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Etta and Otto and Russell and James
Eighty-three-year-old Etta has never seen the ocean. So early one morning she takes a rifle, some chocolate, and her best boots and begins walking the 3,232 kilometers from rural Saskatchewan, Canada eastward to the sea. As Etta walks further toward the crashing waves, the lines among memory, illusion, and reality blur.
Otto wakes to a note left on the kitchen table. “I will try to remember to come back,” Etta writes to her husband. Otto has seen the ocean, having crossed the Atlantic years ago to fight in a far-away war. He understands. But with Etta gone, the memories come crowding in and Otto struggles to keep them at bay. Meanwhile, their neighbor Russell has spent his whole life trying to keep up with Otto and loving Etta from afar. Russell insists on finding Etta, wherever she’s gone. Leaving his own farm will be the first act of defiance in his life.
Otto wakes to a note left on the kitchen table. “I will try to remember to come back,” Etta writes to her husband. Otto has seen the ocean, having crossed the Atlantic years ago to fight in a far-away war. He understands. But with Etta gone, the memories come crowding in and Otto struggles to keep them at bay. Meanwhile, their neighbor Russell has spent his whole life trying to keep up with Otto and loving Etta from afar. Russell insists on finding Etta, wherever she’s gone. Leaving his own farm will be the first act of defiance in his life.
337 pages, Paperback
First published January 29, 2015
464 people are currently reading
14390 people want to read
About the author
Emma Hooper
10 books375 followersBooks about Places and People. Songs about Dinosaurs and Insects. Research about Pop Music and Robots. Emma lives, writes, plays and teaches in Bath, England, but goes home to Canada to cross-country ski as often as she can.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,484 reviews
January 28, 2015
A difficult book for me to review, so I am just going to tell you why I loved this story. The characters have such a touching vulnerability, they have known each other for such a long time, have a shared past that is memorable. A book about a journey, a quest if you will, about memories, longing and unfulfilled desires. Much is told in letters and flashbacks and a wonderful usage of magical realism. Those who go and those who stay waiting. An ending that is left to the reader's interpretation, but is poignant all the same. An amazing book, especially since this is the author's first. Quiet, melancholy and stunning, I can't believe that anyone reading this book will not find it touching.
ARC from Netgalley.
ARC from Netgalley.
December 30, 2014
I really hate to come across as negative, but primarily because of all the rave reviews for this book, I was really excited to get my hands on it. Did I set my expectations too high? Possibly. All I can say is I was so disappointed. The story of Etta setting off walking at the age of eighty two, to see the sea ( because she's never seen it ) WAS sweet and even moving at times, but it just didn't grab me in the same way that it did other reviewers.
June 10, 2017
I happened upon an advanced reader's copy of this book, and I am going to really do my darnedest to convince anyone who is reading this review to
give this book a shot because it is now one of my favorites ever.
I even made a (rough) map of her journey and included excerpts to ignite your interest in this unique and special tale.
Otto,
I've gone. I've never seen the water, so I've gone there. Don't worry, I've left you the truck. I can walk. I will try to remember to come back.
Yours (always),
Etta.
Etta will be 83 in August. She has never seen the ocean and she is going to change that before it's too late. Etta is going to walk there. All 3,232 kilometers it will take her to get to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Alone.
She lives on a farm in Saskatchewan with her husband, Otto. Their next door neighbor, Russell, has known Otto since they were both six years old and he is an integral part of both Otto and Etta's lives. Russell waits outside his own farmhouse every morning before sunrise and every evening before sunset in the hopes of spotting some deer. Etta takes Russell cinnamon buns, Etta reminds Otto to wear his hat in the sun, Otto and Russell help each other on their farms. They are all getting old.
And they all have beautiful stories.
Etta,
I am drawing a dotted line across our globe, starting from home, here, out along what I imagine is your path. I only put one or two dashes a day, small ones on our big globe, but it's nice to do, still, still, there is progress and I can watch it. Also, it can be like a Hansel and Gretel trail, leading you back here, should you forget the way. Even though I know you can't see it, or me, right now.
You must be in Manitoba by now.
I have planted the spring seeds. The spinach and carrots and radishes.
I am sending this to William, Harriet (4)'s son, who lives in Brandon. The accountant, you remember. In case you stop there, to sleep maybe, as you pass by, if you pass by, though I know you probably won't, and probably, William will be confused by the name on the envelope, "Etta Vogel, c/o William Porter," and will post it back to me, but that's okay. I'll give it to you when you get back; put it in a pile next to the pile I'm making of the letters you're sending here. They're on the kitchen table, because I hardly need all of it to eat at.
I haven't been out to see Russell, in his field, since last week, when he suggested that maybe I shouldn't come back for a little while because I've got a cough, and it could scare away the deer. So I stay away. But sometimes he comes by after he's done looking, and we have coffee, or sometimes he leaves notes on our door as he passes by. He is well. I haven't told him where you've gone. I tell him you're out, that's all.
Here,
Otto.
P.S. I know you have gone to see the water, and you should see it, Etta, you should, but, in case there are other reasons you've left, in case there are things you have discovered or undiscovered that you didn't want to tell me in person, in that case, you can always tell me here. Tell me here and we can never mention it outside of paper and ink (or pencil).
Hooper made the stylistic decision to never use quotation marks. While this took some occasional rereading, it was easy to adjust to and in the end I liked the choice a lot:
Are you here for another interview?
No, said Bryony.
Are you from here?
This bridge?
Well, maybe. This area.
No, I can hardly speak French at all. I'm here because, well, I've been following the story. And the crowds. I've been in the crowds, each time, just in the back.
You never said hello, said Etta.
I'm sorry, said Bryony. I was gathering courage.
Did you want to give me something to carry with me? asked Etta.
Yes, said the reporter, that's it, exactly. I do. She paused. The pressed-wool shoulder lifted up and down in a sigh. Etta, she said, I'm so sick of everybody else's stories.
Have you brought me stories?
No, myself.
Emma Hooper is an author to watch. One of the best debut novels I have ever read, with a sweet and simple style that reads and feels like music. For a reason! In an interview with the Bookseller she explains: "I’ve got an obsessive nature when it comes to the rhythm of the words and I’ll have sentences that are perfectly grammatically correct, but it has to have just the right amount of syllables," and "It’s like when you play a symphony or a concerto, or even an album, it’s one long piece, but the white space between the songs or between the movements is very important. You need a minute to digest and then move on."
This book is filled with such longing--such intense want and need--but as a reader you're not always entirely sure what for. Even when the desire is clear you just ache along with the characters, not knowing what to do. I truly felt by the end of it that I was a part of these characters' lives. They were part of mine. They will not be soon forgotten.
It is not told in chronological order, with lots of old memories and emotions resurfacing and demanding to be both heard and felt. I never found the jumping back and forth to be confusing, only enjoyable. Hooper also chooses to let her readers decide some things for themselves. A lot of affecting parts to the story are left open to interpretation and I know not everyone is a fan of that. I, myself, don't even like that a lot of time. However, Etta and Otto and Russell and James are each so individual and unique that it really just felt to me like listening to their stories as a friend. Many times in my life I have been faced with the task of listening to someone and trying to empathize, when I realize I will never fully understand the situation from their eyes. Some things are left up to me to try to grasp on my own.
And maybe, just maybe, I did as Emma Hooper wanted. "Trust the conclusion that they draw."
This book felt like music to me: in particular, this song.
It truly is a love letter to Canada. A beautiful country with beautiful people.
Otto,
I've gone. I've never seen the water, so I've gone there. Don't worry, I've left you the truck. I can walk. I will try to remember to come back.
Yours (always),
Etta.
Etta will be 83 in August. She has never seen the ocean and she is going to change that before it's too late. Etta is going to walk there. All 3,232 kilometers it will take her to get to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Alone.
She lives on a farm in Saskatchewan with her husband, Otto. Their next door neighbor, Russell, has known Otto since they were both six years old and he is an integral part of both Otto and Etta's lives. Russell waits outside his own farmhouse every morning before sunrise and every evening before sunset in the hopes of spotting some deer. Etta takes Russell cinnamon buns, Etta reminds Otto to wear his hat in the sun, Otto and Russell help each other on their farms. They are all getting old.
And they all have beautiful stories.
Etta,
I am drawing a dotted line across our globe, starting from home, here, out along what I imagine is your path. I only put one or two dashes a day, small ones on our big globe, but it's nice to do, still, still, there is progress and I can watch it. Also, it can be like a Hansel and Gretel trail, leading you back here, should you forget the way. Even though I know you can't see it, or me, right now.
You must be in Manitoba by now.
I have planted the spring seeds. The spinach and carrots and radishes.
I am sending this to William, Harriet (4)'s son, who lives in Brandon. The accountant, you remember. In case you stop there, to sleep maybe, as you pass by, if you pass by, though I know you probably won't, and probably, William will be confused by the name on the envelope, "Etta Vogel, c/o William Porter," and will post it back to me, but that's okay. I'll give it to you when you get back; put it in a pile next to the pile I'm making of the letters you're sending here. They're on the kitchen table, because I hardly need all of it to eat at.
I haven't been out to see Russell, in his field, since last week, when he suggested that maybe I shouldn't come back for a little while because I've got a cough, and it could scare away the deer. So I stay away. But sometimes he comes by after he's done looking, and we have coffee, or sometimes he leaves notes on our door as he passes by. He is well. I haven't told him where you've gone. I tell him you're out, that's all.
Here,
Otto.
P.S. I know you have gone to see the water, and you should see it, Etta, you should, but, in case there are other reasons you've left, in case there are things you have discovered or undiscovered that you didn't want to tell me in person, in that case, you can always tell me here. Tell me here and we can never mention it outside of paper and ink (or pencil).
Hooper made the stylistic decision to never use quotation marks. While this took some occasional rereading, it was easy to adjust to and in the end I liked the choice a lot:
Are you here for another interview?
