Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Feb 2022
320 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Two American ex-pats obsessed with the Amanda Knox trial find themselves at the nexus of murder and celebrity in glittering late-aughts Berlin in this "hugely entertaining" (the New York Times) debut with a wicked sense of humor.
Hoping to escape the pain of the recent murder of her best friend, art student Zoe Beech finds herself studying abroad in the bohemian capital of Europe—Berlin. Rudderless, Zoe relies on the arrangements of fellow exchange student Hailey Mader, who idolizes Warhol and Britney Spears and wants nothing more than to be an art star.
When Hailey stumbles on a posting for a high-ceilinged, prewar sublet by well-known thriller writer Beatrice Becks, the girls snap it up. They soon spend their nights twisting through Berlin's club scene and their days hungover. But are they being watched? Convinced that Beatrice intends to use their lives as inspiration for her next novel, Hailey vows to craft main-character-worthy personas. They begin hosting a decadent weekly nightclub in the apartment, finally gaining the notoriety they've been craving. Everyone wants an invitation to "Beatrice's." As the year unravels and events spiral out of control, they begin to wonder whose story they are living—and how it will end.
Other People's Clothes brilliantly illuminates the sometimes dangerous intensity of female friendships, as well as offering an unforgettable window into millennial life and the lengths people will go to in order to eradicate emotional pain.
"Henkel masterfully brings every inch of Hailey and Zoe's world to life with her live-wire prose...But what truly pushes the plot forward is the obsessive, psychologically damaging friendship between Zoe and Hailey...Though the book's middle grows a little long and unwieldy, its specter of mystery is tantalizing and will keep readers captive till the final page. Absorbing and electric." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"[E]ngrossing...The antics grow increasingly outlandish, but Henkel shines with her wry, well-observed portrait of the artist. In the end, this offers an intelligent dissection of the insatiable appetite for dead girl stories." - Publishers Weekly
"A propulsive portrait of obsession and paranoia, set against the backdrop of late-aughts Berlin. Pop-culture references abound, none of the characters can be trusted, and twists and turns are both abundant and shocking. Readers who appreciate stories about the dark side of women's friendships, such as Social Creature (2018) by Tara Isabella Burton, will devour Zoe's twisted tale." - Booklist
"Hugely entertaining." - New York Times
"[A] very good plot-driven thriller dressed in a glittery jumpsuit. The story is multilayered, touching on sex, female friendship, queerness, Berlin nightlife, drugs, celebrity culture and art." - The Guardian (UK)
"Sharply observed and very funny...As the story unfolds into a coming-of-age murder mystery with a highbrow spin, Calla Henkel cleverly manipulates expectations to build tension until the very end." - Times Literary Supplement (UK)
"Calla Henkel's Other People's Clothes is darkly funny, psychologically rich and utterly addictive. I couldn't stop turning the pages as this witty, harrowing tale of twisty female friendships, slippery identity and furtive secrets unfolded. This is a debut you won't want to miss." - Megan Abbott, author of The Turnout
"Other People's Clothes feels like reading a thriller by your most acerbic friend—the friend you're not sure you trust but who tells the best jokes and who has the best hair. The tingle of acid is sweetened by a loving look at the hungers that run through young women." - Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Harmless Like You and Starling Days
This information about Other People's Clothes was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Calla Henkel is a writer, playwright, director, and artist who lives and works in Berlin. Her work with Max Pitegoff has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including the Whitney Museum of Art, and she currently operates a bar, performance space and film studio called TV in Berlin. Other People's Clothes is her debut novel.
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