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Some Other Town
Channeling the emotional intensity of Susan Minot and Amy Bloom—and infused with a witty, dream-like surrealism reminiscent of Margaret Atwood—this mesmerizing debut takes us inside the unsettling world of Margaret Lydia Benning, which turns upside down when she falls in love…and then unravels before our eyes.
“What I have to tell Ben is just this. At last I am certain. All the signs, all the dreams are in. And I know now I have made a terrible mistake. I was wrong, it turns out, about us.”
Margaret Lydia Benning lives adrift in the same Midwest town where she went to college. By day, she works at a low-level job for the Project, a university-sponsored educational publisher housed in a former sanatorium. There she shares the fourth floor with a squadron of eccentric editors and a resident ghost from the screamers’ wing. At night, Margaret returns to her small house on Mott Street, resigned to the disturbing overtures of her strange neighbor, Mrs. Eberline.
Emotionally sleepwalking through the days is no way to lead a life. But then Margaret meets Ben Adams, a visiting professor of art at the university. Despite the odds—and their best intentions—Margaret and her professor become lovers, and she glimpses a future she had never before imagined. For the first time, she has hope…until Ben inexplicably vanishes. In the wake of his disappearance, Margaret sets out to find him. Her journey will force her to question everything she believes to be true.
Told through intertwined perspectives, by turns incandescent and haunting, Some Other Town is an unforgettable tale, with a heart-breaking twist, of one woman’s awakening to her own possibility—and her ability to love, and love well.
“What I have to tell Ben is just this. At last I am certain. All the signs, all the dreams are in. And I know now I have made a terrible mistake. I was wrong, it turns out, about us.”
Margaret Lydia Benning lives adrift in the same Midwest town where she went to college. By day, she works at a low-level job for the Project, a university-sponsored educational publisher housed in a former sanatorium. There she shares the fourth floor with a squadron of eccentric editors and a resident ghost from the screamers’ wing. At night, Margaret returns to her small house on Mott Street, resigned to the disturbing overtures of her strange neighbor, Mrs. Eberline.
Emotionally sleepwalking through the days is no way to lead a life. But then Margaret meets Ben Adams, a visiting professor of art at the university. Despite the odds—and their best intentions—Margaret and her professor become lovers, and she glimpses a future she had never before imagined. For the first time, she has hope…until Ben inexplicably vanishes. In the wake of his disappearance, Margaret sets out to find him. Her journey will force her to question everything she believes to be true.
Told through intertwined perspectives, by turns incandescent and haunting, Some Other Town is an unforgettable tale, with a heart-breaking twist, of one woman’s awakening to her own possibility—and her ability to love, and love well.
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
March 4, 2015
I received an ARC from the Publisher through Edelweiss.
I can't quite decide between a 3 or 4 star rating for this one because of the ending.
Margaret is a former art student and still lives in the same town in which she attended art school. We find out she was a rather talented painter and drops out because she is no longer inspired to paint; she is a strong-willed character and approaches everything and everyone on her own terms.
One day Margaret meets an art teacher named Ben Adams who is awkward, withdrawn and at times seems very sad. Margaret and Ben seem to approach their lives in similar ways, with a complacency and a numbness, as if they are waking in slow motion through mud. Although Ben is married they continue to see each other until one day Ben suddenly disappears. There is a bit of a mystery in the book as Margaret tries to come up with a plan to find out where Ben has gone.
The cast of characters are brilliantly described, all of whom are quirky and have very distinctive traits. Margaret works for a publishing company that writes children's books and the office is located in an old sanatorium. Her colleague Celeste, an editor at the Project, as they call their job, believes that a ghost is haunting their offices. This mysterious ghost rearranges the furniture, inserts typos into their books and even leaves them little riddles.
Sally Ann, another editor at the Project, is so shy and introverted that she will not even eat lunch with the other staff. She oftentimes communicates her thoughts through a puppet she calls "Mr. Bones." The project manager himself is aloof and doesn't seem to notice that the Project hasn't actually published any books because he is having an affair with the woman who is the star of a popular children's television series.
