The Dollhouse

The Dollhouse (2016) is a work of historical fiction and Fiona Davis’s debut novel. Davis draws on her background in journalism to weave a mystery set in New York City’s famed Barbizon Hotel for Women—a gender-segregated residence for aspiring models, actresses, and other professionals. The narrative alternates between 2016 and 1952, following a modern-day journalist who uncovers a decades-old tragedy involving one of the hotel’s original residents. The novel explores themes such as The Illusions and Realities of Female Independence; The Power of Place to Shape Identity and Secrets; and Friendship, Betrayal, and the Complexities of Female Bonds.

This guide refers to the 2017 Dutton paperback edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of illness, death, death by suicide, graphic violence, sexual violence, antigay bias, racism, gender discrimination, emotional abuse, mental illness, sexual content, and substance use.

Plot Summary

In 2016, journalist Rose Lewin lives in a condominium in the Barbizon, a former hotel for women, with her boyfriend, New York City Deputy Mayor Griff Van Doren. Having recently left a high-profile television job for a media start-up called WordMerge, and increasingly worried about her father’s dementia and decline, Rose feels isolated; she is intrigued by the building’s history and the dozen elderly women who are original residents. She is particularly curious about her downstairs neighbor, Darby McLaughlin, a recluse who always wears a veil.

The narrative shifts to 1952, when a shy Darby arrives to Manhattan, New York, from Ohio; she will be living at the Barbizon while attending the Katharine Gibbs secretarial school. Overwhelmed by the glamorous models on her floor, she feels out of place but soon befriends Stella Conover, a model, and Esme Castillo, a hotel maid and aspiring performer.

In the present, Rose learns from the doorman, Patrick, that in the 1950s, Darby was slashed in the face during a fight on a terrace with a maid who then fell to her death. Rose pitches a story about the Barbizon’s longtime residents to her boss, Tyler, who is interested only on the condition that she focuses on the sensational tragedy of Darby’s disfigurement. 

In the past, after a traumatic attempted sexual assault, Darby is comforted by Esme, solidifying their friendship. Esme introduces Darby to New York’s downtown jazz scene, where Darby meets Sam Buckley, a cook at the Flatted Fifth club.

In the present, Rose’s life unravels when Griff announces that he is returning to his ex-wife, Connie, to support their troubled daughter, Miranda. He gives Rose only a few days to move out. When Darby leaves on an unexplained trip, Rose, who has nowhere else to live, ends up looking after Darby’s dog, Bird, and moves into her empty apartment. 

In 1952, Darby’s late nights at the jazz club with Esme and Sam lead to her expulsion from Katharine Gibbs. When her mother arrives and demands that she return to Ohio, Darby defies her, choosing to stay in New York to pursue a singing career with Esme, although Sam warns Darby that Esme is not to be fully relied on.

In the present, while staying in Darby’s apartment, Rose discovers a scrapbook of spices belonging to Sam, a letter from him to Darby, and a recording of Darby and Esme singing. Meanwhile, her research at the library uncovers a 1952 newspaper article identifying Esme as a police informant in a heroin ring run by a powerful drug dealer. This discovery, along with a letter from Sam to Esme postmarked 1953, a year after Esme supposedly died, leads Rose to suspect an identity switch.

In the past, the newspaper article exposes Esme, placing her and Sam in danger. The drug dealer’s men beat Sam, who then plans to flee to California and asks Darby to come with him. Darby agrees but insists on finding Esme first. On the Barbizon’s sky terrace, she confronts Esme, who is desperate and unrealistic about her ability to escape from the drug dealer’s men. Their argument escalates into a physical fight, witnessed by Stella. Esme slashes Darby’s arm and face with a knife in the struggle. In response, Darby pushes Esme, accidentally sending her off the terrace to fall to her death.

The hotel management covers up the incident, reporting that Esme died by suicide. Ashamed of her severe scars and her role in Esme’s death, Darby writes to Sam in California, telling him that “Darby” has died. This lie is meant to protect him from returning to New York and facing danger from the drug dealer. Darby then retreats into a quiet life, working for decades as a secretary at a button shop.

In 2016, Rose and her video producer, Jason Wolf, locate the now-elderly Sam Buckley; he again lives in New York and still believes that Darby died in 1952. Soon after, Darby returns from a trip to visit Esme’s grandniece Alba, a singer whose career she secretly supports after having connected with Esme’s family at her gravesite years earlier. Rose confronts Darby, who finally confesses the full truth of what happened on the terrace.

Rose’s father passes away. She quits her job at WordMerge after Tyler kills the Barbizon story, and she begins a relationship with Jason. After ending things with Griff, she finds her own apartment and secures a book deal to write about the women of the Barbizon. Rose arranges a reunion between Darby and Sam, who reconcile after more than 60 years. 

The story concludes with Rose, Darby, Sam, and Jason attending one of Alba’s jazz performances, honoring Esme’s legacy. In the Epilogue, Rose is settled in her new life, Sam opens a spice shop, and Darby and Sam enjoy their time together.