Other People

Other People

3.35 of 5 stars 3.35  ·  rating details  ·  769 ratings  ·  50 reviews
She wakes in an emergency room in a London hospital, to a voice that tells her: "You're on your own now. Take care. Be good." She has no knowledge of her name, her past, or even her species. It takes her a while to realize that she is human -- and that the beings who threaten, befriend, and violate her are other people. Some of whom seem to know all about her.

In this eerie...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Published February 8th 1994 by Vintage (first published 1981)
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Community Reviews

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R.
Jan 01, 2008 R. rated it 5 of 5 stars
Shelves: 2008
Oh, Martin. Really. This...this is murder. You're killing me, Marty. You're simply killing me.
*
How can Martin Amis do this to me? To me? How can he write such beautiful prose that keeps me home on New Years Eve? You know, this book is really the most honest book I've ever read about those people. You know who. Other people. That's right. That's exactly right.
*
There are two typos of people, here. Us and them. Divvy up into two types of the two types. Us and them, the dailies, the averages. And u...more
Eleanor
Other People by Martin Amis is an unsolvable mystery. To fully understand everything that occurs in this novel, and the meaning implied by such events, warrants several readings. Yet, once finished with it there is a strong voice screaming in the reader's mind, "I don't ever want to go back to the world that Martin Amis portrays!" Amis writes a very gritty depiction of people and human nature. The book is split into two parts. The first is the third person novel, following the life and survival...more
James
My rating for the book goes down the longer I think about it. I picked this one up at the same time as Daphne Du Maurier's "The Scapegoat" and was really surprised to find the two books, so very different in many ways, extraordinarily similiar in structure and what they offer the reader. Both rely on "finding the hidden/lost story" to create suspense and both offer the reader a set up, stock anti-hero in such a way the reader can identify with his/her glamour and sanctimoniously judge him or her...more
Bistra Ivanova
Няма да се хабя много за тази книга. Сюжета го пише на задната корица, ама кой да чете: "Една млада жена се събужда в болнична стая със съвършено празна памет. Но това не е обикновена амнезия - тя е забравила не само миналото си, но от съзнанието й са изтрити всички представи за света и хората. В опознаването им и в търсенето на своята самоличност тя се сблъсква със злото в чист вид - наоколо и в себе си."

Цялото нещо ми напомни на "Жюстин или неволите на добродетелта" на Маркиза дьо Сад, но по...more
Evelyn
Other People is a novel that goes through various stages. Mary, the central character, awakes in a white hospital type room, not knowing who she is, where she is or what has happened to her. I got an atmosphere of being in a different world and perhaps my strong liking of Sci-Fi/dystopias tried to link the two together but this was something else and quickly evaporated into the next stage. For the most part, we follow Mary as she stumbles around, meeting new people who take advantage of her and...more
Alice
As I often find when Martin Amis's fiction.. I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It is at times deeply, DEEPLY disturbing. The actions of many of the characters are really pretty abhorrant.. and I often felt like I needed a wash after putting this down. And yet I couldn't stop reading it! The mystery at the heart of this novel pulled me in and I wanted to know what had happened to this woman.. unfortunately you don't exactly get ALL the answers. It probably does need another read to pick up...more
Norton Stone
The start may put people off as it floats around without any sort of anchor. Reading the book from back to front would help considerably. Amis is always a double dividend sort of writer in that the story can easily be sidelined as you admire his language and sentence construction. Occasionally I have found him to be a bit of a smart Alec, (House of Meetings was so full of big word hurdles it disrupted the read) however in this Amis strikes a good balance and if you can put aside your eagerness t...more
Akinoiro/Lamora
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Russell George
Amis is a stylish writer who at times drifts into self-indulgence, but this is a compelling book. It’s the story of a girl, Mary Lamb, who has lost her memory, and after apparently coming out of a coma drifts in a dream-like state through the sordid and unhappy streets of London, her dark past apparently locked away. It’s a metaphysical tale, in that the people Mary meets are all various forms of grotesque, grossly self-consumed in contrast to her child-like trust. This means that, as a reader,...more
schmiss
This is, in my opinion, Martin Amis's most underrated work. Published long before his more celebrated masterpieces, it is the product of a writer who is experimenting with his power but fully comfortable in his own voice. The protagonist "Mary Lamb" has no idea who she is -- has no idea who or what anything is -- and like almost all of Amis's characters, lives in a world of dualities and counterparts. Except, as we soon learn, her counterpart is the phantom of her past self; and by the time Mary...more
Dan
Dec 02, 2009 Dan rated it 3 of 5 stars
Shelves: novels
A woman wakes up with no memory of her past and no idea who she is. Amnesia. But this is not the amnesia of soap operas; the loss of memory represented in this book goes far beyond forgetting one’s name and address. Most of the narrative is from the woman’s point of view, and because she does not know where she wakes up, we do not either. We do know that it is in a building, and her mention of gurneys and people in white coats suggests that it is a hospital of some sort. Somehow she gets out of...more
Jonfaith
Other People isn't a tale of Visitation. The just sleep of the Elect isn't to be shattered by ghostly moralizing. The world of our entitlement is instead simply upended, allowing the dark bits to pour to the fore. London is revealed through a Ballardian lens. Colors and smells are enhanced, but thinking is pruned, reduced to Money, Sex Death.