No, said Bryony.
Are you from here?
This bridge?
Well, maybe. This area.
No, I can hardly speak French at all. I'm here because, well, I've been following the story. And the crowds. I've been in the crowds, each time, just in the back.
You never said hello, said Etta.
I'm sorry, said Bryony. I was gathering courage.
Did you want to give me something to carry with me? asked Etta.
Yes, said the reporter, that's it, exactly. I do. She paused. The pressed-wool shoulder lifted up and down in a sigh. Etta, she said, I'm so sick of everybody else's stories.
Have you brought me stories?
No, myself.
Emma Hooper is an author to watch. One of the best debut novels I have ever read, with a sweet and simple style that reads and feels like music. For a reason! In an interview with the Bookseller she explains: "I’ve got an obsessive nature when it comes to the rhythm of the words and I’ll have sentences that are perfectly grammatically correct, but it has to have just the right amount of syllables," and "It’s like when you play a symphony or a concerto, or even an album, it’s one long piece, but the white space between the songs or between the movements is very important. You need a minute to digest and then move on."
This book is filled with such longing--such intense want and need--but as a reader you're not always entirely sure what for. Even when the desire is clear you just ache along with the characters, not knowing what to do. I truly felt by the end of it that I was a part of these characters' lives. They were part of mine. They will not be soon forgotten.
It is not told in chronological order, with lots of old memories and emotions resurfacing and demanding to be both heard and felt. I never found the jumping back and forth to be confusing, only enjoyable. Hooper also chooses to let her readers decide some things for themselves. A lot of affecting parts to the story are left open to interpretation and I know not everyone is a fan of that. I, myself, don't even like that a lot of time. However, Etta and Otto and Russell and James are each so individual and unique that it really just felt to me like listening to their stories as a friend. Many times in my life I have been faced with the task of listening to someone and trying to empathize, when I realize I will never fully understand the situation from their eyes. Some things are left up to me to try to grasp on my own.
And maybe, just maybe, I did as Emma Hooper wanted. "Trust the conclusion that they draw."
This book felt like music to me: in particular, this song.
It truly is a love letter to Canada. A beautiful country with beautiful people.
October 23, 2014
Is it unrealistic that an eighty two year old woman who is losing her memory will set out on a walk to the ocean that is 3232 kilometers away ( just over 2008 miles for those of you who need the conversion like I did), and that her husband of over 60 years would let her go while he stays home writing her letters he doesn't send and making paper mache figures ? It's hard to imagine that this would happen , but a lot of unlikely things happen in fiction and in life and this story isn't really just about this unlikely journey. Oh and yes adding to this unrealistic scenario there is a talking , singing coyote named James , Etta's trusty travel companion and part of her reality at this time .
.
It's about the journey of Etta's , Otto's lives in Gopherlands,, Saskatchewan . It's also about their friend , Russell's journey . He has been in Otto's life since they were six , and Otto has always watched out for Russell since the accident that happened when they were children . Russell too loves Etta and is mad as hell that Otto wouldn't go to find her, so he does and discovers something about himself on his own journey. Through the simplicity of the writing, alternating between the past present, we come to know about Etta and Otto and Russell and about their pretty much quiet lives that reflect hardship, war, family and love.
The story was reminiscent of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. This time an elderly woman, losing her memory and walking to the ocean instead of an elderly man walking to his dying friend. I felt that even though the idea was not quite original, I was drawn to this story because there is so much here. Etta too has followers like Harold Frye. Photographers, and journalists and everyday people who see Etta along the way give her any number of tokens to take along with her. The most poignant of gifts to take along is when Bryony gives herself as a travel partner for a little while and then discovers what her own journey is really all about.
Some readers will find it easy to dismiss this as odd and unrealistic .To them, I would say to look beyond what's not believable, and I hope you find what I did: a touching story about quiet lives lived on the farms in Gopherlands, Saskatchewan and the things that shaped these people and the very real things that life brings – chances taken or not, aging and the possibility that one can lose themselves like Etta did as she loses her memory. Four stars for me.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley.
February 11, 2015
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.
2 Stars
This book didn't work for me. I read a lot of books because I enjoy reading. I love connecting with a story, falling in love with characters, and everything involved with being told a really great story. When I come to the end of a book, I love the feeling of satisfaction that I get with most stories. This book left me feeling completely underwhelmed and quite confused.
I liked the idea behind this book and decided to read it because it is different than what I would normally chose to read. I thought that this book was very easy to read and I liked the fact that the letters between Etta and Otto helped tell the story. I am a huge fan of quirky characters but the characters in this book just seemed overly odd
I had some issues with quite a few things in this book. First of all, I didn't like the fact that not a single quotation mark was used in the book. There was a lot of dialog but not a single quotation mark. I know that the author choose to omit quotation marks for some purpose but I found it confusing overall. I thought that the writing style was a bit oversimplified and vague for my tastes.
I really have no problems in just going along with an unrealistic story. I do it all the time and it doesn't bother me and I usually enjoy that type of story. When a story crosses over the threshold from unrealistic into ridiculous as it did in this book, I start having a hard time. This story is about a woman in her 80's, Etta, who decides to walk thousands of kilometers across Canada so that she can see the ocean. Etta has trouble remembering things but she promises in the letter to her husband, Otto, that she will try to remember to come back. What does Otto do when he sees this letter from his wife? He doesn't try to find her. Instead, he learns to cook and starts making paper mache animals.
I did like the parts of the book that took place in the past much better than those set in the present day. Even with all of that background information, I just never really understood Etta and Otto's love story. I felt a little bad for Russell because he always seemed to be on the sidelines but I don't think that his character added much to the story. Etta's companion on her walk, James, is a coyote that talks to Etta. The magical realism didn't add anything to this story in my opinion.
As I read the book, I hoped that the ending would make everything worthwhile. I thought that the ending of this book was horrible and pointless. I would not recommend this book to others.
I received a copy of this book from Simon & Schuster via Net Galley for the purpose of providing an honest review.
2 Stars
This book didn't work for me. I read a lot of books because I enjoy reading. I love connecting with a story, falling in love with characters, and everything involved with being told a really great story. When I come to the end of a book, I love the feeling of satisfaction that I get with most stories. This book left me feeling completely underwhelmed and quite confused.
I liked the idea behind this book and decided to read it because it is different than what I would normally chose to read. I thought that this book was very easy to read and I liked the fact that the letters between Etta and Otto helped tell the story. I am a huge fan of quirky characters but the characters in this book just seemed overly odd
I had some issues with quite a few things in this book. First of all, I didn't like the fact that not a single quotation mark was used in the book. There was a lot of dialog but not a single quotation mark. I know that the author choose to omit quotation marks for some purpose but I found it confusing overall. I thought that the writing style was a bit oversimplified and vague for my tastes.
I really have no problems in just going along with an unrealistic story. I do it all the time and it doesn't bother me and I usually enjoy that type of story. When a story crosses over the threshold from unrealistic into ridiculous as it did in this book, I start having a hard time. This story is about a woman in her 80's, Etta, who decides to walk thousands of kilometers across Canada so that she can see the ocean. Etta has trouble remembering things but she promises in the letter to her husband, Otto, that she will try to remember to come back. What does Otto do when he sees this letter from his wife? He doesn't try to find her. Instead, he learns to cook and starts making paper mache animals.
I did like the parts of the book that took place in the past much better than those set in the present day. Even with all of that background information, I just never really understood Etta and Otto's love story. I felt a little bad for Russell because he always seemed to be on the sidelines but I don't think that his character added much to the story. Etta's companion on her walk, James, is a coyote that talks to Etta. The magical realism didn't add anything to this story in my opinion.
As I read the book, I hoped that the ending would make everything worthwhile. I thought that the ending of this book was horrible and pointless. I would not recommend this book to others.
I received a copy of this book from Simon & Schuster via Net Galley for the purpose of providing an honest review.
September 15, 2021
I have read at least 50 books this year. It is a rare occasion at the book's end to find tears swelling in my eyes. Rarely do characters step out from behind the veil and take you traveling with them for some hundred pages so that at the journey's end you mourn the loss of what was shared.
Emma Hooper's Etta and Otto and Russell and James is that kind of book.
When I first saw the book on NetGalley and read it was about an 83 year old woman on a trek across Canada accompanied by a coyote I was not sure I wanted to read about old people.
For one thing as a pastor's wife I have spent my life, starting in my twenties, mostly around old people. And for another thing I am getting old myself. Later I looked at it again. I read the reviews:
"Hooper’s spare, evocative prose dips in and out of reality and travels between past and present creating what Etta tells Otto is just a long loop. This is a quietly powerful story whose dreamlike quality lingers long after the last page is turned."– Library Journal (starred review)
"Etta and Otto and Russell and James is incredibly moving, beautifully written and luminous with wisdom. It is a book that restores one's faith in life even as it deepens its mystery. Wonderful!"– Chris Cleave, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Little Bee
"Hooper’s debut is a novel of memory and longing and desires too long denied…To a Cormac McCarthy--like narrative--sans quotation marks, featuring crisp, concise conversations--Hooper adds magical realism…. The book ends with sheer poetry…A masterful near homage to Pilgrim’s Progress: souls redeemed through struggle. " – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
This time I requested to read it.
I read it in 24 hours. I did not want to stop reading for meals. Or to go to a family Christmas gathering. Of course, I did stop, but some part of me was always tugging at the leash, eager to resume.
Plot? Here is what you need to know: everything is revealed in its time through the action of the story and the memories of the characters. It is about growing up in Saskatchewan during the dry and destitute years; about young people who dream of another life. It is about old people who fulfill long held desires. There is love and heartbreak, war and death. And, the way it is in old age, we do not always know the present from the past, or the imagined from the real. Scenes are impressionistic, insight is oblique, point of view shifts between persons and time.
