I recently had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of “The Other Valley” by Scott Alexander Howard. While I found the book to be quite creative and engaging, there were a few elements that I struggled with, similar to many other reviewers.

One significant challenge was the absence of quotation marks. This stylistic choice made reading a bit tedious at times, as it required extra effort to follow the dialogue and differentiate it from the narrative. Despite this, the unique and unexpected plot kept me invested in the story.

The narrative itself is both imaginative and heartbreaking. The creativity in the storytelling was impressive, and the ending was a complete surprise, which I greatly appreciated. Overall, “The Other Valley” is a thought-provoking read that, despite its stylistic quirks, delivers a compelling and memorable story.

This thoughtful and thought-provoking speculative novel takes its time. It, in fact, plays with time, putting a fresh twist on time travel.
Sixteen-year-old Odile lives in an unnamed town in an unnamed valley. This valley is flanked by valleys, which in turn are surrounded by valleys. To the east, the same town in the same valley is 20 years ahead in time. To the west, that same town is 20 years behind. Like a hall of mirrors, the valleys repeat in infinite sequence. Odile is in training to be a Conseil, a job that entails deciding whether a petitioning bereaved resident may visit a neighboring valley in the past or future on a mourning tour. One day, loner Odile believes she recognizes two visitors to her valley. This sets the trajectory of Odile's life and that of the novel, which reads like a verrry slow-boil thriller.
Beautifully written and intriguingly complex, the novel delivers a richly atmospheric setting, as well as a trove of ideas, considering notions of fate, destiny, free will, memory. One of my favorite images is from when Odile has unearthed the long-buried violin belonging to the boy she once loved. She describes the decomposition, including a "rust-spotted tuning fork that I tapped against my knee. Its hum faded into the forest. Sliding brown roots crept through the bottom of the debris like hairless tails. It was much more decomposed than I'd imagined. If memories were objects, I thought, this was how they would look." The debut is well worth the time, and I look forward to future works by Scott Alexander Howard.

[Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

The plot of this novel was so fascinating! I enjoy creative, weird (in a good way) plots.

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

I loved this debut novel!!

What I loved:
1. The unique premise - so good!!
2. Great world building by the author - you could see each valley so clearly!
3. Prose was beautiful!
4. The ability to explore morality in the sweetness of youth and your older self was amazing!!

I have recommended this book to so many people and know I will continue to do so as it lingers with you long after you have read!


Thank you to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This story reminded me a lot of Raybearer, in the sense of young adults are being groomed/chosen for their roles to support their realm from the "other" territories.

The world building was on-point, the storytelling was engaging, and I really enjoyed reading this book!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book provides a creative take on time travel. In this world, there are three towns separated by mountains. As the story opens sixteen-year-old Odile, the protagonist and narrator, is living in the central town. Traveling east would bring her twenty years into the future. Traveling west would bring her twenty years into the past. The borders are fenced and guarded. A governing body called the Conseil has the authority to approve visits between towns. Odile is vying for a seat on the Conseil, which involves attending a series of educational sessions where applicants are asked to read requests to visit, determine whether or not to approve them, and articulate the reasons for their decisions. Complications arise when Odile recognizes two visitors from the future and realizes that their visit means one of her friends will die (the primary reason visits are approved).

This is primarily a character-driven novel. It is nicely written and explores the philosophical question of whether to try to change the past to create a different future. It is divided into two parts. Part One is a coming-of-age story, and for me, this is the most interesting and compelling part. In Part Two, we learn what happens to Odile twenty years later. Odile is the only character developed in any depth, which is not surprising since the story is told from her first-person perspective. I occasionally found myself wondering about the inner workings of this world, but it worked better for me if I just accepted the premise and did not try to analyze it too closely. It contains some of the circular logic that is often encountered in time travel types of narratives. I found it an enjoyable book with an interesting premise. It will appeal to those who appreciate speculative fiction and do not require lots of “action.”

THE OTHER VALLEY is a well-written story that plays with time in a fascinating and thought-provoking way. I was very engaged in the story and how the blending of time would be handled, but around the 50% mark the story lost a lot of momentum. While I was still enjoying the writing style, the narrative drive was no longer pulling me in. Readers who enjoy a slower paced story may find THE OTHER VALLEY better suited for them.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There were sections of the book that really dragged for me and I found it hard to get into a rhythm while reading it, but overall there were more positives than negatives. The whole time travel/space-time continuum concept can be a bit confusing if you think too hard about it, but I found it to be thoughtfully executed. I enjoyed Odile as a character and I liked how it ended. The world-building was intriguing and I enjoyed it, even with some questions about the feminist aspects.

