Other People's Fun cover art

Other People's Fun

A wickedly funny literary thriller for the Instagram age

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About this listen

 From the author of Alys, Always and Her

'The perfect lesson in backstabbing. Bitchy, sly and twisty' Claire Fuller
'Brilliant, clever, such a pleasure to read' Marian Keyes
'A one-sitting read steeped in tension and unease' Red

If someone wants to be seen - and oh, how they want to be seen - then someone has to watch.

Ruth is alone, unnoticed and at a loss: her marriage has ended, her daughter is leaving home and her job is leading nowhere.

But luckily Sookie is back in her life - vivid, self-assured Sookie, who never spared the time for Ruth when they were teenagers, but who now seems to want to be friends. What could possibly go wrong?

As Ruth becomes caught up in Sookie's life, she sees that everything is not as simple and Instagrammable as Sookie would have you believe. But what has that got to do with Ruth - and what can she do about it?

Other People's Fun is a novel about modern life and the lies we tell our neighbours, friends, families and selves through the hall of mirrors that is social media. Filled with Harriet Lane's trademark creeping unease and forensic observation, this marks the long-awaited return of the mistress of literary suspense.©2017 Harriet Lane Friendship Genre Fiction Relationships Suspense Thriller & Suspense

Critic reviews

Brilliant, clever, such a pleasure to read . . . Her writing is as sharp as a scalpel and her judgement is savage (this is not a criticism) (Marian Keyes)
Flint-sharp . . . You will howl with satisfaction
My greatest cause for rejoicing was a new novel from Harriet Lane . . . Funny, creepy and unputdownable
The perfect lesson in backstabbing. Bitchy, sly, and twisty - what a ride (Claire Fuller)
An elegant psychodrama with a twist of Billy Wilder - and a witty satire of Insta-lifestyle narcissism and the envy economy. Will be a poolside page turner (Peter Bradshaw)
Chilling, witty and unputdownable - a superb revenge drama that peels away the facades of social media (Lissa Evans)
Lane's novel leans on its writing and characterisation, which are tight, precise, well observed
Sharp and observant . . . The ending is so perfectly taut that I read the last few pages through my fingers
Lane is able to summon a character or relationship with impressive brevity . . . I can think of few final scenes as barbaric as that of Other People's Fun, and not a drop of blood is spilled
Lane returns with a tense, sharply observed novel of class, social media and manipulation, simmering with quiet dread
A perceptive and addictive tale from the always brilliant Harriet Lane
Thrilling, sharp, and hugely interesting. Like Jean Rhys and Patricia Highsmith, Harriet Lane writes with a gripping, inexorable sense of tension. Other People's Fun is very smart and darkly funny, a brilliant take on displacement, envy, and artifice. I couldn't put it down (Flynn Berry)
Waspishly funny, acutely perceptive . . . A brilliant novel you'll want to pass to all your friends
Oh my goodness, absolutely gripping. One of the most captivatingly insightful writers I have ever read, she perceives and effortlessly describes the billion and one things that subliminally irritate in daily life and in the most deliciously bitchy way. She discerns *everything*! Riveting and fabulously entertaining (Leyla Sanai)
Spiky and atmospheric. A smartly-observed meditation on self-presentation and female friendships (Sarah Harman)
I adored this deliciously wicked satire on the narcissistic, entitled and sanctimonious side of elite middle-class life. It's brilliantly witty and stingingly sharp, with all too recognisable people, places and products tied up in a much sadder if suspenseful story. It reminded me of both Anita Brookner and Saltburn as a tale of what privilege and luck look like to those who feel deprived of it. Other People's Fun deserves every success (Amanda Craig)
The Jane Austen of the Instagram age on brilliant form (Julie Burchill)
I routinely check some authors to see if they have a new book out - and Harriet Lane is one of them . . . If you loved Notes on a Scandal, then this is for you
All stars
Most relevant
Sorry but this was a non starter. It had such potential but I wasn’t engaged and didn’t care about any of the characters. It was dull and disappointing.

The narrator was good apart from the lisp given to one of the characters. No issue with that, but it sounded really fake, like a child.

Nothing happens!

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It just reminded me of going out with the Mums or being at bookclub and hearing all the stuff that’s going on but at the same time there’s absolutely no investment as you don’t know who the people are

I understand it’s probably an indication of the shallowness of some of the conversations we have, but I stopped listening I did about 3 hours on audible which i think is a good go at a book.

Like being at book club but you don’t know the people

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What happens when the facade of friendship does awry? Felt like rubber-necking all the way through. Shame the audible got stuck so no chapters were shown/pausing set me back to the same chapter each time.

Astutely awkward

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Nothing at all happens in this story. Main character’s, ‘friend’ has a really annoying voice.
Stuck with it thinking something would happen.

Sookie’s voice

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Beyond boring. Biggest pile of nonsensical drivel. Meaningless moaning monologue
Not at all interesting no idea what it is about

Biggest pile of nonsensical drivel

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