Brilliant writing shoots forth from the page in stunning recognition: this is true. Hooper is a musician and the rhythm and lyricism of her language is pitch perfect. I can't wait to see what Emma Hooper pens in the future. If this her first novel is such high literature, of what will she be capable over a career?
Read this book.
I thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the e-book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
2021 I listened to the audio book for book club. It is read by a wonderful reader. The only negative is it’s hard to know the switch between various time periods. Still love the book.
One book club member said this was her favorite book that we have read. Another said she was crying at the end.
Emma Hooper's Etta and Otto and Russell and James is that kind of book.
When I first saw the book on NetGalley and read it was about an 83 year old woman on a trek across Canada accompanied by a coyote I was not sure I wanted to read about old people.
For one thing as a pastor's wife I have spent my life, starting in my twenties, mostly around old people. And for another thing I am getting old myself. Later I looked at it again. I read the reviews:
"Hooper’s spare, evocative prose dips in and out of reality and travels between past and present creating what Etta tells Otto is just a long loop. This is a quietly powerful story whose dreamlike quality lingers long after the last page is turned."– Library Journal (starred review)
"Etta and Otto and Russell and James is incredibly moving, beautifully written and luminous with wisdom. It is a book that restores one's faith in life even as it deepens its mystery. Wonderful!"– Chris Cleave, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Little Bee
"Hooper’s debut is a novel of memory and longing and desires too long denied…To a Cormac McCarthy--like narrative--sans quotation marks, featuring crisp, concise conversations--Hooper adds magical realism…. The book ends with sheer poetry…A masterful near homage to Pilgrim’s Progress: souls redeemed through struggle. " – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
This time I requested to read it.
I read it in 24 hours. I did not want to stop reading for meals. Or to go to a family Christmas gathering. Of course, I did stop, but some part of me was always tugging at the leash, eager to resume.
Plot? Here is what you need to know: everything is revealed in its time through the action of the story and the memories of the characters. It is about growing up in Saskatchewan during the dry and destitute years; about young people who dream of another life. It is about old people who fulfill long held desires. There is love and heartbreak, war and death. And, the way it is in old age, we do not always know the present from the past, or the imagined from the real. Scenes are impressionistic, insight is oblique, point of view shifts between persons and time.
Brilliant writing shoots forth from the page in stunning recognition: this is true. Hooper is a musician and the rhythm and lyricism of her language is pitch perfect. I can't wait to see what Emma Hooper pens in the future. If this her first novel is such high literature, of what will she be capable over a career?
Read this book.
I thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the e-book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
2021 I listened to the audio book for book club. It is read by a wonderful reader. The only negative is it’s hard to know the switch between various time periods. Still love the book.
One book club member said this was her favorite book that we have read. Another said she was crying at the end.
August 30, 2015
There is Etta. Etta is 82 and she has never seen the sea. So she is walking, walking to the sea to finally see it. Etta is starting to forget things.
There is Otto. Etta's husband. Otto remembers everything. So they balance. Otto loves Etta so, so much.
There is Etta. She answers Otto's letters when he is away. And she bakes and bakes and bakes.
There is Otto. He is away. It is the war. Otto writes to Etta. He is scared. Sometimes things are not quite what you imagined them to be.
There is Russell. Good, old Russell with a dead leg. He is Otto's friend and he loves Etta. And he remembers but remembers differently. Russell is trying to track the deer, has been trying for years.
There is Etta. She is walking and she is writing to Otto. She is finally doing it, she is going to see the big water.
There is Otto. He answers Etta's letters. And he makes things, papier-mache animals, makes them and makes them. Like Etta used to bake.
There is James. James is a coyote. James is also Etta's companion, walking with her.
There is a book. "Etta and Otto and Russell and James". It is a beautiful book. Pure, heartfelt book. And I love it so please read it. It is worth it.
There is Otto. Etta's husband. Otto remembers everything. So they balance. Otto loves Etta so, so much.
There is Etta. She answers Otto's letters when he is away. And she bakes and bakes and bakes.
There is Otto. He is away. It is the war. Otto writes to Etta. He is scared. Sometimes things are not quite what you imagined them to be.
There is Russell. Good, old Russell with a dead leg. He is Otto's friend and he loves Etta. And he remembers but remembers differently. Russell is trying to track the deer, has been trying for years.
There is Etta. She is walking and she is writing to Otto. She is finally doing it, she is going to see the big water.
There is Otto. He answers Etta's letters. And he makes things, papier-mache animals, makes them and makes them. Like Etta used to bake.
There is James. James is a coyote. James is also Etta's companion, walking with her.
There is a book. "Etta and Otto and Russell and James". It is a beautiful book. Pure, heartfelt book. And I love it so please read it. It is worth it.
February 23, 2015
I’m not quite sure what to make of Emma Hooper’s dreamlike debut novel and after turning the last page, I’m not even sure whether I liked it or not.
The book has been compared – unjustly, I think – with Rachel Joyce’s The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Indeed, in both books, an elderly protagonist (in this case, Etta) toes on an unexpected lengthy and arduous pilgrimage. Etta, a woman in her early 80s who is suffering from early-sage dementia, departs from her Saskatchewan farm to view the ocean. She leaves behind Otto, a one-time soldier and loving husband, and shy Russell, who was raised as Otto’s brother and still carries a torch for her. And then there’s James, but the fewer initial expectations a reader has of James, the better.
The book certainly is grounded in the real world – the sights, sounds, rhythms, the trying to remember to forget. Yet there’s something downright myth-like about the tale, from the deceptively childlike cadence of the dialogue to the Etta’s dreamy sojourn with nary but a coyote – long a symbol of the deep magic of life and creation – as her companion.
To read this book as a straightforward account is, I believe, a mistake. It must be read as a fantasy with elements of magical realism…the last twilight as we let go of the fundamentals of living and enter into the unknown. With forays into the Depression and World War II, into the pockets of loneliness and fading memories, and into the longings and dreams of struggling yet noble, the tone is often poetic, although sometimes unsteady. It is no surprise to me that Emma Hooper is also a musician; I often could feel the beats and pauses as the novel progressed. All in all, a worthwhile read.
The book has been compared – unjustly, I think – with Rachel Joyce’s The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Indeed, in both books, an elderly protagonist (in this case, Etta) toes on an unexpected lengthy and arduous pilgrimage. Etta, a woman in her early 80s who is suffering from early-sage dementia, departs from her Saskatchewan farm to view the ocean. She leaves behind Otto, a one-time soldier and loving husband, and shy Russell, who was raised as Otto’s brother and still carries a torch for her. And then there’s James, but the fewer initial expectations a reader has of James, the better.
The book certainly is grounded in the real world – the sights, sounds, rhythms, the trying to remember to forget. Yet there’s something downright myth-like about the tale, from the deceptively childlike cadence of the dialogue to the Etta’s dreamy sojourn with nary but a coyote – long a symbol of the deep magic of life and creation – as her companion.
To read this book as a straightforward account is, I believe, a mistake. It must be read as a fantasy with elements of magical realism…the last twilight as we let go of the fundamentals of living and enter into the unknown. With forays into the Depression and World War II, into the pockets of loneliness and fading memories, and into the longings and dreams of struggling yet noble, the tone is often poetic, although sometimes unsteady. It is no surprise to me that Emma Hooper is also a musician; I often could feel the beats and pauses as the novel progressed. All in all, a worthwhile read.
October 21, 2017
3.5 stars
An unusual and charming story which does not quite make its mind up what it wants to be. It is set in rural Canada in Saskatchewan. Etta and Otto are in their early 80s and have been married for over fifty years. Russell, their neighbour has known them both since childhood and has loved Etta since then as well. Etta appears to be in the early stages of dementia. Etta has never seen the sea and decides one day to walk to the sea alone without telling anyone. She could walk about eight hundred miles west or over two thousand miles east. She chooses to walk east and leaves her husband a note:
"I've gone. I've never seen the water, so I've gone there. Don't worry, I've left you the truck. I can walk. I will try to remember to come back.”
She also leaves recipe cards with instructions so Otto won’t go hungry. James is a coyote who joins Etta as she walks towards the sea.
The story moves backwards and forwards in time, so there is a good deal about Otto and Russell’s childhood, with Otto’s fifteen siblings; the local school also plays a central role. Etta joins the story as the schoolteacher as Russell and Otto reach sixteen. We follow the characters through the Depression and to the Second World War, when Otto goes to fight. There are lots of letters as the timeline goes backwards and forwards. As Etta walks towards the sea, her memory and sense of herself becomes more fragile. Otto (he adopts a guinea pig and starts making papier mache animals) and Russell (he goes in search of migrating caribou) also have adventures of their own whilst Etta is on her journey.
So what is this? It could be described as a fairy story or a fable (albeit a rather long one). James, the coyote, talks to Etta and sings songs. Sometimes difficult situations are minimised. There is a description of a radio broadcast from Europe in the war describing the sufferings of prisoners in a room where the children become light as air and float out of the high windows:
“No one knew, said the radio, where they’d gone, or where or if they’d landed, though it was speculated to perhaps be Switzerland or perhaps Central Africa.”
Of course we all know that the children have died. The novel seems to move between reality and fable in rather unpredictable ways. There is a good deal of poignancy and deliberations on the nature of friendship; there is also some decision making which leans more toward fairy tale than reality. Some of these twists and turns hinder character development and James at times feels like a plot device to keep Etta going on what would be an impossible task.
There are some touching moments and the description of Etta’s dementia is good, but there is a confusion about what the novels intends to be (for me anyway).
An unusual and charming story which does not quite make its mind up what it wants to be. It is set in rural Canada in Saskatchewan. Etta and Otto are in their early 80s and have been married for over fifty years. Russell, their neighbour has known them both since childhood and has loved Etta since then as well. Etta appears to be in the early stages of dementia. Etta has never seen the sea and decides one day to walk to the sea alone without telling anyone. She could walk about eight hundred miles west or over two thousand miles east. She chooses to walk east and leaves her husband a note:
"I've gone. I've never seen the water, so I've gone there. Don't worry, I've left you the truck. I can walk. I will try to remember to come back.”
