Summary

The Other Typist opens with Rose explaining how the “typewriter would unsex” (1) the women in the office. It is 1924 and Rose, the narrator, is reflecting on her time as a typist who transcribed the confessions of murders at a New York City precinct. The two police officers she most interacted with were the Sergeant and Lieutenant Detective. She considered how the men view women as the weaker sex. Rose considered herself a moral person and did not enjoy hearing the “gruesome details” (7), but remained steadfast in listening and accurately reporting the details. She thought listening to the confessions was “intimate” (7), but viewed herself as an extension of the typewriter.

The other women in the office were Iris and Marie and Odalie who has just been hired. Considered the “fastest and most accurate typist” (11), Rose has worked in the precinct for two years. Narrating...