The Other Valley

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How did the feel about the novel’s use of time travel? How did it impact your enjoyment and your understanding of the novel’s themes and characters?

2. Discuss another speculative fiction novel that you have read. Compare and contrast it to The Other Valley. How are the texts different or similar? How do you feel about the genre as a whole?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Have you ever experienced grief the way that Odile, Alain, and Odile’s mother experience it in the novel? Which character did you relate to most with regard to how they handled it and why? What did these characters teach you about grief and how it impacts people?

2. Discuss how you felt about older Odile’s death at the end of the novel. Did you feel that it was a fitting conclusion to the text? Why or why not?

3. Do you feel that the Conseil is unjust in its restriction of individual freedoms or that it is a necessity for survival in this world? How does the Conseil compare to entities in your life that you willingly sacrifice personal freedom for?

4. Discuss a time when you were in a situation similar to Odile’s, where you knew something about someone that caused you to struggle with whether to tell them or not. How did you react? How did you feel about your decision afterward?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Discuss the depiction of male and female characters in the text, particularly those in the gendarmerie. In what ways does this comment on gender norms and expectations in today’s society?

2. Although the novel is set in a futuristic, dystopian society, what components of Authoritarian Control Versus Individual Freedom are applicable to society today? Conversely, what things ensure individual freedom that are missing from the novel’s society?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. What is one internal and one external conflict that Odile faces in the novel? How are they resolved, if at all? Discuss how their resolutions (or lack thereof) develop Odile’s character throughout the text.

2. What do the carvings Odile makes while on patrol symbolize in the novel? Discuss how this symbolism develops Odile’s character or conveys a theme in the text.

3. Name one character or group that could be considered an antagonist in the novel. How do they work against Odile while also facilitating her growth and development?

4. Analyze the text’s exploration of agency and moral culpability in the text. How do various characters assert, or fail to assert, agency within the authoritarian system? What does the text suggest about the moral benefits or risks of such agency?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine that you had the ability to go back in time or forward in the future as the characters in the novel do. Would you attempt to do so despite the difficulty of it and the consequences involved? Why or why not? Are your motivations similar to any of the novel’s characters?

2. Rewrite the scene at the end of Chapter 37 from the perspective of Odile in the past. How does she react to seeing her future self? What is her motivation for alerting the gendarme? Does she hesitate and consider her options, or is she resolute in her choice? Consider these questions and more in your narrative.

3. Since Edme’s violin is central to The Other Valley, choose five important scenes from the novel and assign a song to each one. Discuss how your chosen songs reflect the mood, events, characters, and key moments of these scenes.