The Other Valley tells us the story of Odile, a painfully shy young girl who accidentally sees two visitors and recognizes them as a classmate’s parents, but far older than they are now. They have come from the future on a bereavement visit to see their son, Edme, before he dies. A dutiful citizen, Odile knows that she cannot warn Edme because that could change the future with disastrous consequences.

They live in a world with valley in the east twenty years in the future and the valley in the west twenty years earlier. There is a ruling conseil that decides who can and cannot make a short foray into the other valley, usually a bereavement trip to go back and see a loved one.

She almost accidentally falls into a friendship with three other classmates, onent

The Other Valley is an intriguing story with a complex puzzle at its heart. Is it possible to change the past while not damaging the future? But then, what if the future is dismal and damaged already? If you learn you will be miserable in the future, what might you do to change the path of your life?

I liked Odile a lot. Her friends were interesting and complex characters who had an existence beyond Odile’s range of vision even though we did not see it. We did see how life affected them even when she was not there. I think her mother was a bit one-dimensional but great disappointment can flatten a person.

While I understand what Odile did and how she “fixed” things, I don’t think she really solved the paradox of time. For me, the story never achieved that “suspension of disbelief” necessary to fully embrace it. I think the construct of valleys with some termporal border was just too complicated and contrary a device. I do, however, plan to read more by this author. The kinks that kept me from falling into the story did not keep me from enjoying the character and the writing.

I received an e-galley of The Other Valley from the publisher through Edelweiss