She also leaves recipe cards with instructions so Otto won’t go hungry. James is a coyote who joins Etta as she walks towards the sea.
The story moves backwards and forwards in time, so there is a good deal about Otto and Russell’s childhood, with Otto’s fifteen siblings; the local school also plays a central role. Etta joins the story as the schoolteacher as Russell and Otto reach sixteen. We follow the characters through the Depression and to the Second World War, when Otto goes to fight. There are lots of letters as the timeline goes backwards and forwards. As Etta walks towards the sea, her memory and sense of herself becomes more fragile. Otto (he adopts a guinea pig and starts making papier mache animals) and Russell (he goes in search of migrating caribou) also have adventures of their own whilst Etta is on her journey.
So what is this? It could be described as a fairy story or a fable (albeit a rather long one). James, the coyote, talks to Etta and sings songs. Sometimes difficult situations are minimised. There is a description of a radio broadcast from Europe in the war describing the sufferings of prisoners in a room where the children become light as air and float out of the high windows:
“No one knew, said the radio, where they’d gone, or where or if they’d landed, though it was speculated to perhaps be Switzerland or perhaps Central Africa.”
Of course we all know that the children have died. The novel seems to move between reality and fable in rather unpredictable ways. There is a good deal of poignancy and deliberations on the nature of friendship; there is also some decision making which leans more toward fairy tale than reality. Some of these twists and turns hinder character development and James at times feels like a plot device to keep Etta going on what would be an impossible task.
There are some touching moments and the description of Etta’s dementia is good, but there is a confusion about what the novels intends to be (for me anyway).
February 22, 2015
Wow. I don't even know really what to say about this book.
After reading this I found out that Emma Hooper is also a musician. The style of writing that is in this book is very much like a song. With verses and choruses; going from past to present in short amount of words. Very poetic!
The story is gently told in such a beautiful and almost child-like way. I loved it! The ending was abrupt, but very meaningful and left the reader to interpret the story as a whole.
To me this story was about memories and the people who define our lives.
Beautiful debut! Read it!
After reading this I found out that Emma Hooper is also a musician. The style of writing that is in this book is very much like a song. With verses and choruses; going from past to present in short amount of words. Very poetic!
The story is gently told in such a beautiful and almost child-like way. I loved it! The ending was abrupt, but very meaningful and left the reader to interpret the story as a whole.
To me this story was about memories and the people who define our lives.
Beautiful debut! Read it!
October 31, 2019
4.5 Stars
Chronologically, this begins in the Great Plains of Saskatchewan during the years of the Great Depression, with the Vogel family, a family with fifteen children. The children each had a name, of course, but were just as often referred to by their number. First born being Marie, whose number was 1, Otto was number 7. And then one day Russell, a boy the same age as Otto, joins the family.
As the Great Depression, the drought and the never-ending dust blowing brought about the sudden departure of the school’s teacher. When Etta saw the posting of the position, she was first to apply, is hired to begin almost immediately. Etta is the same age as Otto and Russell, however she’s had the opportunity to obtain an education.
And then World War II enters the picture, and Otto leaves to join. A former injury prevents Russell from serving. Otto writes to Etta, in part because he wants to keep working on improving his spelling and writing skills. Etta replies, including gentle corrections to his letters, with warmth and advice.
”We’re all scared, most of the time. Life would be lifeless if we weren’t. Be scared, and then jump into that fear. Again and again. Just remember to hold on to yourself while you do it.”
However, as this story opens, Etta, at the age of 82 years, is leaving a note that says:
”I’ve gone. I’ve never seen the water, so I’ve gone there. Don’t worry. I’ve left you the truck. I can walk. I will try to remember to come back.”
Along with the note was a pile of recipe cards of some standard meals to see him through.
This story weaves back and forth through the years. Times in the war, the toll it takes, the losses, the fears, along with the changes seen by Etta over the 80 plus years of her life, the tolls it takes on all.
The quiet walk in the woods to see the water that Etta envisioned that manages - despite her desire to be alone, accomplish this alone – to gather followers long before the internet, of which she is mostly unaware. She brings food, but too little to see her through the whole walk, a little money, but not enough, a rifle. Eventually, with a dash of magical realism, she is joined by a companion she names James. James is a coyote, one who not only talks, but also sings. Fortunately, the talking – although I’m sure his singing was fine – as he becomes her guide.
Otto, meanwhile, remains waiting. Baking from her recipes. He has his own assistant, a guinea pig who watches and waits while he bakes, and creates a menagerie of flora and fauna out of papier-mâché.
This was Hooper’s debut novel, which I found especially impressive for a debut. With themes of memories, and the loss of memories, lifelong yearnings that can no longer be ignored, and what love really means.
Chronologically, this begins in the Great Plains of Saskatchewan during the years of the Great Depression, with the Vogel family, a family with fifteen children. The children each had a name, of course, but were just as often referred to by their number. First born being Marie, whose number was 1, Otto was number 7. And then one day Russell, a boy the same age as Otto, joins the family.
As the Great Depression, the drought and the never-ending dust blowing brought about the sudden departure of the school’s teacher. When Etta saw the posting of the position, she was first to apply, is hired to begin almost immediately. Etta is the same age as Otto and Russell, however she’s had the opportunity to obtain an education.
And then World War II enters the picture, and Otto leaves to join. A former injury prevents Russell from serving. Otto writes to Etta, in part because he wants to keep working on improving his spelling and writing skills. Etta replies, including gentle corrections to his letters, with warmth and advice.
”We’re all scared, most of the time. Life would be lifeless if we weren’t. Be scared, and then jump into that fear. Again and again. Just remember to hold on to yourself while you do it.”
However, as this story opens, Etta, at the age of 82 years, is leaving a note that says:
”I’ve gone. I’ve never seen the water, so I’ve gone there. Don’t worry. I’ve left you the truck. I can walk. I will try to remember to come back.”
Along with the note was a pile of recipe cards of some standard meals to see him through.
This story weaves back and forth through the years. Times in the war, the toll it takes, the losses, the fears, along with the changes seen by Etta over the 80 plus years of her life, the tolls it takes on all.
The quiet walk in the woods to see the water that Etta envisioned that manages - despite her desire to be alone, accomplish this alone – to gather followers long before the internet, of which she is mostly unaware. She brings food, but too little to see her through the whole walk, a little money, but not enough, a rifle. Eventually, with a dash of magical realism, she is joined by a companion she names James. James is a coyote, one who not only talks, but also sings. Fortunately, the talking – although I’m sure his singing was fine – as he becomes her guide.
Otto, meanwhile, remains waiting. Baking from her recipes. He has his own assistant, a guinea pig who watches and waits while he bakes, and creates a menagerie of flora and fauna out of papier-mâché.
This was Hooper’s debut novel, which I found especially impressive for a debut. With themes of memories, and the loss of memories, lifelong yearnings that can no longer be ignored, and what love really means.
December 16, 2014
Sometimes I find that the best writers break all the rules. It’s not because they don’t know the rules but that they are good enough to transcend the rules. Cormac McCarthy and William Faulkner come to mind. If an author’s writing style is polished enough that a reader doesn’t miss the missing quotation marks and commas, then the author can be forgiven for not using them. Emma Hooper is such a writer. The first thing that drew me to the novel was the title with all it’s palindromic names and names with double letters (including the author’s) as well as the lack of commas. I liked the quirk it promised me.
The book starts with a letter:
The letter is from 83-year-old Etta, and it’s only one of many in a lifetime of letters. The first letters Etta and Otto exchange are during the war not long after their first meeting. Thus, it only seems fitting that they’re writing again at the end of their lives with her going to see the ocean that he saw all those many years ago, 3200 kilometers away from where they live in Saskatchewan.
Etta leaves the note behind along with a collection of recipe cards so that Otto can fend for himself. He finds solace in the rhythm of baking: "Kneading, Otto thought as he moved his hands up and down in the dough, was the best part. It was the connection point, between you and the food. ... Once you got started, it was automatic and comforting. On, and on." Similarly, Etta finds comfort in placing one foot behind another as she walks across Canada to the sea, connecting with her surroundings as if she belongs there.
While Etta tries to avoid populated areas, she still acquires a fan club of people who have spotted her along the way. They often give her small gifts like a bobby pin for her hair or small amounts of food. However, she also acquires a coyote walking companion named James to whom she talks. Etta doesn’t seem the least bit surprised that James talks back to her. No, this isn’t a foray into fantasy or magical realism; it’s a glimpse into the mind of someone experiencing dementia. She seems to be somewhat lost in time as well as unable to differentiate fact from fiction. But yet Otto, their friend Russell, and most of Canada leaves Etta to her walking.
This is a beautiful story with threads that weave together past and present as one, not unlike the way Etta experiences time. It’s a story of love, trust, and aging gracefully. Sometimes one simply exists and acts because one must, and to respect that person’s need to act despite their state of mind is a gift. This book is a work of art. Be sure to put it on your must-read list for 2015.
The book starts with a letter:
Otto,
I’ve gone. I’ve never seen the water, so I’ve gone there. Don’t worry, I’ve left you the truck. I can walk. I will try to remember to come back.
Yours (always),
Etta.
The letter is from 83-year-old Etta, and it’s only one of many in a lifetime of letters. The first letters Etta and Otto exchange are during the war not long after their first meeting. Thus, it only seems fitting that they’re writing again at the end of their lives with her going to see the ocean that he saw all those many years ago, 3200 kilometers away from where they live in Saskatchewan.
