Review by blueblaine - The Other Valley

blueblaine 's review for:

The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard

4.75

adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I enjoyed the read a lot! From the start the crisp clarity of the writing had me locked in. Howard is able to convey the depth of a scene with such economy it leaves so much room to take in information and reflect at the same time.

The book delivers on its premise 100%, not wasting time justifying itself. I like how the story unfolded through action not bogged-down ruminations.

With a book like this you expect things to come full-circle somehow and it did. The pacing of Odile's village breach was quick and exciting but I think I would have liked to stay in the space of the unraveling a bit more though. How Howard wrote the interference happening in real time was well-executed and clever. So exciting to read! It made me want to see what would have happened if the interference was left alone, how trippy that could get.

There was a moment in the middle where the momentum slowed quite a bit for me (the only reason why it is not 5 stars (

though also because Ivret's wiping the slate at the end was a little too soft/neat/convenient

)) but I was invested in the story and writing enough by that point that I saw it through. This is a book I'd love to return to just to unpack. It leaves a lot things to think about

(like how the town came to be, the extent of the authoritarianism, why people live like that, why is it french lol)

but I believe Howard did a good job balancing this mystery with the heart of the characters.

I will also say that philosophically the book hit hard too.

The reflections upon what we would change of our past was very timely and painful for me--a bittersweet thought experiement. But in the fantasy of Odile's escape from her 'present' discomforts, there is also an engagement with the possibility of change that makes this book something to turn to for perspective.

Content Warnings