My favorite plot line of the book is the progression of Margaret and Ben's relationship. They both appear to be dissatisfied with their lives but at first they are unwilling to change anything about their routines. Margaret details for us many of their dates which are simple yet romantic and they gradually begin to care more and more for one another. It seems that Ben's disappearance is upsetting Margaret more than she will admit.
I enjoyed the plots, characters, and writing of the book right up until the last page. The ending of this book really surprised and confused me. I don't want to give too much away, but I will keep thinking about how the author wrapped this one up and I am not sure if I quite understand it. This rather puzzling end to SOME OTHER TOWN would make for an excellent discussion among the members of a book club.
SOME OTHER TOWN is a delightful read and reminds us that sometimes we have to break out of our comfort zone to really enjoy and fully appreciate everything that life has to offer. I highly recommend this book and if you happen to read it, then leave a comment and let me know what you think about the ending!
I can't quite decide between a 3 or 4 star rating for this one because of the ending.
Margaret is a former art student and still lives in the same town in which she attended art school. We find out she was a rather talented painter and drops out because she is no longer inspired to paint; she is a strong-willed character and approaches everything and everyone on her own terms.
One day Margaret meets an art teacher named Ben Adams who is awkward, withdrawn and at times seems very sad. Margaret and Ben seem to approach their lives in similar ways, with a complacency and a numbness, as if they are waking in slow motion through mud. Although Ben is married they continue to see each other until one day Ben suddenly disappears. There is a bit of a mystery in the book as Margaret tries to come up with a plan to find out where Ben has gone.
The cast of characters are brilliantly described, all of whom are quirky and have very distinctive traits. Margaret works for a publishing company that writes children's books and the office is located in an old sanatorium. Her colleague Celeste, an editor at the Project, as they call their job, believes that a ghost is haunting their offices. This mysterious ghost rearranges the furniture, inserts typos into their books and even leaves them little riddles.
Sally Ann, another editor at the Project, is so shy and introverted that she will not even eat lunch with the other staff. She oftentimes communicates her thoughts through a puppet she calls "Mr. Bones." The project manager himself is aloof and doesn't seem to notice that the Project hasn't actually published any books because he is having an affair with the woman who is the star of a popular children's television series.
My favorite plot line of the book is the progression of Margaret and Ben's relationship. They both appear to be dissatisfied with their lives but at first they are unwilling to change anything about their routines. Margaret details for us many of their dates which are simple yet romantic and they gradually begin to care more and more for one another. It seems that Ben's disappearance is upsetting Margaret more than she will admit.
I enjoyed the plots, characters, and writing of the book right up until the last page. The ending of this book really surprised and confused me. I don't want to give too much away, but I will keep thinking about how the author wrapped this one up and I am not sure if I quite understand it. This rather puzzling end to SOME OTHER TOWN would make for an excellent discussion among the members of a book club.
SOME OTHER TOWN is a delightful read and reminds us that sometimes we have to break out of our comfort zone to really enjoy and fully appreciate everything that life has to offer. I highly recommend this book and if you happen to read it, then leave a comment and let me know what you think about the ending!
October 13, 2022
Weird, and usually I *like* weird. But this is waking-dream, overly repetitive we-all-work-at-the-old-closed-asylum weirdness. Hard to admire, even harder to enjoy.
March 20, 2015
Wanted to like this, and feel horrible for not finishing (received this in a giveaway), but I just couldn't. A paragraph sans multiple sentence fragments and other grammatical anomalies was a rarity. This wasn't a matter of style; I understand it was a pre-release/un-proofed copy, but I found it simply too tedious, and lacking a motivating story, to be worth slogging through to the end.
February 23, 2015
Some Other Town by Elizabeth Collison is a highly recommended, surrealistic novel about a woman who has fallen in love.
Margaret Benning, 28, has bought a stone house on Mott Street and settled into the same town where she attended college. She lives next door to Mrs. Eberline, a woman who is likely insane and certainly has the potential to cause some serious trouble. Margaret works for the Project, a grant funded business devoted to writing beginning readers for children. The Project is located on the grounds of what was a sanatorium for TB patients. It is still referred to as the Sanatorium even though it now is the home for a wide variety of endeavors and programs.
