Etta and Otto and Russell and James: A Novel

I like to read new authors with their fresh ideas, new thoughts and writings. I was happy to see this book come along. This is a different book, a magical reality book, easy reading. The years seem to flow until they come together as one. Otto and Russell are much like brothers since very young. Otto is one of fifteen children, Russell is living with an aunt and uncle, older and childless. So it is natural that Russell would become attached to this family. Mom doesn't mind one more kid.The story begins when the three are very young and very old. Otto and Russell are farm kids, Ella lives in a small town. Etta takes a job in the country school Otto and Russell attend. She is not much older than her students.There are so many quirky events. Again, a magical reality book. Talking fish heads that speak French, a talking coyote, a man whose body moves him where he doesn't want to be. He has to be tied down to stay put. Plus more strange events and quirky characters. Etta on her journey to Halifax dreams of Otto back in time when he was a soldier. She seems to become Otto as a solder in her dreams.Etta is eighty three years old and decides she needs to see the ocean before she dies. So off she goes on her long walk from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia. Readers are told of her trip, but also read of Otto's recruitment and of going to war in Europe. Otto can't wait to enlist and get away from the farm to see the world. He is seventeen, soon misses his home, family and Etta. Etta and Otto send letters back and forth and when he returns they get married. Russell and Otto both love Etta. Russell never marries. He can't join the military since he has a bad leg due to a farm accident.Otto stays home making large animals from newspapers, flour and paste, paper mache animals of all kinds and sizes. He has seen enough of the ocean during his time in the military. He feels that if Etta's wish is to see the ocean he won't complain. Let her go. He has much work to do on the farm alone. Etta becomes famous and newsworthy, an old woman walking across Canada alone. Russell worries about Etta, goes to meet her, then he decides to get his wish, to visit far northern Canada. James, a coyote,becomes Etta's guardian and counselor, accompanies her on her journey. e Otto writes letters to Etta that never get sent. He doesn't know where she is along on her journey. Jamesdrops out and Etta is joined Bryony, another strange character. Bryony leaves,back returns James to help Etta finish her journey to the ocean. Otto becomes well known, cars drive around his home to see all his animals.This is a strange book, time, place and characters all flow together and become one. It is a hard book to be able to describe, but is a good read and recommended. It is like a dream, a fairy tale, the merging together of Otto and Etta. I first read of this book in the Fort Worth Star Telegram.

I won't say that it took me a while to get into this book, but it took me a while to really like it. I was afraid I wasn't going to get anything out of it, but the ending was surprisingly fulfilling. I think the author successfully wrote an engaging story about an elderly lady, her husband, their friend, and their past with the war, all the while Etta is making her way to the coast on foot. It feels like a lot of the book is just /learning/ about them while not really seeing how it was all going to tie together in the end. But like I said, surprisingly fulfilling.What kept me going were the other interesting characters and situations. The book was also soothing to read, which sounds strange, but it was easy to get through and it flowed very nicely. It was very dreamy without being surreal.

**SPOILER WARNING**Plot synopsis: Etta, an 83 year old Canadian woman, has always longed to see the sea. One morning, she sets off alone after telling her husband, Otto, goodbye in a letter. As the reader follows Etta's journey, she is treated to glimpses of Etta's past life as well as the life of her husband. Growing up in the dry, dusty land of central Canada, they had starkly different childhoods (Otto was one of fourteen children - Etta was one of two; Otto grew up on a farm - Etta grew up in town; Otto struggled with learning - Etta became a teacher) but eventually found comfort in each other through the letters they exchanged when Otto went off to war. They both share a friendship with their neighbor, Russell, who was treated as part of Otto's large family when growing up. Now, Etta has found herself plagued with dreams of the horror that Otto experienced, losing bits of herself every time she falls asleep. She's determined, though, to see the sea before she is completely lost. She picks up a companion along the way: a coyote named James who helps her remember. As Etta goes, people begin to recognize her and, by the end of her journey, she's become quite famous. Crowds gather at the edges of towns to greet her, hand her gifts and wish her well. Etta doesn't want the attention and seeks out the wild country whenever she can. At the end of her journey, her story melds once again with Otto's in a sad, ambiguous ending.My review: Until the last few chapters of this book, I really loved it. But then, the ending came, and it left so much unsaid - so many questions and loose ends - that I was disappointed. I felt let down. The book was so full of promise and it just didn't deliver. Granted, the poor ending doesn't take away from the meaning I got from it, but I still feel cheated. I give it three stars for the effort but it could have been so much better.

I loved this book. As someone who has a parent with Alzheimer's I wonder if this journey would have been possible, but it was still a fascinating look at the human mind. Etta is a very brave woman who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's determined to live her dreams, even if she waited until all most too late to get started and . Etta walks across Canada to see the ocean, by herself except for the company of a coyote, which just may be a delusion, and for a short while a woman reporter. She's a tough and determined woman who worked hard all her life and the journey doesn't tax her physical strength too much. Etta leaves behind two men who love her, but she is finally doing something for herself after all the years she spent caring for everyone else. It's a sad but joyous book at the same time, celebrating the human spirit.

A quirky and intelligent read..I recommend it.

War sehr schön zu lesen, half mir auch mein Englisch wieder etwas aufzufrischen.Überraschendes Ende, empfehlenswert!

Taste the dust and the yearning sadness. Eat the innocence and revel in the brilliance of the sun drenched articulation. Unforgettable.

A delightfully whimsical, mystical and poignant story about 83 year old Etta who goes on a long trek across Canada, from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia 'to see the sea' that she has never seen, and who promises -despite her ailing memory - to 'try to remember to come back' . The characters (including a coyote, she calls James) and their interactions are wonderfully construed as the story zigzags between past and present.

I am still reading at my leisure but could have read it in a day. Love the characters and their history. Anticipate what will happen but do not know yet. Etta is strong and independent. I like that. In my 70's myself I admire her tenacity. Good read.