Etta and Otto and Russell and James

Etta and Otto

Author:
Emma Hooper
Narrator:
Robert G. Slade
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster Audio
Published in: January 2015
Duration: 8:02 hours
ISBN: 978-1442382657
Genre: literary fiction

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There has been recently several books in literary fiction, like the two books by Rachel Joyce which I enjoyed a lot. So even though I wanted to try Etta and Otto and Russell and James, I was a bit nervous, afraid to find too much of the same. But the journey is different and very enjoyable, and am not sure why it took me so long to finally review it!

In her 80s, and starting to lose her mind at times, Etta has never seen the ocean. So she decides to leave her husband Otto one day, informing him in a note he finds on the kitchen table, and walks through Canada to achieve her goal and experience new horizons. Russell, their neighbor and old friend, afraid for her sake, decides to follow her, from afar. But Etta has a companion she can rely on, James… a talking coyote!

This last detail allowed neat dialogs or sharing of memories, of thoughts, and of fears.
There were fantastic descriptions of scenery and Etta met a few interesting people on her way. Some encounters are funny.
She is a very loving old lady, not devoid of suffering in her life – passages refer to the war, a place in memory where both her husband and herself connect.

I really enjoyed the way the book treats the theme of the journey, both the physical journey and the inner journey, when one tried to find oneself. For Etta, they combine and one leads to the other. But at home, her husband makes other kinds of journeying an re-journeying through painful memories, and discovering, as he learns to live and cook by himself in her absence, helped somewhat by her recipe cards she prepared for him!
As for Russell, Etta’s journey invites him to his own.

I was disappointed by the ending though, maybe because I didn’t understand it? Did you read it? What did you think of the ending?

AUDIO PRODUCTION

The narrator was excellent. One might have expected a female narrator, as the story is really focused on Etta, but choosing a male narrator worked. I liked the way his calm, poised voice portrayed the self-confidence and adventurous side of Etta, as well as the playful and reassuring tone of James the coyote.

VERDICT: A lovely account of a journey with a talking coyote, both through the land and the self, where memories and discoveries combine to better know oneself and others.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT

A gorgeous literary debut about an elderly woman’s last great adventure walking across Canada. A beautiful novel of pilgrimage, of fulfilling lifelong promises, of a talking coyote called James, of unlikely heroes and hundreds of papier-mâché animals…
Eighty-two-year-old Etta has never seen the ocean. So early one morning she takes a rifle, some chocolate, and her best boots, and begins walking the 3,232 kilometers from rural Canada eastward to the coast.
Her husband Otto wakes to a note left on the kitchen table. I will try to remember to come back, Etta writes to him. Otto has seen the ocean, having crossed the Atlantic years ago to fight in a far-away war. He understands. But with Etta gone, the memories come crowding in and Otto struggles to keep them at bay.
Russell has spent his whole life trying to keep up with Otto and loving Etta from afar. Russell insists on finding Etta, wherever she’s gone. Leaving his own farm will be the first act of defiance in his life.
As Etta walks further toward the ocean, accompanied by a coyote named James, the lines among memory, illusion, and reality blur. Rocking back and forth with the pull of the waves, Etta and Otto and Russell and James moves from the hot and dry present of a quiet Canadian farm to a dusty burnt past of hunger, war, passion, and hope; from trying to remember to trying to forget; and inspires each of its characters to visit the sites they’ve longed to see and say the things they’ve longed to say. This is dazzling literary fiction about the rediscovery and care of the soul, and the idea it’s never too late for a great adventure.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photograph by Martin Tompkins

Raised in Alberta, Canada,
Emma Hooper brought her love of music and literature to the UK,
where she received a doctorate in Musico-Literary studies
at the University of East-Anglia
and currently lectures at Bath Spa University.
A musician, Emma performs as the solo artist Waitress for the Bees
and plays with a number of bands.
She lives in Bath, UK, but goes home to Canada to cross-country ski whenever she can.
Etta and Otto and Russell and James is her first novel.

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HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK?
Have you read any other good literary fiction
related to journeying?
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In full compliance with FTC Guidelines,
I received this audio book for free through Audiobook Jukebox in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I was in no way compensated for this post as a reviewer, and the thoughts are my own.

This book counted for 2015 Reading Challenges

7 thoughts on “Book Review: Etta and Otto and Russell and James”

Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library on January 20, 2016 at 9:14 am said:

I haven’t read this and have been kind of on the fence about it. This does sound lovely despite the less than stellar ending. I think I’ll have to look for this at the library. Thanks for sharing!

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- WordsAndPeace on January 20, 2016 at 10:47 am said:
  
  If you liked the books by Rachel Joyce, I think you will enjoy this one as well
  
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Lexlingua on June 9, 2021 at 11:51 am said:

A talking coyote — seems like you do read fantasy fiction too. 🙂 The first time I came across coyote in books was in Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson (Urban Fantasy) series. That’s where I got to know that the Coyote is something of a trickster figure in Native American folklore. I am wondering if that’s the case with this book as well? Haha, won’t ask for spoilers!

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- WordsAndPeace on June 11, 2021 at 6:04 pm said:
  
  Actually, I really wouldn’t call this book fantasy, more literary fiction, even if the coyote talked, or the character thought he talked, lol. And yes, rarely, but I do sometimes read fantasy (cf. Neil Gaiman)
  
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