Other Women: Emma Flint

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The man I fictionalise as Tom Ryan got newspaper headlines, hours of courtroom time, people prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt – and one hundred years later, it’s still too often the male perpetrators of abuse that news report focus on; it’s their stories that we read. The sense of place and the traditions of the era are done superbly. The treatment of women, especially unmarried women, and the almost film-star status given to a man purely because of his looks is wonderfully portrayed. Along with the tea rooms of London, the department stores and the mechanisms of the 1920s office environment, it's a joy to discover. This is the rather straightforward story of the murder of 37-year old Beatrice that occurred in London in 1924.

The continued existence of libraries in our modern world seems like a miracle to me. We must protect what they offer: access to centuries of knowledge, to different cultures, different histories, different ways of thinking and expressing ideas. Just as important as what they offer is what they represent: escape, quiet contemplation, and the importance of telling stories. I was also completely swept along by how authentic the historical setting felt, without ever once questioning how it was being done, such was the lightness of touch. No spoilers, but I feel I can also say that this novel has the best use of an author's note I've ever seen. For two days now, this has been one of the first things I've thought about on waking.

In 2017, I read Emma Flint's "Little Deaths", a fictionalized true crime account of a New York waitress falsely accused of murdering her two young children in the 1960s. La nostra protagonista è segretaria in un’azienda londinese, vive in una piccola stanza di un convitto femminile e il suo unico legame familiare è rappresentato dalla sorella, sposata ad un uomo importante nel Kent. It’s six years since the end of the Great War and the ladies in the typing pool eagerly anticipate the arrival of new employee Mr Thomas Ryan. As he walks in he smiles at Beatrice Cade and that smile sure does something to her! Beatrice is 37, unmarried and lives in a ladies club in Bloomsbury. Then there’s Kate Ryan, Thomas’ wife who presents a good face to the world of the state of their marriage, in particular to their daughter Judith. This is an extremely dramatic, well written story of a love triangle with the focus being on the impact of it on both women. It’s told in alternating perspectives by Beatrice in the third person and by Kate in the first which makes for a fascinating contrast. The tension grows throughout the book until it's almost unbearable. This is a book that will stay with you.

We follow the stories of Beatrice who is a single woman in her thirties who falls for the charms of a married man, and of Kate Thomas, his wife. Other Women was researched and written in libraries around London, and some the most joyful moments of its creation took place in libraries. It’s a privilege to have been chosen by librarians and readers, and to be able to say thank you.” Get involved I found the tone and pace of the novel drew me in from the start, bringing me into the drama of love, passion and obsession. It was interesting how Flint almost challenges the reader to judge the women from the typical male gaze of society in the first half of the book which swiftly changes when we get to the second part of the book and we soon discover the prejudices laid against the women and the control men asserted in the 1930s.Other Women is an immersive read and a book I could hardly bear to put down. This is an author with a talent for characterisation and scene setting, and her ear for authentic dialogue is sharp and true. This is historical crime fiction, but its message still rings loud and clear 100 years on, within the tandem narratives of two women wronged by a master manipulator. Dowdy, easily dismissed spinster Bea and dutiful wife and mother Kate are given equal billing here and neither of them should be taken for granted. They are women with surprising depths – in stark contrast to the conniving but shallow Tom Ryan. Set in the early 1920s, this clever mix of romance, thriller and courtroom drama proves love and heartbreak never ages, whatever the era. * Woman & Home * Tune in to the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show to hear the live feature on Tuesday 7 March. You will also be able to listen to the full-length interview on BBC Sounds. Emma Flint reworks the details of a notorious historical murder and unspools the fate of her three entirely convincing main characters. * Daily Mail *