Others See Us

by William Sleator

When an accidental dunking in toxic waste gives sixteen-year-old Jared the ability to read minds, he discovers horrifying secrets about family members during a summer reunion. Reprint.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Paranormal, Fantasy, Childrens, Science Fiction Fantasy

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

William Warner Sleator III was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland on February 13, 1945, and moved to St. Louis, MO when he was three. He graduated from University City High School in 1963, from Harvard in 1967 with BAs in music and English.

For more than thirty years, William Sleator thrilled readers with his inventive books. His House of Stairs was named one of the best novels of the twentieth century by the Young Adult Library Services Association.

William Sleator died in early August 2011 at his home in Thailand.

Reviews

[LG (A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The thing that most excites Jared about his summer vacation is that he'll finally get the chance to see his beautiful cousin Annelise again. However, not long before the big family cookout, Jared accidentally crashes his bike and falls into a swamp filled with toxic muck. He manages to get it all washed off, but suddenly he finds himself hearing weird voices, almost like he can hear others' thoughts. There's far more tension in his family than he ever realized, and he has no idea what to think about it all.

But soon he has other problems keeping him occupied. His secret journal has gone missing, which means that someone now knows all about his huge crush on Annelise. Whoever took it knew the security code to his family's cottage, and since the thief wasn't either of his parents, it seems likely that there's another mind reader in his family, someone else who was exposed to the toxic swamp water.

This was originally published in 1993, and oof did it feel dated. Jared was the densest sixteen-year-old ever. I was willing to believe that it might take him a while to realize that he was hearing others' thoughts, but it boggled my mind that the thoughts he heard at this cookout were his first inkling that his dad had a drinking problem. I don't know if Sleator thought teens were stupid or if Jared was just that self-centered, but you'd think he'd have noticed something before, even just tension between his parents.

Jared's crush on Annelise was awkward and squicky. At one point, he tried to figure out how to get some alone time with her, because "our family frowned on romantic relations between cousins" (19). When Jared started developing an interest in another girl, it was, of course, yet another cousin. He really needed to get out and meet some girls who weren't related to him.

The story wasn't subtle in the slightest, with over-the-top villainy and one character who literally thought in diary entries (probably the only way poor Jared stood a chance of figuring things out in a reasonable amount of time). The ending was unsatisfying, and I'm not sure I'd recommend this to any modern teens. That said, there were some genuinely chilling moments at the end. Annelise was horrible, but that grandmother was scarier than she could ever hope to be.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

[Summer Sweet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was about a sixteen-year-old teenager named Jared. He has a really creepy crush on his cousin named Annelise. They both have their own secret diary that if anyone ever saw they would be in some deep deep problems. Sure enough, their diaries disappear on the same day. They both didn’t know that they had diaries. Grandma basically had them in a mind trap. The main characters are Jared, Annelise, and Grandma. My characters ran into a lot of problems. An example would be that Jared and Annelise had notebooks and they got stolen.
Jared was trying to be the good person in this situation but from where my point of view is he is a creep. Annelise’s diary revealed that the strange killings were all her. It revealed that she was literally evil. Grandma is just crazy she is insane in her head. They had to go to the cursed swamp to get the sacred water for their Grandma so she would give them their diaries back.
Jared was my favorite character in this story. The reason is because he tried to help everyone. He put everyone first before himself and I think that is awesome and really sweet. Even though he is really weird. I could not relate to any of the characters really at all. I am not evil. I am not a pervert. I am not an evil old lady. So I guess I do not relate to anyone in this story. I have never gotten myself into a situation like this, well for one I would never have a crush on a family member that is just too weird. I have felt fear before but not the type of fear they have because they got theirself into some deep stuff. It makes me think “Man, there really are very very evil people out there in this world.”
I really liked this book, but it was a little uncomfortable with the whole cousin crush thing. It was cool though, and it kept dragging me back in. When Grandma trapped them it got very intense. I do not think I could put myself in their position I would lose my cool. They had to follow her every instruction or else she would tell everyone about both of their diaries. I thought sure that they were going to die. I even got a little scared. The author used his creativity really really well. I do not think it could have been written in a better way. He made me think about everything that was happening in the book and that aspect of the thinking part is what made this book so good. It was very easy to read. Like I read it very quick. You really get into it. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the mystery genre of books.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheesy and mediocre, but haunting enough that I read it when I was ten and remembered it to this day.

[Meredith Briere · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and quirky if a bit old fashioned

I first read this book as a pre-teen probably a year or two after its initial 1993 release. It stuck with me for another twenty or so years, but the title escaped me. I finally found it by looking up plot points on google.

To say this book is a great read is true. To say it is great writing, not so much. It’s fun, quirky, and interesting story is definitely an enjoyable experience, but it’s not high fiction. The story is very centered in right, wrong, and manipulation. It values the ability to manipulate as well as the will not to use that ability for evil deeds. It has tropes throughout: the manipulative older woman, the beautiful but sociopathic young woman, and the pretty previously overweight smart girl who doesn’t know how attractive she is (guess which one the narrator chooses of the two young ones....clearly the girl-next-door.)

