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Others of My Kind
At age eight, Jenny Rowan was abducted and kept for two years in a box beneath her captor's bed. Eventually she escaped and, after living for eighteen months on cast-offs at the local mall, was put into the foster care system. Suing for emancipation at age sixteen she became a legal adult. Now she works as a production editor for the local public TV station, and is one of the world's good people.
One evening she returns home to find a detective waiting for her. Though her records are sealed, he somehow knows her story. He asks if she can help with a young woman who, like her many years before, has been abducted and traumatized.
Initially hesitant, Jenny decides to get involved, reviving buried memories and setting in motion an unexpected interchange with the president herself. As brilliantly spare and compact as are all of James Sallis's novels, Others of My Kind stands apart for its female protagonist. Set in a near future of political turmoil, full of surprising twists, it is a story of how we overcome, how we shape ourselves by what happens to us, and how the human spirit, whatever horrors it undergoes, will not be put down.
One evening she returns home to find a detective waiting for her. Though her records are sealed, he somehow knows her story. He asks if she can help with a young woman who, like her many years before, has been abducted and traumatized.
Initially hesitant, Jenny decides to get involved, reviving buried memories and setting in motion an unexpected interchange with the president herself. As brilliantly spare and compact as are all of James Sallis's novels, Others of My Kind stands apart for its female protagonist. Set in a near future of political turmoil, full of surprising twists, it is a story of how we overcome, how we shape ourselves by what happens to us, and how the human spirit, whatever horrors it undergoes, will not be put down.
116 pages, Hardcover
First published September 10, 2013
6 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
About the author
James Sallis
186 books395 followersJames Sallis (born 21 December 1944 in Helena, Arkansas) is an American crime writer, poet and musician, best known for his series of novels featuring the character Lew Griffin and set in New Orleans, and for his 2005 novel Drive, which was adapted into a 2011 film of the same name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
July 5, 2015
A sparse and poetic novella that seems to have confused many a reader who expected a novel about a girl who escapes from living in a box under a kidnappers bed - you know the type, readers who get off on the true stories of abused children - when actually it's a work of literature designed to encourage analysis of the world around the reader. It's not a Sallis noir but it retains his usual existential poetics and societal observations that make the Lew Griffin books such a stand out series in the genre.
July 18, 2014
My only experience with Sallis' work to date was the cinematic adaptation of Driver, which I didn't like. But this book was just slender enough of a noncommitment to give the author another try and I'm so glad I did. If Sallis' writing is noir, then maybe I like noir more than I thought I did. It is bleak, very bleak, and a drama not a mystery as most noirs seem to be, but the quality of narrative is so good, so comfortably (if that's the right word) paced, sparse yet very moving and compelling study of human condition. In no small way this is all because of Jenny Rowan, the book's heroine, the ultimate survivor, the ultimate observer. This was a great read, very quick, very impressive, excellent introduction to a potentially excellent (pending further reading) author. Recommended.
August 1, 2016
Review to come .
September 2, 2013
Jenny Rowan, changed her name after a horrendous experience, and is now after a prolonged recovery, working at a news station as a video editor. This novel, fortunately does not dwell on the details of her captivity, but on her resilience to move forward and to make a life for herself. The kidnapping in fact is not the message of this story, but just the means to introduce a very interesting character.
The world is in chaos, the government unreliable, fashions are changing and things are moving on whether she is ready for them or not. Go figure, just like real life for us all now. So we really have control over one thing, that is how we react to things. We can dwell on our mistakes, our misfortunes or we can move forward. Regardless off what happens to us, the world goes on, things change. That I believe is the message of this novella, not as gritty as Sallis usually is, but delivering an important message through a pretty great character.
The world is in chaos, the government unreliable, fashions are changing and things are moving on whether she is ready for them or not. Go figure, just like real life for us all now. So we really have control over one thing, that is how we react to things. We can dwell on our mistakes, our misfortunes or we can move forward. Regardless off what happens to us, the world goes on, things change. That I believe is the message of this novella, not as gritty as Sallis usually is, but delivering an important message through a pretty great character.
