The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard and narrated by Alexandra Boulton is dystopic speculative fiction that is an observation of human nature, but also encourages reflection on the same

The narration was good when it came to the dialogue, good voice differentiation and continuity in the characters. Alexandra Boulton has a lovely timbre and cadence for dialogue. However, I don't know whether it was directed as such, but the narrative prose was read in a very staccato, muted manner which was in very stark contrast to the engaging and varied nature of the dialogue. The audiobook has a lot of potential and may benefit from being revisited in respect of the narrative sections.

The story is almost reflective of Cold War Germany and the division of East and West where families were divided and could not see each other after the wall went up. Causing East Germany to stall in progress and exist under a very different regime than West Germany. However, Howard takes this concept and expands on it in a very cerebral, thought-provoking way. The book is fascinating and I will certainly be buying it to re-read in a different way

Thank you to Netgalley, W.F. Howes Ltd, the author Scott Alexander Howard and narrator Alexandra Boulton for this intriguing ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

The Other Valley
By Scott Alexander Howard

A dystopian coming of age novel with a literary style that reminds me of Kazuo Ishiguro. It is set in a world where past, present and future exist in parallel. The concept is simple, and perhaps more interesting to those who read time travel, less for the science and more for the consequences of interference in time continuum, to the extent that I almost came to believe it possible that this world exists.

I really struggled to engage with this story however. I found the moral and ethical questions interesting, and how it reveals the complexity of human nature when faced with dilemmas where outcomes can eliminate this or that person's existence, but something about the slow pacing kept me at arm's length.

I listened to this in audio format, and while the narrator has a beautiful voice, very relaxing, she doesn't bring much by way of performance. Perhaps this was intentional, so as to not overwhelm the delicate narrative, but it resulted in complete underwhelm for me for the greater part of the story.

Fantastic premise which has impressed itself on my brain, but emotionally, this was a one night stand.

Publication date: 18th April 2024
Thanks to #NetGalley and #WFHowes for the ALC

DNF. I have GOT to stop reading literary fiction written by men with female main characters because I just get let down every single time.