Etta leaves the note behind along with a collection of recipe cards so that Otto can fend for himself. He finds solace in the rhythm of baking: "Kneading, Otto thought as he moved his hands up and down in the dough, was the best part. It was the connection point, between you and the food. ... Once you got started, it was automatic and comforting. On, and on." Similarly, Etta finds comfort in placing one foot behind another as she walks across Canada to the sea, connecting with her surroundings as if she belongs there.
While Etta tries to avoid populated areas, she still acquires a fan club of people who have spotted her along the way. They often give her small gifts like a bobby pin for her hair or small amounts of food. However, she also acquires a coyote walking companion named James to whom she talks. Etta doesn’t seem the least bit surprised that James talks back to her. No, this isn’t a foray into fantasy or magical realism; it’s a glimpse into the mind of someone experiencing dementia. She seems to be somewhat lost in time as well as unable to differentiate fact from fiction. But yet Otto, their friend Russell, and most of Canada leaves Etta to her walking.
This is a beautiful story with threads that weave together past and present as one, not unlike the way Etta experiences time. It’s a story of love, trust, and aging gracefully. Sometimes one simply exists and acts because one must, and to respect that person’s need to act despite their state of mind is a gift. This book is a work of art. Be sure to put it on your must-read list for 2015.
March 20, 2025
⭐ Review after the author talk today! ⭐
I was hesitant to pick this one after reading some reviews, but I decided that it must have more merit than was discovered if it made it to the Canada Reads 2025 Shortlist! I'm glad I read it. I can't wait to meet the author tonight and get my copy signed.
===========================================
Great event!
Etta and Otto and Russel and James is shortlisted for the Canada Reads 2025 competition!
I attended the author talk for this book last night and loved chatting with the author, Emma Hooper, the book’s champion, Michelle Morgan (you might know her as Lou from CBC’s Heartland), and the host, CBC Vancouver’s Amy Bell.
Elevator speech: 82-year-old Etta decides to walk 3,232 kilometres to Halifax from her farm in Saskatchewan to fulfill her dream of seeing the ocean.
This year’s theme was ‘one book to change the narrative’ and I think this book has what it takes to change the narrative surrounding aging, dementia, our identity and what we consider a love story. In the 10 years since this book was published, society has given more space to aging and our treatment of those with memory issues. I think revisiting this book now means that it will not only resonate with more people, but will be accepted differently.
This book has also come along at a time when Canadians are asking themselves what it means to be Canadian. We’re finding our own voice and supporting Canadian authors. The author was born in Canada and the book is set in Canada.
This 5-star read is about an octagenarian with dementia who refuses to be defined by her illness or limitations. I love that she begins a new adventure despite her age and that Hooper has chosen to craft her with a sense of adventure and curiosity, rather than pity. Not many books paint characters with dementia in the same light. I also appreciated the author’s writing style; readers get to see the characters as whole people, not just a slice of their lives.
The author shared the inspiration for this book and helped us understand the characters and their motives a little better. Mom won a Canada Reads 2025 tote bag filled with goodies and I was fortunate enough to get my copy signed.
If you haven’t read this book yet, consider adding it to your TBR. It’s a fabulous example of showing not telling, showcases unique storytelling, and is a wonderful tool for readers in finding a new voice for Canadiana.
=====================================
I've been watching Canada Reads this week and was happy this book made it to the end of round three. Yes, I'm disappointed it didn't win, but I'm happy it will get the exposure it deserves.
I was hesitant to pick this one after reading some reviews, but I decided that it must have more merit than was discovered if it made it to the Canada Reads 2025 Shortlist! I'm glad I read it. I can't wait to meet the author tonight and get my copy signed.
===========================================
Great event!
Etta and Otto and Russel and James is shortlisted for the Canada Reads 2025 competition!
I attended the author talk for this book last night and loved chatting with the author, Emma Hooper, the book’s champion, Michelle Morgan (you might know her as Lou from CBC’s Heartland), and the host, CBC Vancouver’s Amy Bell.
Elevator speech: 82-year-old Etta decides to walk 3,232 kilometres to Halifax from her farm in Saskatchewan to fulfill her dream of seeing the ocean.
This year’s theme was ‘one book to change the narrative’ and I think this book has what it takes to change the narrative surrounding aging, dementia, our identity and what we consider a love story. In the 10 years since this book was published, society has given more space to aging and our treatment of those with memory issues. I think revisiting this book now means that it will not only resonate with more people, but will be accepted differently.
This book has also come along at a time when Canadians are asking themselves what it means to be Canadian. We’re finding our own voice and supporting Canadian authors. The author was born in Canada and the book is set in Canada.
This 5-star read is about an octagenarian with dementia who refuses to be defined by her illness or limitations. I love that she begins a new adventure despite her age and that Hooper has chosen to craft her with a sense of adventure and curiosity, rather than pity. Not many books paint characters with dementia in the same light. I also appreciated the author’s writing style; readers get to see the characters as whole people, not just a slice of their lives.
The author shared the inspiration for this book and helped us understand the characters and their motives a little better. Mom won a Canada Reads 2025 tote bag filled with goodies and I was fortunate enough to get my copy signed.
If you haven’t read this book yet, consider adding it to your TBR. It’s a fabulous example of showing not telling, showcases unique storytelling, and is a wonderful tool for readers in finding a new voice for Canadiana.
=====================================
I've been watching Canada Reads this week and was happy this book made it to the end of round three. Yes, I'm disappointed it didn't win, but I'm happy it will get the exposure it deserves.
February 19, 2015
I really enjoyed the structure of this novel, with the shifting perspectives narrated in very short chapters and letters. The storytelling flowed quickly and the "unknowns" made perfect sense given the different storytellers. I've ready many comparisons to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which are fair. This is also a pilgrimage novel but it veers from Harold Fry in so many ways, not the least of which is a talking coyote.
I like this book for its quirkiness, for its balance of dark and light, for its fast pace and for its heartbreaking honesty, especially in the end.
I like this book for its quirkiness, for its balance of dark and light, for its fast pace and for its heartbreaking honesty, especially in the end.
December 27, 2015
This is the completely original and deeply romantic story, told out of chronological order, of 83-year-old Etta who leaves her husband, Otto, to walk east through Canada to find the sea, leaving a note that says: “I’ve gone. I’ve never seen the water, so I’ve gone there. Don’t worry, I’ve left you the truck. I can walk. I will try to remember to come back.”
Along her journey she is accompanied by a talking coyote named James and a journalist. She sometimes dreams she is her husband and sometimes other people she knows. She sometimes becomes her husband (and vice versa) and “loses herself.”
Meanwhile Otto makes papier-mâché sculptures of animals as gifts for Etta on her return. And he visits with his neighbor, Russell, who adopted himself into Otto’s family when they both were children. Russell, too, is in love with Etta and takes off after her, but ends up on his own quest.
Etta and Otto embody a purity and simplicity that I believe is the essence of who we are. They occupy time—as does the story—that is nonlinear and vast. They just love and accept and are one with each other, no matter where or when they are. And each in his and her own way is completely unaffected by the culture of craving, status, and ego concerns.
Interspersed with the present time (when Otto and Etta are in their 80s) are scenes from childhood and Otto’s service during World War II—one of which almost off-handedly expresses the map or theme of this book:
Does this sound confusing? It does to me, writing it, but, for me, this love story was absolutely comprehensible and necessary to communicate in the unique form and language that belongs only to Emma Hooper (with the faintest echoes of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince). I’m not sure how it might be understood by readers with no interest in metaphysics, but it is more real than reality for somebody who accepts “the loop of life,” or has experienced awareness much bigger than normal time and space, or has taken a dip in the ocean (water) of consciousness from which we all erupt like waves from time to time.
A Note about Quotation Marks
As a reader and editor who admires the Chicago Manual of Style, I loathe the latest writer’s fad of foregoing quotation marks around dialogue, and although I think denoting dialogue might improve the reading experience of Etta and Otto and Russell and James, this is the first time where I can see that their absence is in keeping with the idiosyncratic structure and style of this book. There were only a couple of times I had to reread in order to understand what was dialogue and what was narrative.
That said, this is a wonderful, beautiful book. At the end, I cried as deeply as I’ve ever cried at the end of a novel.
Along her journey she is accompanied by a talking coyote named James and a journalist. She sometimes dreams she is her husband and sometimes other people she knows. She sometimes becomes her husband (and vice versa) and “loses herself.”
Meanwhile Otto makes papier-mâché sculptures of animals as gifts for Etta on her return. And he visits with his neighbor, Russell, who adopted himself into Otto’s family when they both were children. Russell, too, is in love with Etta and takes off after her, but ends up on his own quest.
Etta and Otto embody a purity and simplicity that I believe is the essence of who we are. They occupy time—as does the story—that is nonlinear and vast. They just love and accept and are one with each other, no matter where or when they are. And each in his and her own way is completely unaffected by the culture of craving, status, and ego concerns.
Interspersed with the present time (when Otto and Etta are in their 80s) are scenes from childhood and Otto’s service during World War II—one of which almost off-handedly expresses the map or theme of this book:
Look, said Gérald [a soldier], it’s just like chess. Sometimes it’s our turn to be moved, either aggressively or defensively. Sometimes we’re not moved for ages. Sometimes we’re moved back to a place we’ve just been. It all seems random from here, but from above, for those who can see the whole board, it probably makes sense.
Does this sound confusing? It does to me, writing it, but, for me, this love story was absolutely comprehensible and necessary to communicate in the unique form and language that belongs only to Emma Hooper (with the faintest echoes of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince). I’m not sure how it might be understood by readers with no interest in metaphysics, but it is more real than reality for somebody who accepts “the loop of life,” or has experienced awareness much bigger than normal time and space, or has taken a dip in the ocean (water) of consciousness from which we all erupt like waves from time to time.
A Note about Quotation Marks
As a reader and editor who admires the Chicago Manual of Style, I loathe the latest writer’s fad of foregoing quotation marks around dialogue, and although I think denoting dialogue might improve the reading experience of Etta and Otto and Russell and James, this is the first time where I can see that their absence is in keeping with the idiosyncratic structure and style of this book. There were only a couple of times I had to reread in order to understand what was dialogue and what was narrative.