The title refers to Hell. We harbor such within. It is nursed at our breast. Martin Amis is astonishing.
Mat Ranson
When any artist is capable of creating a world and immersing you in it, their work is worth engaging with. Other People conjures a distinctly British microcosm very well, populating it with striking characters and a dark, sinister tone. In this novel's world Other People is the relationship between British society, mental health, money and survival.

This was my first book by Amis and I knew a lot about him before I read any of his stories. I feel this was a good start.
Amy Plum
The whole "complete amnesia to the point where you barely know how to walk" was fascinating, and I loved the way it was described in the beginning. The following exploration of identity was interesting. And the last couple of chapters reminded me a little of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance."

Overall, it's one of those books that I know was good for me, mind-stretching and all, but left me a little cold in the end. I love Martin Amis, though, and will keep plowing through his entire rep...more
Mike
I'm not sure what happened, but whatever it was, damn was it good. And I think I have a new author to unearth in Martin Amis.

It takes a special writer to take you inside the mind of an amnesiac, drag you along as she discovers a world of clouds and dogs and prostitutes and alcoholics, then slowly reveal layers of a mysterious backstory you don't want to know and really wish weren't true. "When the past is forgotten, the present is unforgettable"
James Metcalf
Although this isn't Amis' best work, I did enjoy it. As usual his poetic and teasing prose leaves everything until the last minute and reveals nothing until he has to, and this plot is something quite different. A good novel.
Jennifer Smith
When I started reading it I found a receipt inside. I had bought it in 1995 at the Anchorage Airport. Glad that I finally dusted it off and read it! Amis has a wonderful way of viewing things and writing sparingly. I have his "London Fields" also on my bookshelf and am more encouraged to pick it up and start reading it!
Matt Carl
As usual I appreciated Amis' darkly descriptive style. I think every writer has to do an amnesia story, and Amis brings it off well...though I won't pretend I understood the typically ambiguous ending.
MJ Nicholls
When Moby released Animal Rights in 1996, people didn’t know where to look. The mild-mannered pioneer of electronica and ambient instrumentals was screaming his lungs out over too many overdubbed guitar solos in a sincere attempt to emulate his mate Billy Corgan. People cringed listening to the record. Imagine how his friends and family reacted. “Do you like my new album?” And a mass shuffling of feet occurred. Martin Amis faces this experience from book to book. This isn’t a recent phenomenon....more
grainnemcmahon
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Marina
Romanzo ben scritto ma troppo inquietante, almeno per il momento in cui l'ho letto io... Qui un commento: http://sonnenbarke.wordpress.com/2006...
Michelle
My first Amis book and my first read of 2010 was a lucky pick. The story is a twisted tale of a woman suffering from amnesia and struggling to survive in the world. The story itself and the narration was very black and darkly humorous. I felt guilty about laughing sometimes, but the misogyny was so overpronounced I couldn't help but laugh at its ridiculousness and I'm sure that was Amis' intent. I have been on a run lately of reading books that take place in London -- I've always had a soft spot...more
Shannon
It started so promising! But then I couldn't wait to be finished with it. Glad it was short; any longer and I would have ditched it.
Odeiliablack
I was very confused for most of this book, but in a way that felt like I was discovering something. I still don't know what it was.
Kelly
I haven't read any Amis before (father or son). Perhaps I will start with this one.
Sarah
Mar 29, 2009 Sarah marked it as to-read
I don't care what Greg says ; ), I'm intrigued by this book.
Tzeck
Сюжет, обещаващ много. История, даваща прекалено малко.
Keith Miller
Other People by Martin Amis (1994)
Lianna
Can anyone explain to me what happened?
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Other People: a Mystery Story (Paperback)
Other People: A Mystery Story (Paperback)
Altra gente. Un racconto del mistero (Paperback)
Other People (Hardcover)
Os outros

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Martin Amis is an English novelist, essayist and short story writer. His works include the novels Money, London Fields and The Information.

The Guardian writes that "all his critics have noted what Kingsley Amis [his father] complained of as a 'terrible compulsive vividness in his style... that constant demonstrating of his command of English'; and it's true that the Amis-ness of Amis will be recog...more
More about Martin Amis...
Money Time's Arrow London Fields The Rachel Papers The Information

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“Life is made of fear. Some people eat fear soup three times a day. Some people eat fear soup all the meals there are. I eat it sometimes. When they bring me fear soup to eat, I try not to eat it, I try to send it back. But sometimes I'm too afraid to and have to eat it anyway.” 88 people liked it
“When the past is forgotten, the present is unforgettable” 66 people liked it
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