April 20, 2014
We can find many authors who would take James Sallis' 116 page meditation and transform it into a 400 page novel. Such a metamorphosis would not be an improvement; indeed, it would be criminal.
What we are shown here transcends headlines and psychology texts and self-help How-tos. Here we find a woman with an unusual history with whom we may identity, as we are of her kind. Discovering how and why, and to what depth, brings great satisfaction to the reading; once we see ourselves and those others, we realize why the imaginary extra 300 pages are not needed. Nor wanted.
Highly Recommended.
What we are shown here transcends headlines and psychology texts and self-help How-tos. Here we find a woman with an unusual history with whom we may identity, as we are of her kind. Discovering how and why, and to what depth, brings great satisfaction to the reading; once we see ourselves and those others, we realize why the imaginary extra 300 pages are not needed. Nor wanted.
Highly Recommended.
November 18, 2013
Others of My Kind by James Sallis
Last night I read a James Sallis novel, in one sitting, Others of My Kind, I cannot say enough good things about it, or his writing. Poetic, spare, eloquent and hard hitting. It will break your heart, then revive your faith in humanity.
His characters are complex, and straight forward at the same time. The more I think about the story, the more I love it.
I've read several of Sallis's Lew Griffin series, a PI based in New Orleans a few decades ago. Good stuff, accurate portrayal of Non-touristy New Orleans.
Last night I read a James Sallis novel, in one sitting, Others of My Kind, I cannot say enough good things about it, or his writing. Poetic, spare, eloquent and hard hitting. It will break your heart, then revive your faith in humanity.
His characters are complex, and straight forward at the same time. The more I think about the story, the more I love it.
I've read several of Sallis's Lew Griffin series, a PI based in New Orleans a few decades ago. Good stuff, accurate portrayal of Non-touristy New Orleans.
December 19, 2013
A lot of bad stuff happens to the main character early in her life. Yet the events do not destroy her, as it would many people. She has not lost her Kindness and compassion for others.
I love Sallis's books. The humanity in this (short) novel took me off guard.
I love Sallis's books. The humanity in this (short) novel took me off guard.
November 10, 2013
Jenny has had a difficult life. When she was eight she was abducted and kept in a box for two years. She then lived alone in a shopping mall, before eventually starting to work and make friends who take the place of her family. As the novel starts, she is working at a TV channel as an editor and her life seems to be on as even a keel as can be expected. However, when a cop asks her for help with another young girl abducted in similar circumstances, Jenny must decide whether she wants to get involved and consider how it will affect her life.
This is a short book which I read in one sitting and which gripped me throughout. It’s a strange kind of novel as, although events occur during it, the reader isn’t left with much impression of the actual events, but rather with the imprint of the effect these events have on the characters. As James Sallis is predominantly a writer in the crime genre, I suppose this book is classed as a crime novel. It’s a very different kind of crime novel though as it’s not concerned with whodunit or even whydunit. We see everything through Jenny’s eyes and hear about it in her written version of events. For someone who has gone through so much she is very calm and presents events in a non-sensational way and often surprises us with her attitudes to things. The book’s focus is on how she, and some of the other characters, are impacted by events in their lives. In Jenny’s case these impacts aren’t always what you would expect, leaving you with a strong impression of a complex and real person who has chosen to turn outwards to a great extent rather than turning inwards and isolating herself. But she does everything on her own terms, taking control of her own life rather than continuing to be a victim.
The language of the book is very simple and real – you can really hear Jenny’s voice. She is an ordinary person to whom extraordinary things have happened, so she would naturally express herself like this. There is a charisma to her, of which she seems unaware, but which draws others to her. Sallis is very clever in portraying her not only via what she says, but also through what she does. An example would be in the very first scene of the book, in which she feeds the detective who has come to her for help.
