Etta and Otto and Russell and James - Hardcover

Hooper, Emma

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1476755671 ISBN 13: 9781476755670

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2015

Synopsis

A gorgeous literary debut about unlikely heroes, lifelong promises, and last great adventures. "Otto, " The letter began, in blue ink, "I've gone. I've never seen the water, so I've gone there. Don't worry, I've left you the" "truck. I can walk. I will try to remember to come back." "Yours (always), " "Etta." Otto finds the note left by his wife in the kitchen of their farmhouse in windswept Saskatchewan. Eighty-three-year-old Etta will be walking 3,200 kilometers to see the ocean, but somehow, Otto understands. He took his own journey once before, to fight in a faraway land. With Etta gone, Otto struggles with his demons of war, while their friend Russell initially pursues the woman he has loved from afar. And James--well, James you have to meet on the page. Moving from the hot and dry present of a quiet Canadian farm to a dusty, burnt past of hunger, war, and passion, from trying to remember to trying to forget, "Etta and Otto and Russell and James" is an astounding literary debut about friendship and love, hope and honor, and the romance of last--great--adventures.

About this title

Review:

""Etta and Otto and Russell and James" is incredibly moving, beautifully written and luminous with wisdom. It is a book that restores one's faith in life even as it deepens its mystery. Wonderful!" --Chris Cleave, #1 "New York Times" Bestselling author of "Little Bee"

"Hooper's debut is a novel of memory and longing and desires too long denied...To a Cormac McCarthy-like narrative--sans quotation marks, featuring crisp, concise conversations--Hooper adds magical realism.... The book ends with sheer poetry...A masterful near homage to "Pilgrim's Progress" souls redeemed through struggle."
--"Kirkus Reviews" (starred review)

"Hooper's spare, evocative prose dips in and out of reality and travels between past and present creating what Etta tells Otto is "just a long loop." This is a quietly powerful story whose dreamlike quality lingers long after the last page is turned."
--"Library Journal" (starred review)

"Hooper, with great insight, explores the interactions and connections between spouses and friends--the rivalries, the camaraderie, the joys and tragedies--and reveals the extraordinary lengths to which people will go in the name of love."
--"Publishers Weekly" (starred review)

"Drawing on wisdom and whimsy of astonishing grace and maturity, Hooper has written an irresistibly enchanting debut novel that explores mysteries of love old and new, the loyalty of animals and dependency of humans, the horrors of war and perils of loneliness, and the tenacity of time and fragility of memory."
--"Booklist" (starred review)

"Heartfelt... In simple, graceful prose, Hooper has woven a tale of deep longing, for reinvention and self-discovery, as well as for the past and for love and for the boundless unknown."
--"San Francisco Chronicle"

"In this haunting debut, set in a starkly beautiful landscape, Hooper delineates the stories of Etta and the men she loved (Otto and Russell) as they intertwine through youth and wartime and into old age. It's a lovely book you'll want to linger over."
"--People"
"Heartfelt... In simple, graceful prose, Hooper has woven a tale of deep longing, for reinvention and self-discovery, as well as for the past and for love and for the boundless unknown."
--"San Francisco Chronicle"
"[Hooper's] crisp, unadorned prose beautifully captures her characters' sentiments, and conveys with compassion but also a degree of distance their experiences of love and pain, longing and loss... this novel pulsates with an energy that can best be described as raw but also highly restrained. "
"--Chicago" "Tribune"
"Hooper's debut is a novel of memory and longing and desires too long denied...To a Cormac McCarthy-like narrative--sans quotation marks, featuring crisp, concise conversations--Hooper adds magical realism.... The book ends with sheer poetry...A masterful near homage to "Pilgrim's Progress" souls redeemed through struggle."
--"Kirkus Reviews" (starred review)
"Hooper's spare, evocative prose dips in and out of reality and travels between past and present creating what Etta tells Otto is "just a long loop." This is a quietly powerful story whose dreamlike quality lingers long after the last page is turned."
--"Library Journal" (starred review)
"Hooper's spare, evocative prose dips in and out of reality and travels between past and present creating what Etta tells Otto is "just a long loop." This is a quietly powerful story whose dreamlike quality lingers long after the last page is turned."
--"Library Journal" (starred review)
"Hooper, with great insight, explores the interactions and connections between spouses and friends--the rivalries, the camaraderie, the joys and tragedies--and reveals the extraordinary lengths to which people will go in the name of love."
--"Publishers Weekly" (starred review)
"Drawing on wisdom and whimsy of astonishing grace and maturity, Hooper has written an irresistibly enchanting debut novel that explores mysteries of love old and new, the loyalty of animals and dependency of humans, the horrors of war and perils of loneliness, and the tenacity of time and fragility of memory."
--"Booklist" (starred review)
""