It was written in a time where these tropes existed openly and without apology, before the #metoo movement and education on how damaging these ideas can be to young women and young men alike. I will say that when I reread the book as an adult, I didn’t feel the same draw to the characters and was especially fascinated by how the author described the mind of the little 5-year-old girl, as a fascinating objective view of the world, painted differently than that of the teenagers and adults. This was the best part of the book in my opinion and I wish there was more of that and less of the trivial ‘she’s a bad person we must win the war against her.’

The idea is good here and execution is okay for a children’s book, but could have been even better. The writing is pretty good, so I’m disappointed that the author stayed at such a surface level and didn’t hash out the complexity of people and their minds.

I would still recommend this book to teens and tweens as a quick vacation read. I remember how much I enjoyed it as a kid, and I think emotionally mature kids recognize that tropes exist but don’t define us as real people. It’s a fun read for sure!

[Jade Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Sleator is one of my favorite authors. His novels contain plots that are awesomely contrived and quite suspenseful, yet are a quick enough read for them to not hinder our everyday work. Even though these books are designed for young adult readers, I truly believe that they can be an enjoyable read for people of all ages. "Others See Us" does not create anything as unusual as what we are used to seeing from Sleator. However, it is a wonderful piece nevertheless. We follow Jared as he discovers his own mind reading abilities and those of others and watch as he struggles to protect those he loves. The novel draws to a nice ending...although not quite. The conclusion draws up most of the loose strings...but Sleator deliberately leaves one hanging. But the suspense does not leave us unsatisfied. Just the opposite, we have found out all that we wanted to find out, and the rest is up to our interpretation. A nice novel for bedtime reading.

[Julie Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Jared falls into a swamp, he begins experiencing other people's thoughts. Some family drama surrounding stolen diaries, resentment, and a local crime spree distracts Jared from coming to terms with his insight into others before he has to put it to work. Soon it becomes clear that at least one other person can read minds, and Jared and his cousin need to get to the bottom of who's behind the thefts and how the telepathic access is triggered before things become very dangerous for their family.

I liked that Sleator didn't shy away from some of the uncomfortable truths that go hand in hand with sharing others' mental events, though sometimes they were such clear-cut impressions that they felt a little fake. There was also a concept of a mind like a room which I thought was a bit odd but at least unique. I was a little put off by how Jared was so unrepentant about being sexually and romantically interested in his cousin, though. I thought that was unnecessary.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

re-read

[Kaylee H · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read this month is OTHERS SEE US by William Sleator. The setting is the Fourth of July at Jared's grandma's house. The main character's are Jared, his Grandmother, Annelise, and Lindie. I found it next to a really dark color book and it was white so it stood out and I liked it so I read it and it's a pretty good book.
Jared fell into a swamp with very dangerous chemicals and, he goes home takes two to three showers to get the smell off. Then after a hour or so he is hearing voices and, comes to the conclusion that he can read minds. His Grandma can read minds because she did the same thing so, he is scared on what she would do. His cousin Annelise does terrible thing to people. She fell in the swamp so, Jared and Grandma team up to stop her from doing bad things to people.
The way the book ended was good I liked it a lot not the way I expected though I thought it was going to go a little different but, it was still good. My favorite part in the book is the end when they stop Annelise from doing bad things and blackmailing people.
I really like this book I would recommend it to everyone I know. This book is unique I can't think of a book that is like it. If you are a fan of science fiction you will like this book I am a big fan of science fiction and, I really liked it.

[Lisa Hardaway · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been a William Sleator fan ever since I read The Green Futures of Tycho when I was 10. That was 34 years ago. I have a small collection of his books at home. Sleator's creativity shows through in Others See Us, but the characters feel a little dull around the edges. While a fun book and quick read to kill time, I couldn't stop wondering about the cousin love element to the story. The idea that Jared, and other young male family members, have the hots for their female cousin is pretty weird even for 1993. Clearly grandma needed dirt on Jared otherwise he was no use for her in the story, but couldn't Sleator come up with something a little less ew? I did read that some of his writings, including Others See Us, are quasibiographical. In that case, I have a pretty good idea what his secret was as a young man, and it wasn't cousin love. Thank god.

[Sean Duggan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good read, albeit a bit short and unresolved.

The basic plot of the book is that Jared, a teenage boy, falls into the local polluted swamp after a bike accident, and starts hearing the thoughts of other people. At a family get-together, he begins to realize that not only is one of the members of his family a narcissistic sociopath, but there's someone else with similar powers who is pulling all of the strings...

The characters are believably flawed. The plot twists beyond an early one are pretty minimal. The whole "cousin lust" thing is a bit weird, but that's probably my cultural inhibitions; I know that the genetic risk is minimal and cousin marriage is in fact encouraged in many places. I liked the depiction of mind reading and the difficulties thereof. The ending is, in my opinion, a little bit rough, but some of it is the typical Sleator setup where, at the end, not everything is tied up, and it's all left open for a sequel even though he seldom actually writes them.

