooney, this book needs to be your next read.
I cannot praise this book enough, and frankly I can’t wait to read it again. If you like Sally Rooney, this book needs to be your next read.
December 4, 2022
Rich young white people having dramatic relationship moments on Sydney beaches, written in a vaguely Sally Rooney-like fashion.
January 15, 2023
2.5 - meh
August 29, 2022
My review is published in the September edition of GoodReading magazine.
December 7, 2022
Having finished Seeing Other People, I’m left feeling intrigued and hopeful about Diana Reid’s other work - despite not being blown away by this one.
On being compared to Sally Rooney, Reid has said that she loved how the critical and commercial success of Normal People validated the portrayal of normal, ordinary lives and normal, ordinary dramas as subjects worthy of literary interest. This is something I can relate to. Stories 'about nothing', when done well, can be some of the most profound of all. So, ostensibly, Seeing Other People is supposed to be relatable.
Spoilers, but I just couldn’t get past the premise of this book. Seeing Other People should have been called “Seeing the Same People As Your Sister (Knowingly, and Behind Her Back, as if That’s Something Normal People with a Healthy Sibling Relationship Would Ever Do)�.
Older sister Eleanor works a more traditional job in law and lives with a roommate, while younger sister Charlie is an aspiring actress, lives in a sharehouse, and takes a lot of drugs. These are important facts to know because they’re almost all we get in terms of unique characterisation; at times, Eleanor and Charlie’s personalities are so indistinguishable that I had trouble telling their dialogue apart. Also, Eleanor and Charlie’s divorced parents make about two appearances each (to match their two dimensions). Charlie barely interacts with either of them, which is supposed to be indicative of her ‘wild child� status, I guess.
After breaking up with boyfriend Mark following a confession of cheating, Eleanor conducts a relationship with Charlie’s director and casual love interest, Helen. Except nothing about Charlie’s feelings are casual, which Eleanor and Helen obviously know, seeing as they deliberately keep their relationship a secret from her - until they fall in love and decide she needs to know, at which point, Eleanor tells Charlie a half-truth about the genesis of their relationship, and in what seems to be a weird act of revenge, Charlie reveals that she was the person Mark cheated on Eleanor with.
Seeing Other People just neglected some of the most fascinating, raw, juicy, difficult parts of the sibling (specifically sister) dynamic that I would have thought would be RIPE for literary analysis, in favour of� everything I outlined above. There are a couple of asides throughout the book that reference Charlie being the "prettier" sister, Eleanor being "softer, taking up more space" - as the nerdy, less (shall we say) conventionally attractive sibling with a beautiful, athletic dancer for a sister, I have no idea why this wasn't expanded on in any meaningful way. I do wonder whether Diana Reid has a sister, or chatted with any friends who are sisters in the research phase for this novel.
It's a shame, because I really enjoyed some of the other, less central elements of this novel. The setting, the strong, distinctly Australian voice, the feeling of identity, and Reid's ability to so precisely capture a specific time and place were all admirable. However, when so much of the central conflict concerns characters you find utterly unbelievable, the rest just kind of... falls apart. Still, I would definitely give Diana Reid's next project another go, or maybe I'll go back and finally read Love & Virtue.
On being compared to Sally Rooney, Reid has said that she loved how the critical and commercial success of Normal People validated the portrayal of normal, ordinary lives and normal, ordinary dramas as subjects worthy of literary interest. This is something I can relate to. Stories 'about nothing', when done well, can be some of the most profound of all. So, ostensibly, Seeing Other People is supposed to be relatable.
Spoilers, but I just couldn’t get past the premise of this book. Seeing Other People should have been called “Seeing the Same People As Your Sister (Knowingly, and Behind Her Back, as if That’s Something Normal People with a Healthy Sibling Relationship Would Ever Do)�.
Older sister Eleanor works a more traditional job in law and lives with a roommate, while younger sister Charlie is an aspiring actress, lives in a sharehouse, and takes a lot of drugs. These are important facts to know because they’re almost all we get in terms of unique characterisation; at times, Eleanor and Charlie’s personalities are so indistinguishable that I had trouble telling their dialogue apart. Also, Eleanor and Charlie’s divorced parents make about two appearances each (to match their two dimensions). Charlie barely interacts with either of them, which is supposed to be indicative of her ‘wild child� status, I guess.
