The world of high fashion and the magazines which document it form the background for this book. Sam Baker knows her subject as an magazine editor herself and takes us into byways of the fashion scene that none of us could otherwise reach - the authenticity is palpable. The Devil Wears Prada is a novel that is frequently evoked in the reader’s mind as the book unrolls its opening in New York.
The half-sister of Lou McCartney, a fashion reporter, has disappeared in Japan and Lou is shocked and guilt-ridden by her lengthy estrangement from Scarlett. The family relationships are extremely toxic with numerous ex-wives and her superwealthy father. Lou finds herself remembering things about her past that she would rather not recall as she attempts to recall items of value to the investigation into Scarlett‘s whereabouts.
Lou’s close friend is Annie Anderson who has been an investigative reporter but has moved into fashion reporting. Annie responds to Lou’s frantic plea for help and is soon on her way to Tokyo. I can vouch for the authenticity of Annie’s impressions of the alien nature of Tokyo - they are very much what most Westerners feel. Certainly Annie also appreciates the similarities of the Roppongi hostess bar area to London’s Soho as she searches for traces of Scarlett. She finds that Tokyo is a very different fashion world to that of the West with its obsession with blonde models matched by its insistence on tiny sizes.
I enjoyed this book very much - it is a worthy second book.
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Jennifer Palmer