The Other Valley

December 18, 2023
Howard debuts with a moving tale of time travel and teen friendship. Odile, 16, grows up in an unnamed valley town that serves as a kind of administrative buffer zone between the past and the future. Bordering to the west is an identical town that is 20 years behind her own, and to the east, Odile’s same town 20 years ahead. Residents of each iteration are only allowed to visit another timespace if they get approval from a governing body called the Conseil, which only grants permission to those grieving a loved one’s untimely death, so they can view the person from a distance while the person is still alive. Odile’s school offers an apprentice program for various trades, and she is vying for a coveted spot in the Conseil. One day on the schoolyard, she sees three masked people in the distance, looking at her classmate Edme, and realizes they are time travelers, which means that Edme will prematurely die. An unexpected friendship forms between the two, but when the Conseil learns of Odile’s discovery, they urge her not to intervene in Edme’s fate. She can’t help herself, however, and her actions lead to surprising and heartrending results. This will leave readers with plenty to chew on. Agent: Roz Foster, Frances Goldin Literary.