After breaking up with boyfriend Mark following a confession of cheating, Eleanor conducts a relationship with Charlie’s director and casual love interest, Helen. Except nothing about Charlie’s feelings are casual, which Eleanor and Helen obviously know, seeing as they deliberately keep their relationship a secret from her - until they fall in love and decide she needs to know, at which point, Eleanor tells Charlie a half-truth about the genesis of their relationship, and in what seems to be a weird act of revenge, Charlie reveals that she was the person Mark cheated on Eleanor with.
Seeing Other People just neglected some of the most fascinating, raw, juicy, difficult parts of the sibling (specifically sister) dynamic that I would have thought would be RIPE for literary analysis, in favour of� everything I outlined above. There are a couple of asides throughout the book that reference Charlie being the "prettier" sister, Eleanor being "softer, taking up more space" - as the nerdy, less (shall we say) conventionally attractive sibling with a beautiful, athletic dancer for a sister, I have no idea why this wasn't expanded on in any meaningful way. I do wonder whether Diana Reid has a sister, or chatted with any friends who are sisters in the research phase for this novel.
It's a shame, because I really enjoyed some of the other, less central elements of this novel. The setting, the strong, distinctly Australian voice, the feeling of identity, and Reid's ability to so precisely capture a specific time and place were all admirable. However, when so much of the central conflict concerns characters you find utterly unbelievable, the rest just kind of... falls apart. Still, I would definitely give Diana Reid's next project another go, or maybe I'll go back and finally read Love & Virtue.
November 5, 2022
Savoured every moment of this one. I almost wish I had slowed down just to have enjoyed it over a longer time frame.
Gorgeously written, with rich characters whose motivations you often question but still sympathise with. There were many moments where I said "awh noooooo why would you DO that", out loud, so twisting and turning is the story. Definitely going to wait expectantly for Diana Reid's next one.
Gorgeously written, with rich characters whose motivations you often question but still sympathise with. There were many moments where I said "awh noooooo why would you DO that", out loud, so twisting and turning is the story. Definitely going to wait expectantly for Diana Reid's next one.
October 22, 2022
2.5
Sorry but just boring characters and such small scale early 20s drama.
Sorry but just boring characters and such small scale early 20s drama.
October 11, 2023
⭐️3.5⭐️
by was the perfect summer read, lots of Aussie vibes and a story about complicated relationships and selfishness. There’s heaps of deceit and secrets aplenty, the characters are frustrating and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next!
There are themes of a queer love triangle, sisterhood, self absorbed characters, domestic drama and beach scenes, the writing is engaging and raw.
Our protagonists are, sisters Eleanor and Charlie who are in their twenties and nothing alike as we follow the explosive drama in their relationships. Charlie is an aspiring actress looking for love and Eleanor is about to become single. There’s a twist involving Eleanor’s boyfriend Charlie that I picked, l wonder if you will too.
How much suffering might you be prepared to cause, if you wanted something enough?
If you love dark sharp wit and character driven complex relationships over plot in a story you’ll love this book. Many readers are comparing this to an Aussie version reminiscent of Sally Rooney’s Normal People.
Publication Date September 2023
Publisher Ultimo Press
It was fun participating in the Read-Along and difficult to not jump ahead. A big thanks to the wonderful team at Ultimo Press for organising and for a copy of the book which has been recently released in its new format.
by was the perfect summer read, lots of Aussie vibes and a story about complicated relationships and selfishness. There’s heaps of deceit and secrets aplenty, the characters are frustrating and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next!
There are themes of a queer love triangle, sisterhood, self absorbed characters, domestic drama and beach scenes, the writing is engaging and raw.
Our protagonists are, sisters Eleanor and Charlie who are in their twenties and nothing alike as we follow the explosive drama in their relationships. Charlie is an aspiring actress looking for love and Eleanor is about to become single. There’s a twist involving Eleanor’s boyfriend Charlie that I picked, l wonder if you will too.
How much suffering might you be prepared to cause, if you wanted something enough?
If you love dark sharp wit and character driven complex relationships over plot in a story you’ll love this book. Many readers are comparing this to an Aussie version reminiscent of Sally Rooney’s Normal People.
Publication Date September 2023
Publisher Ultimo Press
It was fun participating in the Read-Along and difficult to not jump ahead. A big thanks to the wonderful team at Ultimo Press for organising and for a copy of the book which has been recently released in its new format.
November 1, 2022
Usually I leave a star review with no comment and move on. However I feel I have to explain my two-star rating.