Such high hopes from the synopsis but the execution was…meh. This one is about a dystopian village — very “The Giver”-esque — where to the east is a valley 20 years in the past and to the east, one that’s 20 years in the future.

• The beginning started off fine, but the middle was a snoozefest. The best part was the ending, but I wouldn’t say the journey was worth it getting there.
• The writing is so choppy and impersonal. The lack of quotation marks for dialogue BUGGED. Authors, please don’t do this.
• I do love the philosophical questions this brought up, given the time travel angle, so it could make for an interesting book club pick for that reason. It was just so-so for me.

Highly recommend this one!! This is my first time reading one of their books but it won't be the last! This book sucks you in from the get-go and you will find yourself thinking about the characters long after you finish it. Do yourself a favor and get this book!!

I knew going in there was a romantic subplot but I struggle when that’s a heavy part of the narrative. This is a me thing.

I could not finish the book. The writing felt too blocky and unfinished. I feel like the writing reminds me of Frederik Backman. It was difficult to follow along.

This book has one of the more unique premises for a sci-fi/speculative fiction novel that I've come across in a while, but it's Howard's writing that stands out the most. The Other Valley is a wistful novel of quiet devastation and philosophical uncertainties. The pacing is slow, but thoughtfully so, giving us time to experience Odile's journey moment to moment.

I'll start by saying I was very excited about the premise of this book. I typically love books that play with time in an interesting way and the idea that there was a world that contained not only a present timeline but also future and past timelines simultaneously was very intriguing. However, I quickly discovered that Ward was less interested in writing a genre book about multiple timelines and more interested in delving deep into a literary, character study. It felt like his goal was to explore how this interesting premise would affect one person, his main character Odile, and subsequently the lives around her.

While I was not excited to go in this direction, I think Ward accomplished his goal. I did feel connected to Odile and invested in her story, which kept me reading despite some of the issues I had with the book. I struggled quite a bit with the writing style, which felt intentionally inaccessible and overwritten at times. I contemplated DNFing this book several times in the first half and skimmed over passages occasionally to get back to the meat of the story. Still, I did finish the book and found the ending satisfying.

Readers who enjoyed Station Eleven and other literary, character-driven, speculative fiction will likely enjoy this book.

The Other Valley was released February 27, 2024. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing the advanced reader copy.

The Other Valley features a world of repeating valleys, identical in every way except time period. The valley to the west is 20 years in the past, and the valley to the east is 20 years in the future. The government allows visits to the past or future for very limited reasons and the visits are highly controlled to prevent "interference." The novel begins with Odile approaching 16 years. She and her fellow classmates are beginning to consider career prospects, when one day she notices and inadvertently recognizes a visiting couple from the valley to the east. Suspecting pending disaster for a close friend, Odile manages to not interfere with the outcome, and we follow her life trajectory following that decision and its consequences for her and her friends.
The novel was engaging and maintained my interest throughout. Odile is a sympathetic character even though her lack of action is frequently annoying. I believe this novel will appeal to readers who enjoy multidimensional, overlapping timeline stories. The novel works for both adult and YA readers. Most of the characters, including Odile, are often emotionally flat, but I was still able to sympathize with the choices made, especially later in the book. I will watch for more novels from this author.

The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard is a literary speculative novel about a town that is neighbored by its own past and future. Odile is hoping to become part of the Conseil, so she can decide who is allowed to cross the town's borders into the past and future. This was an interesting concept, but unfortunately I didn't really enjoy it. However, it may have just been a case of it being the wrong book for me. Others will almost certainly enjoy it. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

“The Other Valley” by Scott Alexander Howard is a sci fi novel set in a valley in between one that is 20 years in the future and another that is 20 years in the past. The main character, Odile, is a 16 year old school girl who wants to join the Conseil. It’s best to go into this speculative fiction knowing as little as possible. Very interesting book

Scott Alexander Howard creates an odd interesting twist on time travel with a world of valleys each representing 20 years difference in the future or the past. But mainly, the tale is coming of age of story that goes horribly wrong and the main character spends the rest of the time trying to correct it. The central character is charming and the prose is well written.

'The Other Valley' by Scott Alexander Howard is an intricate dystopia novel. There is a slow burn but pay attention even in the slow parts!

This one has languid dystopian vibes like Never Let Me Go and Klara and the Sun. I would even recommend readers who liked The Giver to give it a try. This one is angled more as a character driven story with plot and explanations of the world taking a back seat to Odile's feelings and transition. I wanted more scifi than literary, but there will be readers who LOVE this one!