The Other Valley

"I loved the premise of The Other Valley. I am captivated by the concepts of time travel, alternate universes, and the like, so I thought this would be right up my alley. I started this novel with high hopes. However, I was disappointed in the grim, dark feel of the story.  In this universe, there are multiple valleys, side by side, where identical sets of people live separated only by high barbed wire fences and 20 years. Apparently, one can travel between the valleys via a special dispensation given by the town's council, in the case where you've lost a family member and would like to visit them from afar.  Odile is a fatherless student approaching the end of her school career. In the valley where she lives, this means that you're supposed to know what you want to do and start competing for internships that will determine whether you'll be placed in a job you want. I was never sure why this was necessary. In all, there seemed to be more restrictions on the townspeople than really seemed necessary. Obviously, running into another version of yourself could have consequences, but to me this didn't seem enough. I mean, why couldn't you work for a couple years in the bakery, and then later go into the forestry department or similar? Why is everyone locked into a job immediately? The story follows Odile's attempt to gain an internship that her overbearing, alcoholic mother wants her to have. She herself doesn't seem to have much motivation, which I can relate to given her strange situation. She hasn't had many friends up till now but takes up with a group at this time. She gains momentum and confidence in the internship program thanks to these relationships, but when one boy goes missing, everything falls apart for her. The rest of the story talks about how her life progresses when the job she wants isn't attained and she has this loss to contend with. You'll see the ending coming a mile away. Overall, the writing was good. I absolutely could envision this world the "

"Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book! I thought that the concept was so fun and original and I enjoyed the story. For me the timelines were just a bit confusing and the fact that the dialogue isn't in quotation marks made me a little confused while reading because at times it would be challenging to separate the dialogue from the text and the inner monologue of Odile. Overall I thought it was a great and captivating story but the writing style wasn't my favourite."

"i was bored quickly "

"4~ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ. ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜɪɢʜʟʏ ʀᴇᴄ<br/><br/>sɪxᴛᴇᴇɴ-ʏᴇᴀʀ-ᴏʟᴅ ᴏᴅɪʟᴇ ᴠɪᴇs ғᴏʀ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴠᴇᴛᴇᴅ sᴇᴀᴛ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴsᴇɪʟ. Iғ sʜᴇ ᴇᴀʀɴs ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏsɪᴛɪᴏɴ, sʜᴇ'ʟʟ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴍᴀʏ ᴄʀᴏss ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏᴡɴ's ʜᴇᴀᴠɪʟʏ ɢᴜᴀʀᴅᴇᴅ ʙᴏʀᴅᴇʀs. ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴀsᴛ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏᴡɴ ɪs ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴀʜᴇᴀᴅ ɪɴ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇsᴛ, ɪᴛ's ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ ʏᴇᴀʀs ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏᴡɴs ʀᴇᴘᴇᴀᴛ ɪɴ ᴀɴ ᴇɴᴅʟᴇss sᴇᴏ̨ᴜᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴀᴄʀᴏss ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪʟᴅᴇʀɴᴇss.<br/><br/>ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴏᴅɪʟᴇ ʀᴇᴄᴏɢɴɪᴢᴇs ᴛᴡᴏ ᴠɪsɪᴛᴏʀs sʜᴇ ᴡᴀsɴ'ᴛ sᴜᴘᴘᴏsᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ, sʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴇɴᴛs ᴏғ ʜᴇʀ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ ᴇᴅᴍᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴇsᴄᴏʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴀᴄʀᴏss ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ, ᴏɴ ᴀ ᴍᴏᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴏᴜʀ, ᴛᴏ ᴠɪᴇᴡ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ sᴏɴ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ʜᴇ's sᴛɪʟʟ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ ɪɴ ᴏᴅɪʟᴇ's ᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛ.<br/><br/>ᴇᴅᴍᴇ-ᴡʜᴏ ɪs ʙʀɪʟʟɪᴀɴᴛ, ғᴜɴɴʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴛʀᴜʟʏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴏᴅɪʟᴇ-ɪs ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅɪᴇ. sᴡᴏʀɴ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴄʀᴇᴄʏ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇʟɪɴᴇ, ᴏᴅɪʟᴇ ɴᴏᴡ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴsᴇɪʟ's ᴛᴏᴘ ᴄᴀɴᴅɪᴅᴀᴛᴇ. ʏᴇᴛ sʜᴇ ғɪɴᴅs ʜᴇʀsᴇʟғ ᴅʀᴀᴡɪɴɢ ᴄʟᴏsᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴏᴍᴇᴅ ʙᴏʏ, ᴊᴇᴏᴘᴀʀᴅɪᴢɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇ ғᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ.<br/><br/>ɪ ʜᴀᴅ ɴᴏ ɪᴅᴇᴀ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ’ᴍ ғʟᴏᴏʀᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʜᴏᴡ ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴛʀᴀɴsᴘᴏʀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ᴍᴇ ɪᴍᴍᴇʀsᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘs ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀs ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ. ᴀ ʜɪᴅᴅᴇɴ ɢᴇᴍ ᴏғ ᴀ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ’ᴍ ɢʟᴀᴅ ᴡᴀs sᴜɢɢᴇsᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴄʟᴜʙ."