(1981), Martin Amis’s fourth novel, pursues the concern with doubles evident in his second and third novels,
Dead Babies(1975) and
Success(1978), but also marks six intriguing, interrelated new departures. In
Dead Babiesthe double was that of the veneered Quentin and the vicious Johnny, who turned out to be the same person; in
Success, the doubles were foster-brothers, the uncouth Terry and the urbane Gregory, who exchanged qualities as the novel proceeded, and their two damaged and doomed sisters, Terry’s sister Rosie and Gregory’s sister Ursula. In
Other Peoplethe protagonist, who bears some likeness, in her vulnerability and incapacity, to the two sisters in
Success, is a young woman apparently suffering from amnesia who assumes the name of Mary…
5024 words
Citation: Tredell, Nicolas. "Other People". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 May 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=10624, accessed 26 November 2024.]
