This was an incredible time travelesque book. It was haunting, atmospheric, and tightly crafted. I didn't want it to end. The characters were relatable and the world just felt so self contained and beautiful. I never once felt like it was too caught up in the conceit of the book to ruin the plot.

This will be one of my favorites of the year.

I thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

Scott Alexander Howard’s debut, a speculative novel set in an unnamed time and place, is a tour de force and surely destined for many awards and honours. The setting is a village, possibly French (judging by some of the character and place names and vocabulary), in a time when some contemporary amenities (cars, TVs, videotapes) exist but others (cell phones, Internet, wifi) do not. The latter’s absence seems trivial but it is not: the village’s existence depends on the security of its borders, and the strict regulation of its people. These are accomplished by a fascist state that holds on to power by surveillance, imprisonment, punishment, manipulation and lies. Like all totalitarian regimes, it probably relies foremost on encouraging loyalty to the state above loyalty between people.

The residents must be contained, literally, within its boundaries. To the west is an identical village, set twenty years to the past. To the east is the same village twenty years to the future. Rarely, visitors from the future may briefly cross into the village, only after rigid vetting by the ruling Conseil, and under equally stringent conditions whose breaching usually invites execution. No one from the past may return.

Odile is an awkward, shy, highly intelligent sixteen year old who starts the story friendless and lonely. Her father died young, and her mother, her own high ambitions thwarted, is driven to see that Odile succeeds where she did not. The young are steered toward certain careers as they close their high school years. Odile, who wants to be an artist, accedes to her mother’s pressure and wins a highly coveted place on the Conseil. She makes it through a course designed to eliminate students weekly—until the final week. The decision that she then makes irrevocably alters her destiny and that of her family and the small circle of friends she had made through Edme. He is an almost Christ-like figure with whom she had finally felt real love and acceptance.

The author never explains why the world of this story has come to be time-fragmented in this way, how the elite acquired all its power—even to govern time—or what might be the possible outcome if someone or some group ultimately fights back. He doesn’t have to. He focuses instead on the hope embodied in youth and on the redemptive power of love. This is a story about what happens when one oppressed individual claims her own agency. The writing is powerful, the plot is suspenseful, and the ending both clever and gratifying.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up for Goodreads.

The Other Valley is about a town where if you go to the border on one side, it’s 20 years in the past and on the other, 20 years into the future. It’s split into two parts - Odile as a child and then as an adult.

This read was really giving me Divergent vibes based on all the rules and the town being heavily guarded. I thought it was very unique however one thing that really bothered me (and this is a personal preference) is that no quotation marks were used to mark a person speaking. I felt that made the book much slower in my opinion. Overall, I still think this was a strong debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuester Canada for this eARC!

What a good read. Good writing and colourful characters. Interesting concept of 20 yrs back or 20 yrs ahead. I enjoyed the story. The idea of one incident changing your life and the concept of going back in time to change it thereby changing the outcome of your life and where you end up is an intriguing. The main character doesn’t have her memory wiped out of what she saw but has to live knowing it never ended up happening. I would have liked to see a little more of where and how her life differed after the change that happened.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved this book. The premise was super intriguing but even better, it was actually well-executed. The past/present/future scenarios were mind-boggling and left me thinking for days after reading the book. The main protagonist and supporting characters were well-drawn and likeable, even with all of their human flaws. I would recommend this book to friends and family!

I am a big fan of books about time travel, time loops, and parallel realities, which also means I'm sometimes disappointed when stories are too reminiscent of others I've read. The Other Valley is categorically unlike anything else I've ever read. The premise is fascinating, and the author's character development and plotting do it justice.

My only criticism is that I didn't find the second section quite as gripping as the rest. However, I finished it more than a week ago, and despite having read several other books since then, my mind keeps coming back to this story and its implications. For me, that makes it an automatic 5-star read.

I will definitely recommend this book widely, and I'll be anxiously awaiting any other novels Scott Alexander Howard writes.

The Other Valley is a charming, contemplative, and melancholy story of memory and time travel. It follows a young woman, Odile, as she comes of age in a strange world, where travelling east or west leads to an identical town 20 years in the past or future. The governments of each town keep strict rules in place to prevent people from wandering back and forth and interfering with the timelines, and when Odile accidentally finds out that something bad is about to her friend, the whole situation suddenly becomes a lot more personal to her.

Although this book is a science fiction or alternate reality book about time travel, the premise almost takes a back seat to the development of the main character. In some ways this made the book feel nostalgic, and reminded me of an older era of young adult adventure stories. Odile finds herself struggling between two sides of her personality: one that is timid and believes in rules and order, and the other that is emotional and intense. Her coming of age story, and later in the book her adult struggles, are more prominent than the science fiction elements, and would be compelling no matter what the setting was.

I enjoyed this as a cozy fall read. The focus on character, along with the fairy tale quality of the writing, allows the author to get away with not fully explaining the time travel elements. Deeper scrutiny reveals a few things that don't entirely make sense, or just that would benefit from further explanation. The town and its time-travel system seem to exist without a sense of history (other than "it has always been like this"). I would have loved to see more explanation of the history of the town, and of the brutality of its governing system, which is only hinted at.

Although this is listed as adult fiction, I think it could be greatly enjoyable to young adult readers, and even advanced middle-grade readers. I would recommend it to a reader of almost any age who enjoys a slower-paced, character driven adventure. This book makes you think about memory, time, and the impact of your own choices on yourself and others.

* Links to Goodreads and Blog reviews to come closer to publication deadline *

A soft, tender novel with a unique premise - I was surprised I liked this book so much. Im rarely sucked into books but I was fully invested in this one. I loved the world - just off kilter from ours and generally found the time travel mechanics interesting to think about. Very much giving "The Giver" and similarly thoughtful and competent.

Does the time travel strictly "make sense" - probably not? And this is certainly not technically an excellent novel. But it was a fun and engaging way to spend a Saturday curled up in a blanket and I was very glad that I read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.