A gem of a horror story
Once upon a time there was a somewhat forgettable actor named Thomas Tryon who starred in a series of very forgettable movies ("The Cardinal" and a few others). Mr. Tryon wisely decided to forget about the forgettable and sat down and wrote a spooky little Gothic novel called "The Other". The result is an absolutely superb, un-put-downable, unforgettable horror story.
"The Other" tells us the story of the Perry twins, Niles and Holland, 13 years old, identical twins born on either side of midnight, who have not only different birthdays, but, in a true stroke of fictional genius, different astrological signs. Looking so alike that no one can tell them apart, they are as different as day from night, one friendly and sunny and outgoing, and the other deep, dark and diabolically evil. Their father is dead, their mother imprisoned inside her own creeping madness, and their Russian-born grandmother, Ada, blessed or cursed with the Sight, has a game she likes to play, handed down through generations: put yourself inside something or someone else, and be that person. One of her grandsons learns this game all too well, and Ada, realizing what she has set in motion, is unable to stop the horror that is about to engulf the whole family.
The story takes place mostly during a long, lazy Connecticut summer in the 1930's, and as the temperature cools down, the plot heats up. Two-thirds of the way through the book, Tryon divulges the twins' secret that will literally rock the reader in his tracks. You would think the rest of the book would be an anti-climax after this; fasten your seatbelts, because now you're in for a real ride. And hang on tight: Tryon piles one horror on top of another until you wonder if he has anything left in his bag of tricks, and then he pulls it out: a climax that will knock you over. And as if all this wasn't enough, the last page of the book will leave the reader wondering if Tryon was pulling the wool over everyone's eyes and have you guessing for days.
Tryon may have been a mediocre actor, but he proved to be an excellent writer as well as a great storyteller. Plot, characters, and writing are just about perfect in this book. Like Stephen King in his earliest and best books, Tryon has the gift of understatement, and he knows how to let the horror build up ever so slowly and insidiously until the reader is totally wrapped up and can't escape. He also has a delightful touch with small but telling period descriptions that set the novel firmly in its time frame (do any older readers recall Mr. Coffee Nerves and Belle Sharmeers?). "The Other" has been out of print for some time now, but it's finally being re-printed and it's about time. I've treasured mine since the year it was published. It is, quite simply, one of the best suspense/horror stories ever written.
Judy Lind
Good, but....
This had such good reviews I had to buy it & read it... I don't know why exactly, but I just didn't get into this book. It was good, but it wasn't great to me. Maybe I'm to young to really appreciate it. I think people my parents age would really enjoy this book more (people who grew up in the 40's-50's) & I might have too, if I read this back in the 70's or early 80's.
Anyways, it's a good realistic psychological horror & VERY well written. The whole idea of identical twins being born on different days, thus having different astrological signs/personalities. I thought was good. However, I wouldn't recommend this book to people under the age of 30.
Better Than Described!
Greetings,
My book arrived before expected and in much better condition than I expected it to be despite the age of the book. I am very pleased with my purchase and the promptness of the seller.
True, quiet horror
Pros
The plot, the suspense, the characters, the finesse, the tremendous suspense.
Cons
If you want tons of action or monsters, they're not here, as they aren't needed.
The Bottom Line
One of the best horror novels I've read, along with Peretti and Dekker's House.
Full Review:
"The Other" tells the story of identical twin boys, Niles and Holland Perry, age thirteen, who have different birthdays (just before and just after midnight) and even different Zodiac signs. They are incredibly different in personality, but very close to one another, relationship-wise. One is a superficially-good boy who is secretly more than just mischievous. The other one is quieter but genuinely good-hearted. He keeps hoping that he can get his twin on the right track. Or, is that what's really going on here?
There are few other significant characters, except for the boys' grandmother Ada. She brings many traditions from The Old Country, including a "game" called "The Sight." When playing this game, one tries to fully understand another person or animal, to the point of experiencing what he, she, or it is experiencing. It resembles the concept of "grok" from Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, but it can be a longer experience and, if one is not careful, one can get dangerously lost in "The Sight." Ada teaches the twins this "game," and one of them becomes quite adept at it. Perhaps, too adept.
There are no monsters, no aliens, no escaped criminals, no people with superhuman abilities (not quite), and no demonic possessions, in this book. The writing is technically smooth and flawless, with no sensationalizing. What there is here, is true horror and suspense. Through very subtle, almost imperceptible means, the tension silently grows, until you know that something horrible will eventually happen. And, it does, and it's not what you expect, and there is more than one shocking surprise here. By the end, you actually want to start over a re-read the book, not only because it is that good, but because the story is so stunning that you want to make sure you caught it all.
This is a totally unforgettable story with totally unforgettable characters. It was the first horror story that I read, at about age thirteen (hmm, now that is spooky), and nothing that I have read since then, has passed "The Other" in quality. It is creepy without resorting to the unbelievable, and the plot twists are stunning. It is one of those books where you keep saying, "I'll read just one more chapter," until you realize that your alarm clock is set to go off in only an hour, and you have forsaken sleep for the sake of the story. Stephen King writes good horror stories; he has never surpassed Thomas Tryon's "The Other" and I am not sure that Mr. King has even equalled this book in quality. If you read "The Other," it will never truly leave you.
Recommended:
Yes
not what i expected
everyone gave this novel such rave reviews that i thought it would be amazing, but it was a disappointment to me. i just read it, after it was recommended by my mother in law. after reading all of these great reviews i thought i would love it, but i really didn't - some parts were shocking, one part in particular that i didn't expect was what happened to "the baby"; that's why i gave it 3 stars instead of two. but i had a hard time getting into this book, mainly i think due to the pacing. it just never sucked me in the way a good book usually does.
i have read a broad spectrum of horror (shirley jackson, lovecraft, bradbury, king, etc) and just felt like this didn't even compare. sorry.
(25 reviews)