Three months ago Margaret broke up with Ben Adams, a visiting art professor that she met at a gallery opening. Ben, 16 years her senior, could have been the love of her life, but she hasn't heard from him in 3 months. Mrs. Eberline is demanding that she go find him, insisting that Ben is in danger, but Margaret seems hesitant, perhaps because Ben was married or perhaps it was from their last encounter.
The writing in Some Other Town has a dream-like, ethereal quality. I began to question what was real, and wondered what parts should I take note of and what characters should I care about. I briefly speculated that all the characters were ghosts. While Collison's writing quality is quite good, it seems that something was not quite hitting the mark for me in the presentation. It could be the dream-like detachment she has given to Margaret and Ben in the novel permeated how I felt about it. We hear both of their voices, but mainly it is Margaret's voice you will be paying attention to.
Margaret seems strangely detached from everything, which, although it is explained by the ending, did make it hard to care about her through the whole novel. I couldn't understand why Margaret wasn't calling the police on Mrs. Eberline. There is no way someone would ever tolerate that behavior from a neighbor. The encounters between her co-workers at The Project provided some much needed comic relief, but even then Margaret wasn't engaged with them - even though the reader is seemingly expected to care about their antics.
In some respects, the ending gave me more respect for the book than I initially had. The problem is that some readers are not going to stick with the book to get to that ending. Yes, it is technically very well written, almost poetic at times, but it is also an unconventional presentation that requires readers to take note of everything and care about the characters in spite of the enigmatic qualities of the novel. 3.5
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of HarperCollins for review purposes.
Margaret Benning, 28, has bought a stone house on Mott Street and settled into the same town where she attended college. She lives next door to Mrs. Eberline, a woman who is likely insane and certainly has the potential to cause some serious trouble. Margaret works for the Project, a grant funded business devoted to writing beginning readers for children. The Project is located on the grounds of what was a sanatorium for TB patients. It is still referred to as the Sanatorium even though it now is the home for a wide variety of endeavors and programs.
Three months ago Margaret broke up with Ben Adams, a visiting art professor that she met at a gallery opening. Ben, 16 years her senior, could have been the love of her life, but she hasn't heard from him in 3 months. Mrs. Eberline is demanding that she go find him, insisting that Ben is in danger, but Margaret seems hesitant, perhaps because Ben was married or perhaps it was from their last encounter.
The writing in Some Other Town has a dream-like, ethereal quality. I began to question what was real, and wondered what parts should I take note of and what characters should I care about. I briefly speculated that all the characters were ghosts. While Collison's writing quality is quite good, it seems that something was not quite hitting the mark for me in the presentation. It could be the dream-like detachment she has given to Margaret and Ben in the novel permeated how I felt about it. We hear both of their voices, but mainly it is Margaret's voice you will be paying attention to.
Margaret seems strangely detached from everything, which, although it is explained by the ending, did make it hard to care about her through the whole novel. I couldn't understand why Margaret wasn't calling the police on Mrs. Eberline. There is no way someone would ever tolerate that behavior from a neighbor. The encounters between her co-workers at The Project provided some much needed comic relief, but even then Margaret wasn't engaged with them - even though the reader is seemingly expected to care about their antics.
In some respects, the ending gave me more respect for the book than I initially had. The problem is that some readers are not going to stick with the book to get to that ending. Yes, it is technically very well written, almost poetic at times, but it is also an unconventional presentation that requires readers to take note of everything and care about the characters in spite of the enigmatic qualities of the novel. 3.5
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of HarperCollins for review purposes.
February 19, 2015
Original review can be found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/2...
I received an advanced readers copy from Harper Perennial via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
I couldn't really get into this book. The characters and the plot lacked that certain something that keeps my interest. At 20% I debated giving up on it but didn't fully give up until I hit 35%. Normally I will see a book to the end regardless of how bad it is but with so many books to read I really wanted to move on to something that I would enjoy. There really wasn't anything that could have happened that would change my opinion of the story by that point. It just lacked clarity and was a little sloppy for my taste.