[Kendra Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that had a lasting impression on me and took me years to re-find. I'd read it back in middle school. In some ways I feel like this book has a Mandela Effect around it because I remember it ending differently than it did (I could be mixing up another book's ending with this one's). Overall it's an interesting read but one of those things I didn't notice the first time I read it was the incest story line. As an adult, it stands out a lot. If you took that out it wouldn't be a bad short story.

[Kyra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally read this book after. . . what? 20 years? More? Of owning it. It was such a typical William Sleator book. If you have ever read any of his other books, just imagine that. That was what this was like. I found it hard to put down, just like I found his books hard to put down as a kid, but it didn't terrify me, which a few of his books did when I was a kid.

[Clint the Cool Guy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s just okay. I loved reading all of William Sleator’s books as a teen, but this story just fell kind of flat for me. Not very interesting or exciting. It’s a quick read, at least. I don’t know if this book really is as dull as it seems, or if I’m just older now and not so easily amused by Young Adult fare. Not worth paying full price.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick Sci fi read but totally unbelievable. Boy falls into swamp and comes out being able to read other people’s minds. The grandmother is weird, the parents are basically absent, and the beauty terrifying. Maybe that all makes for a good story.

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me a classic- read this in middle school and have been a fan of this author ever since. Lots of sci-fi in these books- this one is about mind reading and the strength of the mind. Who would you be if you could see into people's heads and find out everything they're thinking?

[miekechu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of Sleator’s strongest works, but a good kickstart to get me reading again. Super short, and great for reluctant readers.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 1 out of 5]

freaky which i guess is good for October. goosebumps vibes

[Joel Vissers · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bro wanted to crack his cousin uhhh no thank you

[Jojo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was very good because it really showed how creative the author was. If i had a choice to make a book I couldn't have ever made a book this creative. In this book, some people fall into a swamp and come out able to read anybodies mind. I really liked how he was able to show the progress of how they got to be better at reading minds as they have ESP longer. He also made them be able to make a shield so that other ESP readers would see the thoughts they wanted them to see. Parts like these really made me want to go on and read this book without stopping. There were some parts that i just wanted to put the book down also. Parts where it was just a group of girls and they all talked about drama almost bore me to death. Highly recommended!

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Others See Us is an interesting book that really messes with your mind. The entire setting of the book just gives you something to think about. In my opinion, the thinking in this book is what makes it the good book that it is. The reason there is so much thinking to be done while reading this is that it is about people reading minds and trying to control their own powers. What also makes this book good is that you feel as if you are inside the head of somebody who can read minds. It's very interesting to observe the power of reading minds first-hand. I would recommend this book for anybody who enjoys mysteries and thinking. Others See Us is an exciting, mysterious, and thought-provoking book.

[Swankivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of William Sleator's books are good science fiction for young people, even though most of them take overdone subjects for yet another ride. Sleator somehow does it differently and in a more character-oriented fashion.

In this one, we have a very interesting conception of people developing telepathic abilities because of a substance they're slowly being exposed to. The more they get exposed to, the stronger their powers get. It's really neat when these kids get caught up in this and have to deal with it while at the same time dealing with something their powers tell them is going on. It's not handled in a cheesy way either. Very good stuff.

[Douglas Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be one of the better of Sleator's books. It's about a teenager, Jared who has a bicycle accident and falls into a swap that has been polluted with toxic waste. Shortly after the accident Jared slowly realizes that he can read minds.

Eventually he also realizes that his cousin Annelise the girl he has such strong feelings for is a heartless, cruel villain. Jared's grandmother also has the mind reading capability.


Its been quite a while since I read this but my memory is that the book ends on a positive note without Sleator's signature sad twist that so many of his other books have.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

About a boy on a family vacation, who discovers that the toxic swamp he fell into gives him the power to read minds - and he needs to think fast before the rest of his family decides to use it for their own ends. This book is just plain fun, one my favorite Sleator books (along with Oddballs and House of Stairs). The main character is amusingly (but not ridiculously) slow on the uptake and the many twists and turns of the plot keep you involved until the very last. This is one of the ones I'll never get rid of, just so I can re-read it whenever the mood strikes me.

[Colten · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fun to read. Also it was a short book. This family goes on a family vacation to their grandmas house. The girls falls in a swap with chemicals in it. This girl get some powers that she didn't ever know about.

[Lisa Findley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh the nasty thoughts we all keep to ourselves, and then someone falls in a toxic swamp and can suddenly read all of them. This is one of my top 3 Sleator novels. Includes a wonderfully vicious grandmother.

[T.j. · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ SLEATOR!

This story was really a big thriller in my opinion. Witch is good. It took me one day to finish the book and I couldn't stop reading it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers.

[Kiyko · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the point of veiw of a teenager, and the trials of having such a gift and how it affects the many things he's encountered, it's a very nice book.

[Lawson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love William Sleator, but the weird "crush-on-his-cousin" thing just wasn't Arrested Development enough to make it not, well, weird.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Old Children's Book. Liked it as a kid, but haven't read it in years.

[Cws]

JAR5-Sle