The Otherworld Book Review
In her well-crafted third novel, Abbie Emmons takes us on an adventure of forbidden love, betrayal, and family secrets. In this book review + analysis of The Otherworld, we discuss two themes: character naïveté and romance.
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Summary:
Eighteen-year-old Orca Monroe upkeeps the lighthouse on an isolated island with her father and their dog. She longs to venture off to the mainland and believes it holds the key to what's been missing from her life. But her father’s greatest fear is losing her-- like he lost his wife, so he doesn't allow her to leave its shore. Longing for more and willing to prove her strength, Orca tends to the lighthouse alone while her father is gathering supplies from the otherworld. While he’s away, she’s pulled into a wild rescue adventure for a pilot who crashed during a storm.
Speaking with Jack Stevenson over a washed-up 1990s cell phone, they intend to keep the search a secret until his brother Adam is found. Unable to find his body, Orca nearly gives up until he’s lying unconscious on her doorstep. While they wait out the storm, she heals his wounds and inquires about the otherworld and Adam's philosophy, soon enchanted by his internal world and physical beauty. He quickly falls for her innocence and pure heart–but he’s ten years older than her and believes any romance is doomed.
Adam leaves the island silently heartbroken. He decides to keep their love in the past, but Jack doesn’t want to abandon Orca; he believes she deserves to see the otherworld. So he steals his brother's plane and rescues her despite the father's fury. Jack intends to charm Orca, leaving Adam conflicted by his heart and head.
Orca abandons her island for the promise of a mysterious and mystical otherworld but learns the heartache it comes with, testing her strength more than she could have imagined.
Book Review + Analysis:
*The Otherworld book review + analysis reveals spoilers*
Structure & Theme:
The Otherworld’s structure is seamless; we weave through three points of view, and it’s easy to distinguish who’s speaking based on tone. The plot flows well, the story has fluid momentum, and every scene feels organic. The pacing blew me away– it’s a page-turner; after each chapter, I was instantly eager to read the next. The love story moved a little quickly, but it’s a romance and is in keeping with its genre. It’s a truly sweet and romantic book. Overall, the tone Emmons creates with The Otherworld is the modern-day Victorian era novel.
“Everything else ceased to exist, and I felt like I was being seen, truly seen, for the first time in my life.”
The Otherworld, Abbie Emmons
Themes
Two striking themes that stuck out to me are the character's naïveté and the romance. The psychology of why each character listed below makes their decisions seem rooted in naïveté.
Character Naïveté
I love how Emmons expands this theme through the characters' varying emotions and subsequent actions.
Orca is naïve because she is sheltered from the world and idealizes romance, people, and life. She dives into love with the first man she meets– so when Adam is hesitant to commit his life to her, it's understandable. Her love may be infatuation.
Jack is also naïve. You could suggest that most 18-year-olds are because they haven’t endured the world – yet. He believes Earth is his oyster, blind to any of the blood, sweat, and tears inherent to life's struggle. Life is messy, as are people. Eventually he matures without losing his sense of adventure– his arc is great!
Orca’s father is also naïve in believing his daughter could be raised apart from the civilized world, never to leave the island. Did he really think they would grow old together? Heartbreak and loneliness clouded his psyche, causing a suffocating codependency. Abbie does a wonderful job subtly showing how past trauma is the root of his unrealistic expectations.
It was insightful to witness humanized naïveté manifest through the characters' actions of purity, recklessness, and grief.
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Romance
Orca's upbringing is fascinating and adds organic dimensionality to her characterization. She lives a peaceful and beautiful childhood close to nature, which establishes her self-confidence and morals.
Along with these strengths, her environment also creates certain social weaknesses. Her extreme isolation causes a "loose screw" in terms of romance, and it could be suggested that’s why she falls for Adam so quickly.
There are times when Adam feels younger than 28 based on his perspective of their romance. The one and only time I was pulled out of the story was when Orca asked if he had been with other women. Her asking this question reveals her youth and naïveté. The insinuation was that he hadn’t… but Adam is a dashing, romantic 28-year-old. I could infer the possibility of him withholding the truth from her in order to spare her feelings, which makes for a more relatable choice.
The love triangle is specifically noteworthy because the author builds steamy romantic tension; we are never told who is truly in love– we feel it. We can sense this through Jack's forced attempts towards Orca, and conversely we see through her actions that the feeling isn't reciprocated. Even though Orca certainly crosses the line a few times, she's unaware and naïve to it.
I thoroughly enjoyed this romance, and it’s a relief to read one that’s simply pure and sweet. It feels lost today in modern storytelling, so thank you, Abbie.
“Knowledge is not wisdom, Orca. You could see the whole world, learn everything there is to learn, read every book written by every philosopher… and still go to your grave not a fraction wiser than the day you were born…”
The Otherworld, Abbie Emmons
Afterthoughts:
If you’re looking for a charming contemporary romance without any political agenda – I recommend this book. It's emotionally and intellectually engaging throughout, and the suspense will keep you hooked. The characters have transformative arcs, and the ending wraps up beautifully.
It’s not a simple novel by any means: the complexity and psychology of Orca’s family dynamics take a brutal toll on the main character. Emmons shows us how Orca experiences real-world heartbreak and grows through it. The author isn’t afraid to make a flawed world because she understands life's imperfections, so her characters and plots feel real.
Orca leaves the comfort of her island and learns the harsh realities of the otherworld versus the naïve perspective she previously carried her entire life. She ultimately becomes emotionally strong and capable by the end of the novel.
I loved this reading experience and look forward to many more stories by this author!
Thank you, Abbie and NetGalley for making me part of The Otherworld ARC team! I received the e-book in exchange for my honest review and I’m truly grateful for this experience.