That said, this is a wonderful, beautiful book. At the end, I cried as deeply as I’ve ever cried at the end of a novel.
August 13, 2019
Three and a half stars.
Etta has a great unfulfilled wish and that is to see the sea. Leaving her farmland home in Saskatchewan Etta, aged eighty two, sets off one morning early to walk to the sea. Her husband Otto stays at home and makes no attempt to go after her, even though Etta is starting to forget things. He simply has to trust she will remember enough to find her way home again. Meanwhile he occupies himself making papier mache animals. Russell, their next door neighbour who has loved Etta as long as Otto has, is also concerned and after consideration chooses to take action. Along the way Etta meets up with a coyote, James. He accompanies her on her trek and provides conversation and companionship. Yes, that’s right, he talks to her. So the reader needs firstly to be able to suspend disbelief and accept this magic realism.
The story is told encompassing letters and flashbacks to the shared past of Etta, Otto and Russell that extends back many years. While it is simply and beautifully written, it would have helped at times to have quotation marks. So if you don’t like books without quotation marks that could well affect your decision to read this novel or not. I admit their absence is not my favourite option but the story was engaging enough to put my preferences aside and go along with it.
I was enjoying this gentle, quirky novel until the end, which left me scratching my head a bit. As a result the ending, which is perhaps open to interpretation, ended up pulling my rating down a little.
Etta has a great unfulfilled wish and that is to see the sea. Leaving her farmland home in Saskatchewan Etta, aged eighty two, sets off one morning early to walk to the sea. Her husband Otto stays at home and makes no attempt to go after her, even though Etta is starting to forget things. He simply has to trust she will remember enough to find her way home again. Meanwhile he occupies himself making papier mache animals. Russell, their next door neighbour who has loved Etta as long as Otto has, is also concerned and after consideration chooses to take action. Along the way Etta meets up with a coyote, James. He accompanies her on her trek and provides conversation and companionship. Yes, that’s right, he talks to her. So the reader needs firstly to be able to suspend disbelief and accept this magic realism.
The story is told encompassing letters and flashbacks to the shared past of Etta, Otto and Russell that extends back many years. While it is simply and beautifully written, it would have helped at times to have quotation marks. So if you don’t like books without quotation marks that could well affect your decision to read this novel or not. I admit their absence is not my favourite option but the story was engaging enough to put my preferences aside and go along with it.
I was enjoying this gentle, quirky novel until the end, which left me scratching my head a bit. As a result the ending, which is perhaps open to interpretation, ended up pulling my rating down a little.
September 23, 2021
I had loved Emma Hooper's Our Homesick Songs and so, wanted to read another book by her. Etta and Otto and Russell and James was her debut novel. I decided to read it as a fantasy and let go of any parts that seemed unbelievable. As I continued reading, I became more and more enamored of the story and of the author's lyricism. Ms. Hooper is also a musician - I could hear a musical cadence in her writing.
The story is told in mini-chapters, 2-4 pages in length. Events go backwards and forwards in time. Otto and Russell grow up like brothers, even though they are actually neighbors. They both fall for their teacher, Etta, who happens to be their same age. Each character is interesting.
As an 83 year old, Etta decides she wants to see the ocean and begins a 3200 kilometers' trek across Canada. See what I mean about the story being a fantasy? And, she meets up with a talking coyote (James) who becomes her traveling companion.
The tale is multi-faceted, looking at such subjects as: Otto's family's farm, Otto's military experiences in World War II, Etta's teaching in a one room schoolhouse, romantic yearnings, building a life together in a small rural town, and aging.
I loved the book!
Here is a musical video of a song inspired by Russell, a character in the story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFFhC...
The story is told in mini-chapters, 2-4 pages in length. Events go backwards and forwards in time. Otto and Russell grow up like brothers, even though they are actually neighbors. They both fall for their teacher, Etta, who happens to be their same age. Each character is interesting.
As an 83 year old, Etta decides she wants to see the ocean and begins a 3200 kilometers' trek across Canada. See what I mean about the story being a fantasy? And, she meets up with a talking coyote (James) who becomes her traveling companion.
The tale is multi-faceted, looking at such subjects as: Otto's family's farm, Otto's military experiences in World War II, Etta's teaching in a one room schoolhouse, romantic yearnings, building a life together in a small rural town, and aging.
I loved the book!
Here is a musical video of a song inspired by Russell, a character in the story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFFhC...
March 9, 2015
This is an odd and interesting work of art. It’s not polished; it’s almost written like a children’s reader. It’s like a fairy tale; it’s like a dream. The timeline is dreamy; yet it’s easy to follow. The cadence is simple; the story is profound.
Emma Hooper writes a story about an addled octogenarian woman, Etta, who decides that she’s never seen the ocean, so she decides to walk there from the middle of Canada. She leaves her husband a note telling him that she will come back, if she remembers. Hooper writes of her pilgrimage while time-traveling Etta’s life and the people who inhabit her life story. We learn of Otto, her husband, and Russell, her closest friend. And finally James, her spiritual advisor.
Etta is the strongest character in the story; in fact, all the women in the story are the strength from whom the men draw. It’s the ultimate love story of kindness and compassion. All of Hooper’s characters are well meaning and earnest. It’s a joy to read such a warm and compassionate story.
I highly recommend this little novel because of it’s unique style and profound story.
Emma Hooper writes a story about an addled octogenarian woman, Etta, who decides that she’s never seen the ocean, so she decides to walk there from the middle of Canada. She leaves her husband a note telling him that she will come back, if she remembers. Hooper writes of her pilgrimage while time-traveling Etta’s life and the people who inhabit her life story. We learn of Otto, her husband, and Russell, her closest friend. And finally James, her spiritual advisor.
Etta is the strongest character in the story; in fact, all the women in the story are the strength from whom the men draw. It’s the ultimate love story of kindness and compassion. All of Hooper’s characters are well meaning and earnest. It’s a joy to read such a warm and compassionate story.
I highly recommend this little novel because of it’s unique style and profound story.
February 21, 2015
I received this book through GR’s First Reads Program. Thank you!
I read this book from start to finish with a magnifying glass. I am telling you this simply because even given the difficulty it posed for me to read the book, given my poor eyesight, I would not quit. It was that good!
You can read a book of fiction for the story that is told, for what happens, Let's call this plot. Or you can read fiction for how it is written, for the charm, beauty, wisdom and humor of the lines. It was the latter that I loved about this book. The language is simple. The dialogs too. There stand just a few words, but you understand immediately their meaning and significance. Everything in this book is said with utter simplicity. All the unnecessary is washed away. You laugh, you marvel, you ponder.
What this book offers is a peek into three lives. The three are Etta's, Otto's and Russell's. This is a book about friendship and love - different kinds of love. And then there is James, a coyote. Otto and Russell grew up together; Russell almost part of Otto’s family. . All three spent their entire lives together. Three's a crowd? No, not here. This story is the quiet telling of their lives together. From childhood to old age - through adolescence and separation and war.
I should not like this book. It jumps backwards and forwards in time. Like The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which I detested, it follows an elderly person's pilgrimage. There are similarities between the two that I dislike, but Etta's pilgrimage doesn't have the religious message of Fry's. I usually don't read fantasy, and honestly there are elements that stretch believability. An eighty-two year-old woman plagued with dementia walking alone from Saskatchewan to the Atlantic 3232km away? Her husband, Otto, doesn't stop her? And Russell’s choices? Possibly conceivable, but not likely! Then there is the coyote, with whom Etta communicates. Remember? That is James! But hey, I can communicate with my dog, so why can't she communicate with James? Let's just say the book has magical realism. I like magical realism. Magical realism is just about different interpretations, not fantasy really. Regardless of why I shouldn't have liked this book I still did. Actually very, very much as I read it, but the ending – it just stopped. Did I want more of a message, a final punch?
If this book is available or becomes available in an audiobook format I would advise against it. You need to see the words' placement on the pages to comprehend the time switches. You need to see which portions of the text are letters between Etta and Otto. In the paper book these are in italics. Maybe most importantly, it is delightful to read the text slowly savoring each word, to suck on the lines. It is this that is the best part of the book, not what happens step by step. The value of the book is the passage through it.
I read this book from start to finish with a magnifying glass. I am telling you this simply because even given the difficulty it posed for me to read the book, given my poor eyesight, I would not quit. It was that good!
You can read a book of fiction for the story that is told, for what happens, Let's call this plot. Or you can read fiction for how it is written, for the charm, beauty, wisdom and humor of the lines. It was the latter that I loved about this book. The language is simple. The dialogs too. There stand just a few words, but you understand immediately their meaning and significance. Everything in this book is said with utter simplicity. All the unnecessary is washed away. You laugh, you marvel, you ponder.
What this book offers is a peek into three lives. The three are Etta's, Otto's and Russell's. This is a book about friendship and love - different kinds of love. And then there is James, a coyote. Otto and Russell grew up together; Russell almost part of Otto’s family. . All three spent their entire lives together. Three's a crowd? No, not here. This story is the quiet telling of their lives together. From childhood to old age - through adolescence and separation and war.
I should not like this book. It jumps backwards and forwards in time. Like The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which I detested, it follows an elderly person's pilgrimage. There are similarities between the two that I dislike, but Etta's pilgrimage doesn't have the religious message of Fry's. I usually don't read fantasy, and honestly there are elements that stretch believability. An eighty-two year-old woman plagued with dementia walking alone from Saskatchewan to the Atlantic 3232km away? Her husband, Otto, doesn't stop her? And Russell’s choices? Possibly conceivable, but not likely! Then there is the coyote, with whom Etta communicates. Remember? That is James! But hey, I can communicate with my dog, so why can't she communicate with James? Let's just say the book has magical realism. I like magical realism. Magical realism is just about different interpretations, not fantasy really. Regardless of why I shouldn't have liked this book I still did. Actually very, very much as I read it, but the ending – it just stopped. Did I want more of a message, a final punch?