I received an advanced readers copy from Harper Perennial via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
I couldn't really get into this book. The characters and the plot lacked that certain something that keeps my interest. At 20% I debated giving up on it but didn't fully give up until I hit 35%. Normally I will see a book to the end regardless of how bad it is but with so many books to read I really wanted to move on to something that I would enjoy. There really wasn't anything that could have happened that would change my opinion of the story by that point. It just lacked clarity and was a little sloppy for my taste.
March 26, 2017
The writing was all in present tense, and oddly stacatto, so I found it hard to find a good reading flow. The story was a little interesting, and the ending was fitting, but the characters were more annoying than anything else.
October 1, 2019
It's a book that feels like autumn and winter. It's not lush, but it's spare. Tepid or chilly, but not warm. Dry fields seen in a dreamscape.
It's silly; it's sad.
I was really hoping that the central couple could make a good story together, even though Margaret is drained of all emotion prior to the novel's beginning, and Ben is in the middle of a mid-life emotional upset. I want to label him at "mid-life crisis," but instead of doing the stereotypical thing of buying a flashy new vehicle or motorcycle, he attempts to flush all his socks down a toilet. Quite toddler-esque.
And, well, he does end up having an affair with Margaret. But they really try to NOT do it! I guess, if anyone's looking for an excuse to validate their behavior, they have their regrets, and Ben goes to his wife's house several hours away, and makes the announcement that he wants to divorce.
Based on my paragraphs here, I am well aware that many readers have found this book boring. My own summary descriptions are making me feel bored! But I loved this book. It haunts me. I love the unreliable narrator and the surreal emotional detachment that leaves a haze over the inexplicable events contained in the plot.
The additional setting, aside from Margaret's and Ben's houses, is Margaret's work—literally a sanitarium. The building has been modernized and it now contains offices. Margaret works for a small publisher of children's books, but none of the books have been published yet. Margaret and her coworkers, all women, are drawing and drawing piles of storyboards for grades k-3, but the stories may never see the light of day. One of Margaret's coworkers doesn't speak, but instead chooses to let a sock puppet do her "speaking" for her.
There's a man who rides the same bus with Margaret, from town to work, every day, and she recognizes him as the "bread man" because he always has a bread bag tied to his belt. In the mornings the bag has food in it: a sandwich for lunch. And in the afternoons, the man rides the bus again with the bag tied to his belt, but the bag contains the leftover crusts, or used napkins.
Margaret has a neighbor named "Mrs." Something, but the lady is mentally ill. Steals, hoards, wears same red coat every day, speaks in multiple personalities, and near the end of the book she commits arson in Margaret's house. I have my doubts whether this neighbor actually exists...
Ben tells Margaret that he knows how to cook, and this is how he invites her to his house for dinner, for a first "sort of" date. All he knows how to do is bake a chicken, and he adds barbecue sauce. Every time she visits his house, he makes chicken, and she tries to refuse taking home leftovers, but he always makes certain that she takes home her uneaten chicken parts.
I'm feeling a little hysterical here.
Nonetheless, I am taking away one star for Margaret's gay friend. He brings her to a party, where she meets Ben. But once this happens, her "friend" disappears from the story and is never mentioned again. Bad form to use a gay friend as a plot device. It's rude and inconsiderate.
It's silly; it's sad.
I was really hoping that the central couple could make a good story together, even though Margaret is drained of all emotion prior to the novel's beginning, and Ben is in the middle of a mid-life emotional upset. I want to label him at "mid-life crisis," but instead of doing the stereotypical thing of buying a flashy new vehicle or motorcycle, he attempts to flush all his socks down a toilet. Quite toddler-esque.
And, well, he does end up having an affair with Margaret. But they really try to NOT do it! I guess, if anyone's looking for an excuse to validate their behavior, they have their regrets, and Ben goes to his wife's house several hours away, and makes the announcement that he wants to divorce.
Based on my paragraphs here, I am well aware that many readers have found this book boring. My own summary descriptions are making me feel bored! But I loved this book. It haunts me. I love the unreliable narrator and the surreal emotional detachment that leaves a haze over the inexplicable events contained in the plot.
The additional setting, aside from Margaret's and Ben's houses, is Margaret's work—literally a sanitarium. The building has been modernized and it now contains offices. Margaret works for a small publisher of children's books, but none of the books have been published yet. Margaret and her coworkers, all women, are drawing and drawing piles of storyboards for grades k-3, but the stories may never see the light of day. One of Margaret's coworkers doesn't speak, but instead chooses to let a sock puppet do her "speaking" for her.
