Author(s): Diana Reid

Fiction | Emily's Book Talkers

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.  

CONSTANT READER STAFF REVIEW: EMILY

This unapologetically Australian novel is sure to be enjoyed by a wide range of audiences, but I would argue it is a must-read for young women in their 20s.

Seeing Other People follows two sisters in a post-pandemic world as they navigate careers, relationships and family dynamics on the backdrop of an Australian summer. As their lives intertwine and desires clash, the lines between self-love and selfishness are increasingly blurred. Reid poses moralistic questions without becoming preachy, and leaves space for the reader to make up their own mind. Are the sisters bad people? Or are their decisions merely flawed?

Reid is able to ask these questions while keeping her characters deeply relatable, with sharp dialogue and messy situations. There’s also something so comforting about the familiar neighbourhoods of Sydney so lovingly described in her books. If you favour deep character studies over plot-heavy books, this is the one for you.