A review by lizaroo71
The Other by David Guterson

2.0

guterson's book of fiction is reminiscent of into the wild. i couldn't help thinking of it at every turn of the page. the writing is interesting and filled with details guterson is so adept at including in his works. i felt the voices of mr. barry and ginnie barry could have been more prominent and not just included at the end. i felt their impressions on their only child, john william, were extremely important to his decision: to disappear from the world. john william drops out of college and with the aid of his friend, neil countryman (the narrator of the story) he disappears in the Hoh. countryman continues to live his life and marries, has children and settles into a teaching job. all the while countryman continues to visit john william and take him supplies in his isolated cave. the reader never really truly understands what is driving john william forward with his hermitage, but it is an interesting form of philosophy and the paths one's life takes.