If this book is available or becomes available in an audiobook format I would advise against it. You need to see the words' placement on the pages to comprehend the time switches. You need to see which portions of the text are letters between Etta and Otto. In the paper book these are in italics. Maybe most importantly, it is delightful to read the text slowly savoring each word, to suck on the lines. It is this that is the best part of the book, not what happens step by step. The value of the book is the passage through it.
September 5, 2015
Etta left a letter for her husband Otto: "I've gone. I've never seen the water, so I've gone there. Don't worry, I've left you the truck. I can walk. I will try to remember to come back."
This charming story about three octogenarians had me turning the pages, hoping that Etta would fulfill her wish as she walked 3,200 km to the ocean. The book looks back at them growing up on the dry dusty farms of Saskatchewan, Russell's childhood injury, Etta teaching in a one-room schoolhouse, and Otto's terrible wartime experiences. Otto, Etta, and Russell were very devoted to each other. When Etta left on her walk it prompted both Otto and Russell to also experience something new and different in their lives. The flashbacks seem very realistic, but their present experiences seem more symbolic as they act on their unrealized dreams.
James is a magical surprise conjured up by Etta's foggy mind, and he helps her reach her destination. With a bit of magical realism at the conclusion, identities shift and merge as they float between the present and the past, and between reality and a dream. Delightful!
This charming story about three octogenarians had me turning the pages, hoping that Etta would fulfill her wish as she walked 3,200 km to the ocean. The book looks back at them growing up on the dry dusty farms of Saskatchewan, Russell's childhood injury, Etta teaching in a one-room schoolhouse, and Otto's terrible wartime experiences. Otto, Etta, and Russell were very devoted to each other. When Etta left on her walk it prompted both Otto and Russell to also experience something new and different in their lives. The flashbacks seem very realistic, but their present experiences seem more symbolic as they act on their unrealized dreams.
James is a magical surprise conjured up by Etta's foggy mind, and he helps her reach her destination. With a bit of magical realism at the conclusion, identities shift and merge as they float between the present and the past, and between reality and a dream. Delightful!
August 29, 2021
Too abstract. Wanted to like it, but couldn't get interested in the characters. Not a great read. Selected by some Costco Reader's Group. Their first ever selection. Well, should have known. Did you even know Costco sells books? They are known for their warehouse deals and some Kirkland Signature goodies. But did you say books?
February 6, 2023
I really didn't get anything out of this one.
Uninteresting and indistinguishable characters behaving in inexplicable ways. You know a novel isn't grabbing your attention when your favourite thing about it is the amount of blank space on the pages.
It wasn't badly written and there were some interesting ideas, but it was lacking the key ingredients of believable characters and clarity of purpose.
Not for me.
Uninteresting and indistinguishable characters behaving in inexplicable ways. You know a novel isn't grabbing your attention when your favourite thing about it is the amount of blank space on the pages.
It wasn't badly written and there were some interesting ideas, but it was lacking the key ingredients of believable characters and clarity of purpose.
Not for me.
February 28, 2025
Read for Canada Reads 2025
A bit like a fairy tale this is the story of 83 yr old Etta who goes on a long walking journey across Canada, from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia "to see the sea" that she has never seen and who promises to try to remember to come back despite her ailing memory.
Wonderful characters, especially James, and their interactions make this story magical.
A bit like a fairy tale this is the story of 83 yr old Etta who goes on a long walking journey across Canada, from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia "to see the sea" that she has never seen and who promises to try to remember to come back despite her ailing memory.
Wonderful characters, especially James, and their interactions make this story magical.
January 26, 2015
Etta’s greatest unfulfilled wish, living in the rolling farmland of Saskatchewan, is to see the sea. At the age of 82 she gets up very early one morning takes a rifle, some chocolate, and her best boots and begins the 2000 mile walk to the sea.
I began to understand very early on that this book was not based on realism. An 82 year old woman, quite clearly, cannot walk 2000 miles alone and so there had to be some other premise on which to base the book.
My take on the book is that it is based on the memories of Otto and Etta and their long life together along with their neighbour Russell, who has been in love with Etta for years.
The parts of the book which take place in the past worked, in my opinion, much better than those set in the present day. This is because these parts are based on fact and are merely reiterations of what happened.
The complications of the book arise when, for example, at one point Etta starts to describe her experiences in Europe during World War II to a reporter allegedly tagging along with her on her long trek. However, Etta has never been to war. Her memories are actually Otto’s memories. Etta also shares Otto’s dreams.
Whilst Etta is walking, Otto stays at home making paper Mache animals. Why paper Mache animals?
The ending of the book is not clear and is left for the reader to put their own interpretation on it, which is very annoying. I would have been happy to accept some of the make believe element of the book if a satisfactory explanation and conclusion had been reached. However, I was left very confused. The story appears to be a jumbled collection of ideas, which don’t come together very well. There have been numerous books recently based on older individuals going walkabouts and doing crazy things and this combined with a WWII theme, did not quite work.
The plus points are that the book is moving in parts and the characters are likeable if a bit strange.
In conclusion, if you like quirky, hard to believe books then this is definitely one for you. If, like me, you like a good story with a conclusive ending then would advise you pass on this one.
I began to understand very early on that this book was not based on realism. An 82 year old woman, quite clearly, cannot walk 2000 miles alone and so there had to be some other premise on which to base the book.
My take on the book is that it is based on the memories of Otto and Etta and their long life together along with their neighbour Russell, who has been in love with Etta for years.
The parts of the book which take place in the past worked, in my opinion, much better than those set in the present day. This is because these parts are based on fact and are merely reiterations of what happened.
The complications of the book arise when, for example, at one point Etta starts to describe her experiences in Europe during World War II to a reporter allegedly tagging along with her on her long trek. However, Etta has never been to war. Her memories are actually Otto’s memories. Etta also shares Otto’s dreams.
Whilst Etta is walking, Otto stays at home making paper Mache animals. Why paper Mache animals?
The ending of the book is not clear and is left for the reader to put their own interpretation on it, which is very annoying. I would have been happy to accept some of the make believe element of the book if a satisfactory explanation and conclusion had been reached. However, I was left very confused. The story appears to be a jumbled collection of ideas, which don’t come together very well. There have been numerous books recently based on older individuals going walkabouts and doing crazy things and this combined with a WWII theme, did not quite work.
The plus points are that the book is moving in parts and the characters are likeable if a bit strange.
In conclusion, if you like quirky, hard to believe books then this is definitely one for you. If, like me, you like a good story with a conclusive ending then would advise you pass on this one.
Read
April 15, 2022Gah.
What a mash-up!
This reads like The Stone Angel meets The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry meets Midnight's Children. That's a lot of disparate voices to keep in one's head while reading.
With neither the sharp wit of Hagar Shipley, nor the tenderness of Harold Fry, nor the inventiveness of Saleem Sinai, 82-year-old Etta sets out on a most improbable journey, that carries no rich allegory nor metaphor for living. That's the part that I feel Hooper forgot in casting her net so wide: her own voice is lost in the maelstrom, while gathering the echoes of these other fine novels. The echoes are dissonant and displeasing.
What a mash-up!
This reads like The Stone Angel meets The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry meets Midnight's Children. That's a lot of disparate voices to keep in one's head while reading.
With neither the sharp wit of Hagar Shipley, nor the tenderness of Harold Fry, nor the inventiveness of Saleem Sinai, 82-year-old Etta sets out on a most improbable journey, that carries no rich allegory nor metaphor for living. That's the part that I feel Hooper forgot in casting her net so wide: her own voice is lost in the maelstrom, while gathering the echoes of these other fine novels. The echoes are dissonant and displeasing.
February 4, 2015
If the setup of Emma Hooper’s debut novel sounds familiar, that is because she borrows liberally from Rachel Joyce’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Still, Etta and Otto and Russell and James is unique in some aspects. It vacillates between the stylistic extremes of minimalism and magic realism and, more so than Harold Fry, relies on the interplay between past and present, with flashbacks to Etta’s and Otto’s childhoods as well as to Otto’s war service.
(For me, though, Etta’s journey felt pointless, as did the mystical ending. I also don’t get on well with hugely twee books.)
Full review in March 2015 issue of Third Way magazine.
(For me, though, Etta’s journey felt pointless, as did the mystical ending. I also don’t get on well with hugely twee books.)
Full review in March 2015 issue of Third Way magazine.
March 29, 2018
4.5/5
Một câu chuyện đẹp đẽ, giàu chất thơ và buồn. Buồn ở rất nhiều cung bậc khác nhau. Lúc thì chỉ chút ít, chỉ man mác thôi. Lúc thì lại nhói lòng. Lúc thì cuộn lên day dứt không chịu nổi.
Một câu chuyện đẹp đẽ, giàu chất thơ và buồn. Buồn ở rất nhiều cung bậc khác nhau. Lúc thì chỉ chút ít, chỉ man mác thôi. Lúc thì lại nhói lòng. Lúc thì cuộn lên day dứt không chịu nổi.
August 12, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (3.5/5)
I picked this book up as It was part of this year 'Canadian Read 2025' and it is very hard for me to review it as it was kind of an unusual book.
Emma Hooper's debut novel "Etta and Otto and Russell and James" presents a dreamlike narrative that blends reality with magical realism. The story follows Etta, an elderly woman with early-stage dementia, who embarks on a long journey from her Saskatchewan farm to see the ocean. While the book has been compared to "The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry," it stands apart with its mythical qualities and poetic tone.
The novel explores themes of memory, longing, and the transition between life and the unknown, set against the backdrop of historical events like the Depression and World War II. Overall I recommend it to people who like unconventional writings.
