We have updated our Privacy Policy Please take a moment to review it. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the terms of our updated Privacy Policy.
I heard voices talking last night. I’ve never heard my father talk to someone else. Not that I can remember. I was in bed, and I heard my father’s voice first. He was talking to someone, and then I heard another man with a deep voice. The man got angry, I could tell, even though I couldn’t hear exactly what he was saying. Then my father said, ‘I’d kill you first.’
On his eleventh birthday, Jacob’s father gives him a diary. To write about things that happen. About what he and his father do on their farm. About the sheep, the crop, the fox and the dam. But Jacob knows some things should not be written down. Some things should not be remembered.
The only things he knows for sure are what his father has taught him. Sheltered, protected, isolated. But who is his father protecting him from? And how far will his father go to keep the world at bay?
All too soon, Jacob will learn that, sometimes, people do the most terrible things.
From the bestselling author of WIMMERA and THE RIP comes an unforgettable novel that explores the darkness in our world with the light only a child can find.
On his eleventh birthday, Jacob’s father gives him a diary. To write about things that happen. About what he and his father do on their farm. About the sheep, the crop, the fox and the dam. But Jacob knows some things should not be written down. Some things should not be remembered.
The only things he knows for sure are what his father has taught him. Sheltered, protected, isolated. But who is his father protecting him from? And how far will his father go to keep the world at bay?
All too soon, Jacob will learn that, sometimes, people do the most terrible things.
From the bestselling author of WIMMERA and THE RIP comes an unforgettable novel that explores the darkness in our world with the light only a child can find.
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Reviews
Brandi flies a bit under the radar. That should change with The Others, his boldest book to date. This deeply unsettling novel is not The Road or Room, but it deserves a place beside them.
Review
It's a remarkable achievement, full of tension and dread, as Jacob confronts his fears of the outside world.
The Others is a nuanced exploration of the world view of a child whose life is curtailed and limited but whose curiosity and exuberance cannot be curbed. In Jacob, Brandi has created a memorable young narrator, and in The Others he has continued, with compassion and intelligence, to explore the place of the outsider in a world that is not always as safe or welcoming as we might hope
The Others invites readers to wonder whether a child's innate goodness can survive isolation and indoctrination and what the cost of such turmoil may be.
It's both a very slow burn, and a can't-bear-to-put-it-down read.
As intriguing as it is heart-rending. Brandi is skilled at turning a slow burn into a gripping read