There's a man who rides the same bus with Margaret, from town to work, every day, and she recognizes him as the "bread man" because he always has a bread bag tied to his belt. In the mornings the bag has food in it: a sandwich for lunch. And in the afternoons, the man rides the bus again with the bag tied to his belt, but the bag contains the leftover crusts, or used napkins.
Margaret has a neighbor named "Mrs." Something, but the lady is mentally ill. Steals, hoards, wears same red coat every day, speaks in multiple personalities, and near the end of the book she commits arson in Margaret's house. I have my doubts whether this neighbor actually exists...
Ben tells Margaret that he knows how to cook, and this is how he invites her to his house for dinner, for a first "sort of" date. All he knows how to do is bake a chicken, and he adds barbecue sauce. Every time she visits his house, he makes chicken, and she tries to refuse taking home leftovers, but he always makes certain that she takes home her uneaten chicken parts.
I'm feeling a little hysterical here.
Nonetheless, I am taking away one star for Margaret's gay friend. He brings her to a party, where she meets Ben. But once this happens, her "friend" disappears from the story and is never mentioned again. Bad form to use a gay friend as a plot device. It's rude and inconsiderate.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2015
If you are looking for a light, entertaining read, this is not going to be it. This is a book one should read in concentration and fast before the interweaved stories begin to confuse and lose you. You can find romance, mystery, ghosts, art, philosophy, and a crazy person or two in this so unconventional novel. There is no “typical” story line. Almost to the end of the book, there are two separate voices telling the story. The reader is left in a constant quest and query of when and how these two will come together, and when they finally do and the reader gets a glimpse of a happy ending, Collison goes for another surprise or rather reality confirming once more that this is not your typical happy-ending novel that gives you hope that life is not what it is.
Told mostly from the perspective of a young woman, this story is a patchwork of vast dimensions and unexpected turns. The author leaves a lot for the reader to question; some questions she later reveals answers to; others are left for the reader to figure out. For instance, is Margaret’s recurring dream just a dream? Although one can certainly understand what might be causing it, there’s still the question of whether it is really just a dream.
I believe the author has taken a lot of risks with her first novel. An experiment of genres made co-exist together, a blend of fiction and reality, of the expected and the unpredictable. She kept me waiting and annoyed at times of when this will get to be “normal.” What will come out of all this mixture that has ingredients no other author would put together? Yet it’s brilliant. Once the reader lets go of story-telling conventions and stops looking for connections, he or she can start to evolve with the main characters, begin to understand them, recognize their insecurities, and feel their emotions.
The style of writing is also unique. You can literally hear Margaret, the main protagonist, speak to you in her own voice. You forget she is a product of someone’s imagination until the very last chapter when the author finally switches to the third person pronoun “she.”
"Some Other Town" is a refreshing, unconventional, intriguing, intellectually provocative debut I had the privilege and pleasure to read.
Told mostly from the perspective of a young woman, this story is a patchwork of vast dimensions and unexpected turns. The author leaves a lot for the reader to question; some questions she later reveals answers to; others are left for the reader to figure out. For instance, is Margaret’s recurring dream just a dream? Although one can certainly understand what might be causing it, there’s still the question of whether it is really just a dream.
I believe the author has taken a lot of risks with her first novel. An experiment of genres made co-exist together, a blend of fiction and reality, of the expected and the unpredictable. She kept me waiting and annoyed at times of when this will get to be “normal.” What will come out of all this mixture that has ingredients no other author would put together? Yet it’s brilliant. Once the reader lets go of story-telling conventions and stops looking for connections, he or she can start to evolve with the main characters, begin to understand them, recognize their insecurities, and feel their emotions.
The style of writing is also unique. You can literally hear Margaret, the main protagonist, speak to you in her own voice. You forget she is a product of someone’s imagination until the very last chapter when the author finally switches to the third person pronoun “she.”
"Some Other Town" is a refreshing, unconventional, intriguing, intellectually provocative debut I had the privilege and pleasure to read.
