Roxanne reviews The Other Profile by by Irene Graziosi Translated from Italian by Lucy Rand
Since my equal passion to books is film, like any thought provoking international film, Irene Graziosi’s debut novel The Other Profile has given me quite a book to ponder. The Other Profile should be a major hit with anyone in their 20’s or 30’s as a more intellectual translation surrounding the story of an influencer named Gloria written in the POV of the woman, Maia, whom she hires to be her assistant. Even though I’m well past 30, I appreciated the bird’s eye view into the younger set’s trials and tribulations which at their core, are actually ageless and universal. One theme being, what is our true purpose in life: to be productive vs. to become famous and possibly vapid.
Both Gloria and Maia, though living in different economic circumstances, are both trying to establish their worth in a technology obsessed environment that diminishes our humanity. Gloria deals with shallow followers who only want to be seen with her for their own online popularity. Maia is living with an older man and vacillates between love and repulsion, side gigging at a bar to make end’s meet.
The women attempt to learn from each other, and while Maia secretly thinks Gloria’s soul is empty, Maia reveals certain actions of her past that make the reader wonder who, if anyone, has any moral high ground. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them navigate their separate lives and attempts at friendship, vicariously experiencing life from both sides of the wealth track. While Mean Girls is a successful comedy, I would compare The Other Profile as a darker and intriguing look at female relationships.