The Other Valley – Scott Alexander Howard

My first 2024 book, and it was a banger! (US pub date: February 27, 2024)

It’s been a long time since a book grabbed me like this, I totally enjoyed it.

Often I’ll read books knowing nothing going in – only having the most basic understanding of the blurb – I prefer it that way. As I was reading I kept thinking about the author. I guessed he was Canadian and I thought, there’s something a bit deeper about this guy. It turns out that he has a PhD in Philosophy and that was the secret sauce of this book.

This was the only part of the blurb I read, for me it was enough to pique my interest:

For fans of David Mitchell, Ruth Ozeki, and Kazuo Ishiguro, an elegant and exhilarating literary speculative novel about an isolated town neighbored by its own past and future, and a young girl who spots two elderly visitors from across the border: the grieving parents of the boy she loves.

There are aspects which may seem “young adult” – it starts with a girl of 16 as the primary character. However, this is not a young adult book. There are themes of friendship, loyalty, grief, morality, and yes … even a bit of philosophy. I found it totally original which is difficult to find these days.

Spec literary fiction, with so many ideas to talk about! Highly recommended, and one of my favorite books read this year.