Otherborn

by Joan Gould

A boy and his sister, separated from their boat, come ashore on a Pacific island inhabited by a race of people with a radically different conception of birth, aging, and death.

Were Mark and Leggy really being held prisoner on this tropical island somewhere in the Pacific? The people of Hita Hee were kind to them, but why weren't they allowed to explore the hills? Why were orders always given by twelve-year-old Tanay, who spoke such strange old-fashioned English?

Before they had learned the answers to any of those questions, there came the day when they first saw the pack of white dogs burst into view, barking furiously. As if that were a signal, the natives leaped into their canoes and paddled away, soon to return with a most curious bundle. From that time on Mark and Leggy realized that these people had a secret. They couldn't discover what it was until they themselves were deeply involved. Finally they understood that this island was like no other place on earth.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually want to give this 3 1/2 stars. What a bizarre story! Mark and his sister Allegra (Leggy) are shipwrecked on an island in the Marquesas after a storm. They find the people there acting strangely, and sense that they're not being told or shown everything.

There are 2 threads in this tale. One is the mystery of the island itself. I didn't figure out part of it until halfway through, and the whole secret is only revealed about two thirds of the way in. The other plot thread is whether Mark and Leggy will ever make it off the island. It keeps you guessing right up until the end.

The book is unusual not just for its plot, but also for the interesting philosophical discussions that Mark has with Tanay Ariki, comparing their isolated civilization with that of the rest of the world. The library I obtained this book from classified it as juvenile, but I think it belongs in the young adult section, as Mark, the main character, is a teen and, in a couple places in the book, experiences a teen's sexual awakening, which felt somehow out of place in the story.

I guess I would recommend this book to anyone who likes really bizarre stories or science fiction.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this as a gift as a pre-teen and dreaded reading it (it was up there with wool socks as far as gifts). A few years later I picked it up and loved it. It had some teen angst and an interesting look at how life might be like if we started old and got younger.

[Xerxessia · Rating 2 out of 5]

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