In
THE OTHER, David Guterson tells the story of two high school
students who meet at a long-distance track meet in 1972. Neil
Countryman is blue-collar Irish and has aspirations of being a
famous writer. John William Barry is a non-typical “rich
boy” and the product of two of Seattle’s most prominent
families. The differences in their backgrounds, including the high
school each attends, would make it nearly impossible for them to
ever meet under normal circumstances. However, following their
initial encounter, they strike up a conversation and at once are
drawn to each other.

As they begin to talk and spend time together, Neil and John
William learn that they share not only a love of literature but
also an extreme affinity for the outdoors. As their friendship
grows, they find themselves exploring the great Northwestern
wilderness, which at times leads them into unchartered territory
where they must survive on their wits and each other. Fear of
getting lost seems to have no impact on John William and
foreshadows events that will shape his future.

The novel jumps back and forth between present and past to create a
puzzle of sorts that allows the reader to put together the clues
that will dictate the choices both Neil and John William make. Neil
graduates college, gets married, teaches high school English and
embarks slowly on his writing career. John William’s life
goes down a radically different path as he decides to move deep
into the wilderness in an effort to avoid societal hypocrisies and
tenets. Still, he remains connected to the outside world through
Neil, who visits him often and supplies him with food, clothing and
literature.

An only child, John William reflects on his damaged family, which
includes a semi-psychotic mother who turns out to have been a poet
writing under a male pen name. He has sought to insulate himself
from the hypocrisy of the world and warns aspiring writer Neil:
“The problem of living in the hamburger world is that you
risk turning into an idiot. Didn’t you say you want to write
books? You can’t do it with a cheeseburger in your
hand.”

As they continue to lead divergent lives, the plot of the book
shifts when John William proposes that Neil help him disappear
completely. I found myself comparing Guterson’s tale to
Joseph Conrad’s classic novel, THE SECRET SHARER, which also
revolves around two close characters who seem to be two parts of
the same soul. At times, Neil and John William are like two facets
of the same personality. Neil understands that he has gone down the
expected path that society and education have laid out for him, yet
he still feels connected with John William’s plight.

THE OTHER is the best work that David Guterson has written since
his 1994 bestseller, SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS. I question the release
date only because it is not a traditional “beach book”
or “summer read.” Nevertheless, those seeking an honest
study of 1970s American youth that looks to answer the questions we
ask ourselves about --- concerning our identities and what it means
to exist --- will be spellbound by the journey that John William
Barry and Neil Countryman take in this novel.