November 17, 2014
I received a free uncorrected proof of this book from HarperCollins through the Goodreads Giveaway program.
I lived in a small college town in the Midwest for ten years where I worked in the College of Fine and Professional Arts, so I know a little bit about that. I felt that the sections of the book where the narrator talked about her experiences both as an art student and at the gallery where she met Ben rang true. Those are things I know about, and the author got those right, in my opinion.
I honestly didn’t understand what happened to Ben or when it happened, even after I finished the book. I wasn’t interested enough to go back and read through it again to figure it out, even though that seemed like it was pretty crucial to know.
I was initially interested in Margaret’s job at the sanatorium, but she was strangely disengaged from it, and so I didn’t care either. Margaret’s next-door neighbor was a scary crazy lady, and I have no idea why Margaret put up with her. I frankly didn't understand Margaret's motivation for the things she did at any point in the book. Again, probably crucial to know.
I really wanted to like this book, and maybe by the time it is published, I will. I hope so.
I lived in a small college town in the Midwest for ten years where I worked in the College of Fine and Professional Arts, so I know a little bit about that. I felt that the sections of the book where the narrator talked about her experiences both as an art student and at the gallery where she met Ben rang true. Those are things I know about, and the author got those right, in my opinion.
I honestly didn’t understand what happened to Ben or when it happened, even after I finished the book. I wasn’t interested enough to go back and read through it again to figure it out, even though that seemed like it was pretty crucial to know.
I was initially interested in Margaret’s job at the sanatorium, but she was strangely disengaged from it, and so I didn’t care either. Margaret’s next-door neighbor was a scary crazy lady, and I have no idea why Margaret put up with her. I frankly didn't understand Margaret's motivation for the things she did at any point in the book. Again, probably crucial to know.
I really wanted to like this book, and maybe by the time it is published, I will. I hope so.
November 21, 2014
Read an advance copy from the publisher. Some Other Town is a finely written novel with rich psychological insights yet an intriguing story line as well. The protagonist is a single woman named Margaret who lives in a small town. She is at a crossroads in her life. How much do you follow your instincts to move forward? Can an instinct ever be "wrong"? This is the idea that drew me in. Many of us at a certain age have been there.
The other interesting thing about this novel is that it is the author's style that tells the story as much as the story itself. Not an easy thing to pull off. I would like to reread the book to see how the writer achieved the effects she did. There is a satisfying payoff to the story that I did not see coming at all.
The other interesting thing about this novel is that it is the author's style that tells the story as much as the story itself. Not an easy thing to pull off. I would like to reread the book to see how the writer achieved the effects she did. There is a satisfying payoff to the story that I did not see coming at all.
April 23, 2015
I loved this book. "Some Other Town" grabs you from the beginning and won't let go. Mysterious, spiritual, funny, and clever, Elizabeth Collison has crafted a cast of characters that are totally quirky, yet somehow real. They come alive through her amazing gift with words and descriptions and the reader just keeps breathing in this wonderful work. The description that appears with the iBooks edition is so right on,"the emotional intensity of Susan Minot and Amy Bloom ... Witty, dream-like surrealism reminiscent of Margaret Atwood." Fans of those writers will become a fan of Collison as well after reading this book. If you are a language lover, you too will love this book. I can't wait for the next one.
May 9, 2017
Set in a thinly disguised Iowa City of the 1980s, I really wanted to like this book. The protagonist, a lonely, failed artist works for a grant funded children's reader project. Her life revolves around her crazy neighbor, her eccentric co-workers and her wistful reflections regarding her affair with a married man.
What I didn't like about this book was the lack of agency in this woman. There are ghosts in the book and for a long time, I suspected she was one. The lack of anything much happening in the present tense of the book is resolved at the end but overall, I wanted to yell 'just do something" to this woman.
What I did like was the setting, including a thinly disguised Oakdale Sanitarium and the interesting characters.
What I didn't like about this book was the lack of agency in this woman. There are ghosts in the book and for a long time, I suspected she was one. The lack of anything much happening in the present tense of the book is resolved at the end but overall, I wanted to yell 'just do something" to this woman.
What I did like was the setting, including a thinly disguised Oakdale Sanitarium and the interesting characters.
