Colette’s semi-autobiographical story of a love triangle explores how female friendships can be just as intimate and possessive as romantic relationships. Fanny Farou’s husband is a celebrated playwright, whose moods and brief affairs she endures. But when she discovers that his latest lover is a close friend, she must confront who she is more afraid of losing.

This chic 1972 Penguin edition of The Other One features Kees van Dongen’s ‘Les Amies’ on the cover.