"Etta and Otto and Russell and James" is incredibly moving, beautifully written and luminous with wisdom. It is a book that restores one's faith in life even as it deepens its mystery. Wonderful! Chris Cleave, #1 "New York Times" Bestselling author of "Little Bee""

[A] sweet, disarming story of lasting love Hooper s steady hand creates the perfect setup for the unexpected.
" The New York Times Book Review"
Quirky, offbeat... Modern life is full of people spouting rubbish about spurious emotional and spiritual journeys. Etta s trek as she comes to the end of her life and reckons with the past, has, in contrast, a real and worthwhile dignity to it.
" The Financial Times"
In this haunting debut, set in a starkly beautiful landscape, Hooper delineates the stories of Etta and the men she loved (Otto and Russell) as they intertwine through youth and wartime and into old age. It s a lovely book you ll want to linger over.
" People"
Heartfelt In simple, graceful prose, Hooper has woven a tale of deep longing, for reinvention and self-discovery, as well as for the past and for love and for the boundless unknown.
"San Francisco Chronicle"
[Hooper s] crisp, unadorned prose beautifully captures her characters' sentiments, and conveys with compassion but also a degree of distance their experiences of love and pain, longing and loss this novel pulsates with an energy that can best be described as raw but also highly restrained.
" Chicago" "Tribune"
Hooper has conjured a character who is a gift As the lines blur between Etta s and Otto s memories, and even between their physical bodies, readers emerge with a deeper appreciation for life and for its suffering against its backdrop of majesty.
" Dallas Morning News"
A bit like a fairy tale, "Etta and Otto and Russell and James" is whimsical, even magical. A bit like the Canadian prairie, it is spare, yet beautiful.
" Fort Worth Star-Telegram"
A poetic, poignant tale.
" US Weekly"
Fictional journeys toward enlightenment and self-discovery fill miles of book shelves, but few are as freshly told as the road trip traced in "Etta and Otto and Russell and James" It s filled with magical realism, whimsy and the idea that you re never too old to take risks.
" Minneapolis Star-Tribune"
Hooper s debut is a novel of memory and longing and desires too long denied To a Cormac McCarthy like narrative sans quotation marks, featuring crisp, concise conversations Hooper adds magical realism . The book ends with sheer poetry A masterful near homage to "Pilgrim s Progress" souls redeemed through struggle.
"Kirkus Reviews" (starred review)
"Hooper s spare, evocative prose dips in and out of reality and travels between past and present creating what Etta tells Otto is just a long loop. This is a quietly powerful story whose dreamlike quality lingers long after the last page is turned."
"Library Journal" (starred review)
"Hooper, with great insight, explores the interactions and connections between spouses and friends the rivalries, the camaraderie, the joys and tragedies and reveals the extraordinary lengths to which people will go in the name of love."
"Publishers Weekly" (starred review)
"Drawing on wisdom and whimsy of astonishing grace and maturity, Hooper has written an irresistibly enchanting debut novel that explores mysteries of love old and new, the loyalty of animals and dependency of humans, the horrors of war and perils of loneliness, and the tenacity of time and fragility of memory."
"Booklist" (starred review)"

A delicate hymn to the natural landscape and an elegy to a dwindling generation.
"The New Yorker""

From the Back Cover:

'Tell me about home, please. Tell me about the weather. About the heat or dust or still-ness. Anything. And tell me about you. I keep your photo on the side without the gun. For balance.'

This is a love story that spans fifty years, three lives, two continents and an ocean. It tells of school teacher Etta, who settles in the Canadian prairies during the Great Depression and of the two pupils who fall in love with her: Russell, a city boy who takes to farming despite his twisted leg, and Otto, who struggles in school but always tries hard - even when he's sent to fight a war in a distant land. It is a story of love and joy, pain and passion, memory and forgetting - and one incredible journey. It is the story of Etta and Otto and Russell and James.

'Poetical, satirical, melancholy and full of big-country breeze and sunshine' Daily Mail

'Magnificently arresting, fresh, gripping. A bright new star of literature . . . will leave you thinking on a new level about the connections between men, women and places' The Times

'A sweet, disarming story of lasting love' New York Times

'Beautiful, eccentric, romantic, hugely satisfying' Big Issue

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1476755671
• ISBN 13: 9781476755670
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 305