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A review by megansmith
The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
I think overall I liked this, this wasn't a huge standout for me but I will definitely be thinking about themes from this book for a while! If you liked the Giver, or Klara and the Sun / Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, I think you'd enjoy this.
The plot is really fascinating, I loved the concept and it felt like a unique take on time travel. After reading the author bio, I was completely unsurprised something so thought provoking came from a philosophy scholar!
What I think got me were the periods of slow builds. I actually struggled getting through some of the first chapters, but once I got through the first build, this book picked me up a bit. I also didn't want to have to re-rent it from the library, so that was half my motivation. I think the end and middle paid off, but I could have used a bit snappier of writing in parts. This book is a slower, moody read, and it may just not be my vibe. And that's fine!
I think also just a few elements were unexplained in the book and I would've loved more explanations as to why those things happened. The main one: I was expecting Odiele to run into Lucy in the future and have her pave the way for the jailbreak, so I'm confused why that didn't come up again. Did seeing her future self and putting two and two together alter her present that much, but not enough to be detectable? I just feel like it wasn't explained very well but, ah well.
I think if you're in the mood for a slow burn, or love a good thought experiment, you'll like this book!
The plot is really fascinating, I loved the concept and it felt like a unique take on time travel. After reading the author bio, I was completely unsurprised something so thought provoking came from a philosophy scholar!
What I think got me were the periods of slow builds. I actually struggled getting through some of the first chapters, but once I got through the first build, this book picked me up a bit. I also didn't want to have to re-rent it from the library, so that was half my motivation. I think the end and middle paid off, but I could have used a bit snappier of writing in parts. This book is a slower, moody read, and it may just not be my vibe. And that's fine!
I think also just a few elements were unexplained in the book and I would've loved more explanations as to why those things happened. The main one:
I think if you're in the mood for a slow burn, or love a good thought experiment, you'll like this book!