The Other by David Guterson

I tried to read Snow Falling on Cedars (also by Guterson) when it was popular, but I had a hard time getting into it and gave up. When the description of this one caught my attention I decided to give it a try.

The story is about two friends who meet in high school. One (Neil) is from a working class family, the other (John Williams) from a rich family. After a formative trip where they get lost in the mountains for several days, Neil goes on to lead a traditional life and John William decides to live in the woods alone. The book is told from Neil's point of view, looking back on their relationship over thirty years later.

The majority of the book held my attention. The writing was superb - very dense and descriptive but I did very little skimming because I was interested in what I was reading. Neil was the narrator, and his style of telling the story was reasonably detached - looking back and describing the feelings he had at different times, but with a slightly clinical voice. This was when he was talking about both his own history (e.g. how he met his wife), and John Williams'. I kept changing my opinion on whether the book was about Neil or John Williams, but that was a satisfying challenge to grapple with while I was reading.

My only disappointment was with the last 10% of the book. After a tightly written narrative about the relationship between the two men and their choices, Guterson reveals some of John Williams' background through a long rambling monologue delivered by his father and a misplaced set of anecdotes revolving around his mother. The information revealed did not tie the entire book together well enough to justify the mediocre writing. That aside, I enjoyed the book overall, but I don't appreciate the book now that I am done with it as much as I did while I was reading it.