Body Double

A young woman who works transcribing recordings for a ghostwriter begins to feel as if she's disappearing; meanwhile, two women who fall in love and move in together begin to resemble each other in this Hitchcockian literary thriller

Naomi and Laura meet by chance at a department store café when Naomi mistakenly takes Laura’s coat. Following this first meeting, they keep bumping into each other, eventually forming a romantic relationship with Laura quickly moving in with Naomi. Laura tells Naomi little about her background, and appears to have no real life outside of their relationship—no friends, no work—but Naomi, having previously felt lonely despite her busy life, is content having someone waiting for her at home. As time goes by, Laura starts to change her appearance to resemble Naomi, and soon begins to take her place in the world.

A parallel narrative follows a nameless woman working for a ghost writer, transcribing recordings of his clients recalling the events of their lives. Her weeks all look the same, and she moves in a predictable pattern between her home, the ghostwriter’s office, a café, a movie theatre, etc. After hearing something on a recording that appears to be addressed to her, however, she gets the sense that she is disappearing.

From Hanna Johansson, the critically acclaimed author of Antiquity, this alluring and propulsive thriller, explores deception and authenticity, obsession, and the uncanny.