April 9, 2019
Life's too short to continue on with a novel that I'm not connecting with in any way. I picked this up because NPR described it as "Wry, peculiar, and compelling." Just past the halfway point, I have found it to be none of the three, particularly not compelling. I'm not a fan of present-tense, first person POV stream-of-consciousness prose, especially when the sentences are so twisted and disjointed that I can only hear them as if they were spoken by Yoda. I've noticed that the reviews on this novel are either 4-5 stars, or 1 star, so while I can't recommend it there are certainly many others who've enjoyed it.
May 21, 2015
If you like richly developed (albeit odd!) characters, a writing style that makes you savor every page, and a plot twist ending that makes you go back and re-read sections for imagery you somehow missed the first time, then put Elizabeth Collison's Some Other Town on the top of your reading list. Makes a wonderful book club read as there is much to discuss.
December 12, 2014
I really enjoyed reading Some Other Town. The writing is incredibly poetic. The supporting characters are quirky, but relatable, and the story is entertaining. I have already recommended this book for my friends!
April 28, 2015
Wow this was painful. I'm not much for surrealism but I plodded through, worrying that maybe my taste is too low brow these days.
But now that I finished, I feel confident saying this book needed a lot more help in terms of editing, plot, tone and character development.
But now that I finished, I feel confident saying this book needed a lot more help in terms of editing, plot, tone and character development.
tasted
April 12, 2019The few Goodreads reviews of this novel were so negative and yet for what seemed to me all the wrong reasons, that I felt obliged to get it on Kindle sale. Sadly, although I found the writing lively and more than competent, the plot and characters weren’t for me.
May 27, 2015
The quirky, stream-of-consciousness style of this book drew me in, but halfway through I grew weary of it. The ending was a complete disappointment, without any redemptive qualities to soften it.
February 19, 2019
I cant get over how much I disliked this book. The "twist" is one I saw from like the second chapter. The neighbor is never explained, the ghost at work is never explained, the bosses mistress is lazily explained so everyone can keep their jobs. Margaret is the least involved character I've ever read. The only thing she actively did in this book was drive to Ben's house several times, apparently not even following news for the past three months. She cant be present in a conversation, which might have been interesting if it wasnt "I wasnt listening, I was thinking of ben..." I'm quite sure that exact line was used three times and derivatives of the same idea were used even more often.
The work characters felt like they could have been an ensemble cast with a little more attention, however this book isnt about them and I'm not sure why there is the work "secrets" plot line at all, it has nothing to do with Ben's disappearance. Felt like two half stories plopped together.
Two stars for the writing, which is actually kind of relaxing, and even the ghosts at the beginning kind of freaked me out. Once we reached mid way I was just waiting for Margaret to pick up a newspaper or look through those windows or something. Also why does she bus to work and then drive even further to Ben's? I have so many questions (and not thoughtful ones... more like... why is this in this book? Why wasnt this in this book?). I'm pretty sure Margaret gets my award for "lack-of-agency".
The work characters felt like they could have been an ensemble cast with a little more attention, however this book isnt about them and I'm not sure why there is the work "secrets" plot line at all, it has nothing to do with Ben's disappearance. Felt like two half stories plopped together.
Two stars for the writing, which is actually kind of relaxing, and even the ghosts at the beginning kind of freaked me out. Once we reached mid way I was just waiting for Margaret to pick up a newspaper or look through those windows or something. Also why does she bus to work and then drive even further to Ben's? I have so many questions (and not thoughtful ones... more like... why is this in this book? Why wasnt this in this book?). I'm pretty sure Margaret gets my award for "lack-of-agency".
October 28, 2017
ByG. Elioton January 13, 2016
Format: Paperback
Pitch Perfect Tone, Razor Sharp Wit, Quirky and Kind.
