The Other Valley

It is a little hard to describe this one. I’d almost call it literary science fiction? I overall loved the book as I thought it was really creative and unique but it is a bit sleepy for a lot of parts and the author does not use quotation marks (personal qualm!). Sixteen year old Odile is growing up in a small town, nestled between two other towns. One is twenty years ahead, one is twenty years behind. Odile is quiety and shy and vying for a seat on the Conseil. If she is chosen, she will be a part of the committee who decides who gets to cross over the town’s borders. One day, Odile is in the forest and sees something she’s not supposed to see. The parents of her beloved friend Edme are on a mourning tour (to view their son whil he is still alive). She realizes that Edme is about to die. To preserve the timeline, she is sworn to secrecy. Meanwhile, as she grows closer and closer to Edme, she is also becoming closer and closer to securing the apprenticeship with the Conseil. I will say no more to avoid spoilers but this book is completely different from anything I’ve ever read.