You could be forgiven for not recognising Eleanor and Charlie as sisters. Their lives are poles apart. Eleanor is analytical, while Charlie is pure emotion. You could almost say that Eleanor is pragmatic, bordering on pessimistic, while Charlie is optimistic. Their jobs reflect these characteristics. Eleanor works at a prestigious consulting firm, while Charlie is an actress. Inevitably, Charlie has always been the ‘cool’ sister. Both sisters love the same woman.
It is when Eleanor starts seeing Helen secretly behind Charlie’s back that a triangle is formed and so many paths, moral and ethical, spring to life. There is also a second triangle. Charlie has been emailing Mark, Eleanor’s ex-boyfriend, for the entire time of the relationship, exchanging personal, private details and deep emotions. It opens even more scrupulous paths.
The strength of Seeing Other People is the relationships between siblings and lovers and what happens when they intersect and are brought into the same sphere of friendship and family.
Although this is primarily the sisters’ story, Helen is almost a third protagonist, integral to the story and another wonderful character.
This novel is beautifully written. Diana Reid has the gift of writing prose. It flows so smoothly and is such a joy to read. I know Reid has been compared to Sally Rooney and, while I am a Rooney fan, having read all her books, I think Reid’s two novels are just as good.
I hope that Reid goes on to become a prolific writer because I simply love reading her books. Brilliant!
Reviewed by Neale Lucas
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