This is a wonderful book. The author's writing is witty and laugh-out-loud funny at times due to her skill with language and the quirky characters she creates. She reminds me of Grace Paley in conveying exactly how things get away from a person and how powerless one can be in dealing with odd situations when you have to continue to live in them. The story about her and Ben (see above synopsis under the book title in Amazon) is dramatic and the stories about each of the other characters with whom the narrator interacts are just as compelling. In the razor sharp, but also kind, depictions of small town life, of work life anywhere, of art school, and of romantic life, she's like Barbara Pym. Pitch perfect. She has a few pages on washcloths that describe every woman's frustrations with a man's obliviousness to household amenities. One warning: the excellent writing insists that you read this book at a slower pace. You can't race through it and enjoy it. The pleasure is in the language, the wit and the characters. If you race through it, you will miss out. Slow down and enjoy this lovely book.
Format: Paperback
Pitch Perfect Tone, Razor Sharp Wit, Quirky and Kind.
This is a wonderful book. The author's writing is witty and laugh-out-loud funny at times due to her skill with language and the quirky characters she creates. She reminds me of Grace Paley in conveying exactly how things get away from a person and how powerless one can be in dealing with odd situations when you have to continue to live in them. The story about her and Ben (see above synopsis under the book title in Amazon) is dramatic and the stories about each of the other characters with whom the narrator interacts are just as compelling. In the razor sharp, but also kind, depictions of small town life, of work life anywhere, of art school, and of romantic life, she's like Barbara Pym. Pitch perfect. She has a few pages on washcloths that describe every woman's frustrations with a man's obliviousness to household amenities. One warning: the excellent writing insists that you read this book at a slower pace. You can't race through it and enjoy it. The pleasure is in the language, the wit and the characters. If you race through it, you will miss out. Slow down and enjoy this lovely book.
May 14, 2017
I was charmed by the narrator's voice in this novel. And it's set in a midwestern university town (clearly Iowa City), so it's kind of fun to identify the places that are barely disguised. The narrator's voice somehow conveys that something interesting is about to happen. And the tone does render the everyday life details of the narrator's work & love affair mildly interesting. But not much really ever happens, & there's not really that much depth of psychological insight, either. Overall, it's OK, a mildly entertaining read, but never really amounts to much.
July 16, 2019
This started with an engaging, clever main character, an artist working as a graphic designer in a firm publishing beginner’s level reading text books. But it drifted off into ghosts, a crazy neighbor woman, and a missing boy friend whose plot value seemed to be he was missing rather than revealing/developing the artist. When the plot evaporated and incidents repeated themselves without any discernible purpose, I lost interest and stopped half-way though the novel.
April 1, 2018
This book was terrible. I struggled to get into it, to finish it, to follow it. I rarely don't finish a book, but this one was really just trying too hard to do too many things, and missed the mark on all of them. Unlikeable main character, who was unengaged in her own life or thoughts. Painful.
June 30, 2019
I tried but could not get into this book especially when the main character is dating this guy and then just not hearing from him at all for months.... THEN decides maybe he's missing??? sorry weird not thinking normal people act this way.
March 15, 2020
3.5 rounded up.
This book was quite strange and my feelings about it fluctuated, some parts I loved, some were ok and sometimes I was just confused. I guess I mostly enjoyed the quirky characters and the bizarre narration.
This book was quite strange and my feelings about it fluctuated, some parts I loved, some were ok and sometimes I was just confused. I guess I mostly enjoyed the quirky characters and the bizarre narration.
January 14, 2023
The alternating timelines and voices did not have a clear meaning until the end. I struggled to start reading it and forced myself to finish it. It got better in the middle. But the ending left me disappointed.
August 30, 2024
I really wanted to like this book and was convinced it was about Ames or Iowa City.... anyway I couldn't get past the weird grammatical issues, the way she called her lover by his full name and how several plot lines didn't resolve.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2017
A really fascinating, original voice. A mystery and a meditation all at once, with fascinating characters and a shocking but satisfying ending.
April 13, 2019
A definite read.
Loved the story, characters, and writing style. Collison pulls it all together and gives it a twist at the end. Bravo
Loved the story, characters, and writing style. Collison pulls it all together and gives it a twist at the end. Bravo
April 26, 2019
Otherworldly
This is an enjoyable novel: somewhat like having a close friend tell the reader her innermost thoughts (with a believable crazy neighbor thrown in for good measure).
This is an enjoyable novel: somewhat like having a close friend tell the reader her innermost thoughts (with a believable crazy neighbor thrown in for good measure).
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