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The Other
by David Guterson

Release Date: 6th Oct 2008
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 978 0 7475 9243 3
RRP: £18.99

Average Customer Rating: 
(0.0 based on 0 ratings)

Strange, insightful and mesmerising...

Seattle 1972. Two teenagers meet at a track race. They're both half-mile runners, neither sprinter nor long-distance. And neither of them is all that good, but in some peculiar twist of fate, that day as they run side by side at the back of the pack, they connect - they see each other. It is the beginning of a bond that transcends understanding, respect, love and forgiveness. But whilst Neil Countryman is the stoic conventional, John William is obsessive compulsive, erratic and singular in his intentions.

The Other is the story of John William as narrated by Neil; a jumbled rehash of memory and present day sentiment. At the time of telling, Neil is in his fifties and has recently come into considerable acclaim and notoriety - mainly because the crazy 'Hermit of the Hoh' bequeathed him $440 million - and on the face of it, it does look a little crazy.

Guterson opens the window into the souls of these two boys who become two very different men. John came from the right side of the tracks; the only child of a prominent Seattle family extending back to the founding of the city itself. Whilst Neil was from a family of carpenters, woods people, and the first Countryman to go to University. The two form a bond that extends beyond their adventures into Seattle's wilderness, smoking pot and dropping tabs. In essence, Neil helps John lose himself in an untracked area called the 'Hoh', where he remains for seven years.

Mesmerising in an inexplicable and odd way, Guterson illustrates his vast and diverse knowledge of literature and attempts to make the reader question the questionability of John's 'madness' in seeking refuge from the modern world and all its creature comforts. The extent to which John William goes to extrapolate himself from the ties of humanity and the demands of society are extreme, but somehow understandable and that is what makes this novel stand out.

Impeccably written, with a narrative prose that is enviable - Guterson delivers a work of wonder and thoughtfulness. Less aspiring readers may find it tiresome and somewhat pretentious, whilst true literary lovers will be blown away.

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