The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard was recommended to me by the booksellers at Caper bookshop. And, if we are absolutely judging books by their covers, this one is GORGEOUS! A collage effect with shiny silver foiling? Yes please! (Although a complete bugger to try and photograph without catching reflections.)
On the face of it, this isn’t necessarily a book I would have naturally picked up. The whole premise does work around parallel worlds and time travel, and to be honest, I can get quite easily confused by this. Dual timelines I can cope with, but time travel or time loops can really catch me out.
Premise
The Other Valley is set in a world where there are continuous identical towns separated by valleys with heavily fenced border patrol. To the West lies an identical town twenty years in the past. To the East, it is twenty years in the future. No one is permitted to cross the border, with the exception of some visitations. These ‘mourning tours’ are typically to see loved ones who have died. Visits are carefully coordinated between the Conseil and the local armed forces. There must be no communication between visitors. They may only view from a distance, the loved one they have requested to see. Any interference or communication results in annihilation. Border escapees are killed and put in unmarked graves.
Odile is sixteen, quiet, isolated and awkward. Just as she begins to befriend and fall for her classmate Edme, she accidentally witnesses a visitation by his parents from the East (future). They have come to view Edme, and Odile realises he is destined to die young. As the years unfold, Odile’s life is marked by failure and disappointment. When, twenty years later, she reconnects with Edme’s childhood best friend she is forced to question whether Edme’s fate, and her own, could have been different. If she could cross the valley to the West (past) could she save Edme?
How did I get on?
I found The Other Valley a compelling read and it surprised me in many ways. It was more depressing than I had anticipated, due to the strict governing rules and hard life that Odile has. The books is split into two parts, and the second part moved much further away from the characters we meet in the first half than I had expected. There were times when I was longing for them to reappear, (I won’t spoil if they do or don’t.)
I did find myself wanting there to be a stronger sense of romance. However, in fairness I could also reason that Odile and Edme are only sixteen with much miscommunication and second guessing of feelings. Had it not been for Alain, I don’t know that Odile would have changed her destiny. It was hard to believe she was acting out of love. I felt that Alain deserved more praise in that sense, because he clearly thought of Edme more than Odile did. That said, I think the book is as much about ‘beating the system’ as it is about a blossoming teenage romance.
Ultimately the time zones did get to me. I had to really concentrate on the Easts and Wests and what that in turn meant for the story. At times, I got confused, and if I’m honest, I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening in parts of the dramatic conclusion. I knew vaguely enough to see the broader outcome, but there were places where I wondered what I’d missed in earlier parts of the book that dampened my sense of accomplishment. I did really try!
As to whether I would recommend The Other Valley? Well, I think for many people who are much more experienced in reading speculative time-hopping fiction, they’d sail through this and love it. I struggled in parts, but I didn’t not enjoy it. I’d happily discuss it with other people because the premise is a really good talking point. Perhaps reading it has revealed to me that I’m more invested in the romance / young love aspect. That said, I’m really glad I challenged myself with the time travel!
