In Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes ©2023, two women accidentally exchange their gym bags in a locker room after their workout sessions. One is wealthy and being abruptly divorced; the other is a struggling working class woman. Both women learn how important what you wear impacts how you are treated. Without her fancy clothes, Nisha is treated like dirt by staff and store personnel. Sam experiences respect and wins business contracts when she dresses up in fancy shoes and jacket. Female character development is strong in this novel.
Sam Kemp, the working class woman, struggles to make ends meet and competently deals with issues totally on her own since her husband is unemployed and undergoing depression after the death of his father. Sam's boss at work is a misogynistic S.O.B. and a firmly ensconced member of the "good ol' boys' club". Sam's male peers are encouraging and like her but are ineffective in having any influence on her battles with, and accusations from, the boss. Sam's gym bag contains scuffed up practical low-heel black pumps, shoes Nisha is loathe to wear but has no other choice.
Nisha Cantor, the very wealthy woman, is accustomed to getting her way, but molds her life to accommodate her strong, powerful, domineering husband. Her husband has been scheming to divorce Nisha and cut her off entirely financially so he can hook up with a younger woman. Nisha's gym bag contained very, very expensive, six-inch high, Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes and a haute couture Chanel jacket. Per Wikipedia, Christian Louboutin is a French fashion designer. His stiletto footwear incorporates shiny, red-lacquered soles that have become his signature. These are the only clothes to which Nisha had access since her husband shut her out and cut off all accounts and now they are out of reach, unintentionally in Sam's possession. These clothes are foreign to Sam Kemp.
Nisha finds and makes friend across all social classes. Nisha, Sam, hotel maid Jasmine, and Sam's friend Andrea forge an unlikely coalition. Nisha's husband emphatically insists that the shoes be returned before he considers an equitable divorce settlement. The remainder of the novel is a romp in which the women band together to help Nisha gain what is rightfully hers: her clothes and a fair divorce settlement. To do so they must locate the shoes, devise a scheme to get the shoes back, and sneak into the husband's suite from which Nisha is locked out.
This novel has passages that display the bravery and resourcefulness of women. Some scenes are scary, some scenes are hilariously funny, and some situations make the reader ache for the struggles of women. The men in this book are minor characters in supporting – note, I did not say supportive roles – for the plot. This novel will not appeal to male readers – at all! The book was entertaining and had a few devious twists that kept it interesting. I rate it three stars. It is not one of the best of Jojo Moye's novels but it was enjoyable enough for the time I invested in it. I did not want to set it down until the issues within were resolved to my satisfaction... and they were.
This sounds fun! Although... if Sam is Nisha's friend, shouldn't getting the shoes back have been pretty easy? I wonder what a judge would say about holding off on a fair settlement because a man wanted back a pair of his wife's shoes!
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