I picked this book up as It was part of this year 'Canadian Read 2025' and it is very hard for me to review it as it was kind of an unusual book.
Emma Hooper's debut novel "Etta and Otto and Russell and James" presents a dreamlike narrative that blends reality with magical realism. The story follows Etta, an elderly woman with early-stage dementia, who embarks on a long journey from her Saskatchewan farm to see the ocean. While the book has been compared to "The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry," it stands apart with its mythical qualities and poetic tone.
The novel explores themes of memory, longing, and the transition between life and the unknown, set against the backdrop of historical events like the Depression and World War II. Overall I recommend it to people who like unconventional writings.
March 28, 2017
Etta and Otto and Russell and JamesEtta and Otto and Russell and James byEmma Hooper won my heart combining many of my favorite elements, aging protagonists, animals, a quest, coming of age tales and a homespun voice.
At the beginning of the book we meet octogenarian Otto who finds a note from his wife Etta, which says she has left to see the ocean. Otto and Etta, a married couple who live on a farm in Saskatchewan next to their neighbor and old friend who Otto grew up with, Russel. Otto instinctively knows that Etta is heading East to the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way Etta meets a coyote, whom she names James and who talks with her. Here is their conversation about Ontario:
It will be fine. Ontario will be fine. Okay. It will. But, also, Etta, there is rain, there, more rain. Even in springtime and summer. You have to think about sleeping in rain. But you said the skunks said there were big rocks and trees? Yes. Well that’s shelter for night. And maybe we’ll get to cool down somewhat in the day. Rain is good, James, when we open our mouths to sing it will be like drinking.
The book moves between characters and progress forwards and backwards through present times and past and the reader gets to know each one and how their lives have interwoven. We learn about Otto's struggles to learn to bake without Etta to fix his meals, we get a glimpse of Otto and Russel's life in a small schoolhouse and Etta's tragic lose of her older sister when she was an adolescent. Etta in her journey becomes transformed into a minor celebrity, much like Harold Fry in The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.
The whole book is told in a wonderful homespun voice which I so love with bits of folksy wisdom floating throughout, like this gem:
People could say things about Owen. They could. But they don’t. We don’t. Words are strong. The strongest. Worse than bruises on gravel.
It is told with a variety of narratives, dialogue and epistles. Here is an example of Etta's letter to Otto during World War II:
What she said was Dear Otto, We’re all scared, most of the time. Life would be lifeless if we weren’t. Be scared, and then jump into that fear. Again and again. Just remember to hold on to yourself while you do it. Sincerely, Etta P.S. Thank you for the photo. I do recognize you, even without the dust. I enclose this year’s class photo, myself in front of the school with the students, as a reciprocal gift.
Otto continues to write to Etta, even though he is not sure she will read his letter's on her journey:
Dear Etta, We have good days and bad days. You told me, once, to just remember to breathe. As long as you can do that, you’re doing something Good, you said. Getting rid of the old, and letting in the new. And, therefore, moving forward. Making progress. That’s all you have to do to move forward, sometimes, you said, just breathe.
I loved this book. It had such heart and such great characters. It was my first 5 star of the year. I came to care deeply about its quirky characters and I appreciated how Hooper was able to weave such interesting themes throughout.
At the beginning of the book we meet octogenarian Otto who finds a note from his wife Etta, which says she has left to see the ocean. Otto and Etta, a married couple who live on a farm in Saskatchewan next to their neighbor and old friend who Otto grew up with, Russel. Otto instinctively knows that Etta is heading East to the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way Etta meets a coyote, whom she names James and who talks with her. Here is their conversation about Ontario:
It will be fine. Ontario will be fine. Okay. It will. But, also, Etta, there is rain, there, more rain. Even in springtime and summer. You have to think about sleeping in rain. But you said the skunks said there were big rocks and trees? Yes. Well that’s shelter for night. And maybe we’ll get to cool down somewhat in the day. Rain is good, James, when we open our mouths to sing it will be like drinking.
The book moves between characters and progress forwards and backwards through present times and past and the reader gets to know each one and how their lives have interwoven. We learn about Otto's struggles to learn to bake without Etta to fix his meals, we get a glimpse of Otto and Russel's life in a small schoolhouse and Etta's tragic lose of her older sister when she was an adolescent. Etta in her journey becomes transformed into a minor celebrity, much like Harold Fry in The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.
The whole book is told in a wonderful homespun voice which I so love with bits of folksy wisdom floating throughout, like this gem:
People could say things about Owen. They could. But they don’t. We don’t. Words are strong. The strongest. Worse than bruises on gravel.
It is told with a variety of narratives, dialogue and epistles. Here is an example of Etta's letter to Otto during World War II:
What she said was Dear Otto, We’re all scared, most of the time. Life would be lifeless if we weren’t. Be scared, and then jump into that fear. Again and again. Just remember to hold on to yourself while you do it. Sincerely, Etta P.S. Thank you for the photo. I do recognize you, even without the dust. I enclose this year’s class photo, myself in front of the school with the students, as a reciprocal gift.
Otto continues to write to Etta, even though he is not sure she will read his letter's on her journey:
Dear Etta, We have good days and bad days. You told me, once, to just remember to breathe. As long as you can do that, you’re doing something Good, you said. Getting rid of the old, and letting in the new. And, therefore, moving forward. Making progress. That’s all you have to do to move forward, sometimes, you said, just breathe.
I loved this book. It had such heart and such great characters. It was my first 5 star of the year. I came to care deeply about its quirky characters and I appreciated how Hooper was able to weave such interesting themes throughout.
October 8, 2019
Touchingly written and at times truly moving, Emma Hooper has crafted a delightful novel, a patchwork quilt of letters, recipes, songs and haunting images that moves though entire lifetimes like a sweeping prairie wind. Yet ultimately, it lacked the coherence of character and the narrative drive to keep me completely convinced until the very end
I found it very hard knowing what to make of this book. I read it over a fairly long period of time, squeezing in several pages at a time while commuting and travelling cross-country - a nice mirror for the expansiveness of the story, which covers vast swathes of both land and time.
Emma Hooper has undoubtedly found a unique and moving authorial voice; Otto, Etta and Russell speak in a simple, direct and almost childlike style. While this started off effectively, creating a lilting poetry and flow to the prose, I must admit I began to find it mildly irritating. The characters seemed at times incapable of expressing complex thoughts and emotions, in ways that began to feel unrealistic and unfair.
This is not to say that there weren't many things that worked well. I've seen people argue about the 'realism' (or otherwise) of this book, and I must say that I loved the fantastical elements - the little shivers of magical realism embedded throughout, from the spectral presence of James the coyote (a kind of Virgilian guide to Etta as she journeys across the Canadian vistas) to a character's hair suddenly turning silver in the wind. What felt more 'unreal' for me - and therefore harder to embrace - was the inconsistency in characterisation, and the oversimplification of the protagonists' motivations and emotional needs to the extent that they sometimes felt like mere shadow figures (this was the case especially for Russell). It is also easy, sometimes, to view those suffering from degenerative illnesses of the mind such as dementia as possessing only simple thoughts. At times, I felt that this was the case here. Etta chooses to leave her vulnerable husband to walk to the ocean - a choice I never fully understood.
I often find that in the case of books that follow a non-linear structure, it is the nostalgic flashbacks and evocations of memory that most grip and move me - think Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach, or Graham Swift's Mothering Sunday. Such was the case with this book. There are beautiful moments that brought me to tears and which have imprinted themselves in my mind - a young Otto caring for a dying gofer he believes is a kitten, or Etta's list of loved ones she carries with her, asserting their presence despite most of them being dead. This is where Emma Hooper shines; she creates simple, touching moments that refuse to leave you. The book is certainly worth reading for these alone, and I feel that with time she has the potential to become a brilliant writer. Her empathy for her own characters radiates from the pages of this book, a laudable achievement in itself.
I found it very hard knowing what to make of this book. I read it over a fairly long period of time, squeezing in several pages at a time while commuting and travelling cross-country - a nice mirror for the expansiveness of the story, which covers vast swathes of both land and time.
Emma Hooper has undoubtedly found a unique and moving authorial voice; Otto, Etta and Russell speak in a simple, direct and almost childlike style. While this started off effectively, creating a lilting poetry and flow to the prose, I must admit I began to find it mildly irritating. The characters seemed at times incapable of expressing complex thoughts and emotions, in ways that began to feel unrealistic and unfair.
This is not to say that there weren't many things that worked well. I've seen people argue about the 'realism' (or otherwise) of this book, and I must say that I loved the fantastical elements - the little shivers of magical realism embedded throughout, from the spectral presence of James the coyote (a kind of Virgilian guide to Etta as she journeys across the Canadian vistas) to a character's hair suddenly turning silver in the wind. What felt more 'unreal' for me - and therefore harder to embrace - was the inconsistency in characterisation, and the oversimplification of the protagonists' motivations and emotional needs to the extent that they sometimes felt like mere shadow figures (this was the case especially for Russell). It is also easy, sometimes, to view those suffering from degenerative illnesses of the mind such as dementia as possessing only simple thoughts. At times, I felt that this was the case here. Etta chooses to leave her vulnerable husband to walk to the ocean - a choice I never fully understood.
I often find that in the case of books that follow a non-linear structure, it is the nostalgic flashbacks and evocations of memory that most grip and move me - think Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach, or Graham Swift's Mothering Sunday. Such was the case with this book. There are beautiful moments that brought me to tears and which have imprinted themselves in my mind - a young Otto caring for a dying gofer he believes is a kitten, or Etta's list of loved ones she carries with her, asserting their presence despite most of them being dead. This is where Emma Hooper shines; she creates simple, touching moments that refuse to leave you. The book is certainly worth reading for these alone, and I feel that with time she has the potential to become a brilliant writer. Her empathy for her own characters radiates from the pages of this book, a laudable achievement in itself.
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