This book infuriated me, particularly the depiction of the sister relationship. While some of the interactions between Eleanor and Charlie rang true, the “love quadrangle� came across as entirely unrealistic. While I know there are many forms of familial relationships, this story line was beyond belief. To switch partners and both conveniently have their own betrayal left me gobsmacked. Aside from this aspect, it felt like the book was trying to pack in a lot of different themes, without sufficiently going into depth on any of them.
I really enjoy Diana Reid’s writing and this won’t stop me from reading her future work. This book, however, felt rushed through to follow on from the huge success of her debut. I wouldn’t recommend.
This book infuriated me, particularly the depiction of the sister relationship. While some of the interactions between Eleanor and Charlie rang true, the “love quadrangle� came across as entirely unrealistic. While I know there are many forms of familial relationships, this story line was beyond belief. To switch partners and both conveniently have their own betrayal left me gobsmacked. Aside from this aspect, it felt like the book was trying to pack in a lot of different themes, without sufficiently going into depth on any of them.
I really enjoy Diana Reid’s writing and this won’t stop me from reading her future work. This book, however, felt rushed through to follow on from the huge success of her debut. I wouldn’t recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2022
Oh man I’m not sure if I disliked this so much because it was predictable, or because the voice in the audiobook always sounded like she was in on some joke that I didn’t get. I was bored and became really tired of hearing the characters names - cringe - I found this story so irritating and I can’t decide if that’s a me problem (current mood) or a problem with the writing but it didn’t make me think, reflect or feel anything other than annoyance.
January 11, 2023
Really disliked Charlie as a character. Not a big fan of having theory and social philosophy in books - it reminds me too much of uni and I find it to be unnecessary and not relaxing. Not my cup of tea but enjoyed it more than I thought I would
June 4, 2023
Beautiful prose, lacking plot that maybe had more ambition than it achieved. While the setting descriptions and observations of character were exceptional, the role of “observer� didn’t really work when it was all three voices. Everyone was very observant of each other, and they all talked exactly the same, which was a reminder that Diana Reid probably hadn’t ever spoken to anyone who didn’t go to University of Sydney. Whilst the moral and philosophical basis for this came out strong, emotion came out weak and I found myself wondering if anyone really cared about anything in this book or if that was too “indulgent� for them.
I did like that the characters weren’t all in arts or journalism/media, that was refreshing. And the prose and humour was exceptional. Despite every minor flaw, she’s still my favourite author. I’d read her grocery list, and I’ll preorder her next book before it’s even announced.
I did like that the characters weren’t all in arts or journalism/media, that was refreshing. And the prose and humour was exceptional. Despite every minor flaw, she’s still my favourite author. I’d read her grocery list, and I’ll preorder her next book before it’s even announced.
January 30, 2023
Pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Reid’s writing. Her fine rendition on share house living made me miss those years of my own life.
December 3, 2023
right person wrong time type beat, easy to read, -1 for being mildly incestuous, +1 for gay
October 12, 2022
Diana Reid has once again managed to write a novel that captures the exact feelings of experiences I have had in my life. Seeing Other People felt so familiar, like I was reading a memory. Also the first novel I have read that describes post lockdown life, a very strange experience. One of my top reads this year so far, I miss my sharehouse :(((((
December 26, 2023
this was gorgeous! diana reid's writing is perfection- I truly envy her ability to articulate the every day in a way that's so simplistic yet precise. I do wish certain parts of the book were allowed more time to marinate, but by and large, this was a wonderful read 😌
February 5, 2023
Perfect summer read� I said what I said
January 23, 2023
In the style of Sally Rooney this is a book with, for me, unlikable characters at its heart. In this case two sisters who are busy undermining each others relationships.
I picked this book up as it seemed to be everywhere. Every bookshop had it in its top and/or most popular reads. The reviews were glowing! I'm afraid it was not for me. The characters were so one dimensional and the story totally predictable. As for "darkly funny" .... hmm.
I picked this book up as it seemed to be everywhere. Every bookshop had it in its top and/or most popular reads. The reviews were glowing! I'm afraid it was not for me. The characters were so one dimensional and the story totally predictable. As for "darkly funny" .... hmm.
February 3, 2023
3.5 A well-written summer read, but I just didn’t buy the sister dynamic. I have never met any siblings with a relationship like that and found it hard to accept throughout the book. I’m excited to see what Diana Reid writes next.
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