The Other Profile - by Irene Graziosi (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A brilliant and darkly funny story of a friendship and its unraveling, and a powerful examination on the disruptive impact of social media on our lives

Once an ambitious and promising student at an elite university in Paris, Maia is now 26, living in Milan, and stuck in a dead-end job at a cafe and a dysfunctional relationship with an older man. Until one day her life seems to change: thanks to a friend's recommendation, and despite not knowing anything about social media, she is hired to work for Gloria, an 18-year-old influencer with millions of followers.

Slowly, Maia understands that her disdain for the world of influencers is precisely why she was chosen for the job: as an outsider, Maia can keep Gloria grounded, tethered to reality--remind her that the image she projects online is only an illusion.

As the two women weave a complex and intense relationship, however, it is Maia's life that starts to unravel. Exposed to the tricks and hypocrisy of social media, Maia is increasingly unable to avoid confronting the lies she's been telling herself. The closer she gets to Gloria, the more porous the boundary between their feelings and identities becomes, in a dangerous game of mirrors that threatens Maia's very sense of self.

Sharp, wry, and absorbing, The Other Profile is a revealing exploration of the light and dark of human relationships in the digital age.

Review Quotes

"A cross between Ingmar Bergman's Persona and Ottessa Moshfegh's My Year of Rest and Relaxation, this book shows what happens when an influencer is influenced--by someone with nothing left to lose."--Kirkus Reviews

"Graziosi's witty and unsettling debut shines an uncompromising light on European influencers...tartly amusing, full of acid one-liners...as glossy and entertaining as it is perceptive."--Publishers Weekly

"Ms. Graziosi is a shrewd and funny chronicler of social-media and influencer culture."--Wall Street Journal

"Her novel...is at its most nimble when Maia observes influencer culture. A mandate issued by Gloria's manager about her client still haunts me: 'You have to give her a personality'."--New York Times Book Review

"From Maia's initial disdain for Gloria, the novel tracks their relationship against the exploitative wilderness of the algorithm and builds to a culmination of multiple reckless, explosive episodes. A racy Gen. Z take on female friendships bearing the influences of My Brilliant Friend."--Electric Literature

"I appreciated the bird's eye view into the younger set's trials and tribulations which at their core, are actually ageless and universal."--SRQ Magazine

"The Other Profile delivers a thought-provoking commentary on influencer culture and the prevalent facade within the realms of social media, offering a short yet sombre and Black Mirror-esque reading."--India Munday, BUZZ Magazine

"A solid and succinct novel that's focus on social media proves darkly illuminating."--Chris Haigh, Set the Tape

"A true gem."--Grazia

"Addresses body image, wealth, education, consumerism and mental health all while keeping me riveted to the plot...an edgy, dark commentary."--Ravalli Republic

"Social media's hall of mirrors, and its gained and lost followers, amplify the surreality of Maia's gritty, youthful struggle, which will resonate with readers."--Booklist

"As a character study it has bite."--On the Seawall

"Sharp, intelligent... A hypnotic debut."--Corriere della Sera

"A writer able to render in minute detail the contrast of light and dark in the ties that bind us to each other."--Nadeesha Uyangoda, Internazionale

"Great writing, three-dimensional characters, and a plot that reveals the soft underbelly of Instagram's branded activism."--Vice

"Only a writer of Graziosi's generation could have been able to tell us from the inside the ways in which we are changing and what, day after day, we risk losing forever."--Nicola Lagioia, Strega Prize-winning author of Ferocity

"At a time when women characters are often brilliant but rarely reckless, Graziosi has crafted a narrator that is not only unpleasant, but truly, unapologetically bad."--Natalia Aspesi, La Repubblica

"The Other Profile sheds light on the distortions and eccentricities of life in the era of social media."--Rivista Studio

"Razor-sharp and magnetic."--Wired