I enjoyed this book hugely and would recommend it to fans of the crime genre who may be looking for something a bit different. I was sorry to say good-bye to Jenny and would love to be able to read about her again and hear about how her life moves on.
This is a short book which I read in one sitting and which gripped me throughout. It’s a strange kind of novel as, although events occur during it, the reader isn’t left with much impression of the actual events, but rather with the imprint of the effect these events have on the characters. As James Sallis is predominantly a writer in the crime genre, I suppose this book is classed as a crime novel. It’s a very different kind of crime novel though as it’s not concerned with whodunit or even whydunit. We see everything through Jenny’s eyes and hear about it in her written version of events. For someone who has gone through so much she is very calm and presents events in a non-sensational way and often surprises us with her attitudes to things. The book’s focus is on how she, and some of the other characters, are impacted by events in their lives. In Jenny’s case these impacts aren’t always what you would expect, leaving you with a strong impression of a complex and real person who has chosen to turn outwards to a great extent rather than turning inwards and isolating herself. But she does everything on her own terms, taking control of her own life rather than continuing to be a victim.
The language of the book is very simple and real – you can really hear Jenny’s voice. She is an ordinary person to whom extraordinary things have happened, so she would naturally express herself like this. There is a charisma to her, of which she seems unaware, but which draws others to her. Sallis is very clever in portraying her not only via what she says, but also through what she does. An example would be in the very first scene of the book, in which she feeds the detective who has come to her for help.
I enjoyed this book hugely and would recommend it to fans of the crime genre who may be looking for something a bit different. I was sorry to say good-bye to Jenny and would love to be able to read about her again and hear about how her life moves on.
October 21, 2013
James Sallis is an American author, best know for his Lew Griffin novels and Drive; his 2005 novel that was adapted for the cinema. Others Of My Kind is his latest novel, published in the UK by No Exit Press on 27 October 2013. Sallis is an author that I've not come across before, his novels are best described as noir crime - or 'hardboiled' fiction which would never be my first choice when selecting my next read.
Others Of My Kind should probably be described as a novella, rather than a novel - the paperback copy has just 157 pages and can easily be read in one sitting.
The writing is spare, not a word is wasted, but despite this, the story is well defined, expertly executed and features a cast of characters who are very ably led by the protagonist Jenny Rowan. Jenny is a successful TV editor, her work is well-known and well-respected. She lives simply and sees the good in people. Her neighbours, friends and colleagues do not know that Jenny was once the Mall Girl - an eleven-year-old who was found living in a shopping mall after escaping from a man who had abducted her and kept her in a box under his bed. When Detective Jack Collins calls on Jenny and asks her to speak to a young woman who is traumatised after a similar experience, Jenny's memories begin to haunt her again.
The story is set sometime in the near future, although the actual year is not disclosed. American is at war, the White House is on full security and the news is full of scandals. Jenny does her best to help people wherever she can, she seems to bear no resentment towards the man who robbed her of her childhood, preferring instead to use the experience in a positive way - to see the best in others and to offer hope to those who are suffering.
Others Of My Kind is really not my usual sort of read, but I enjoyed it very much. Part of the beauty in this book is its length and the eloquence of the writing. It doesn't have a fast paced plot, it's more of a discovery of human kind and how horrific experiences don't always mean the destruction of character.
Others Of My Kind should probably be described as a novella, rather than a novel - the paperback copy has just 157 pages and can easily be read in one sitting.
The writing is spare, not a word is wasted, but despite this, the story is well defined, expertly executed and features a cast of characters who are very ably led by the protagonist Jenny Rowan. Jenny is a successful TV editor, her work is well-known and well-respected. She lives simply and sees the good in people. Her neighbours, friends and colleagues do not know that Jenny was once the Mall Girl - an eleven-year-old who was found living in a shopping mall after escaping from a man who had abducted her and kept her in a box under his bed. When Detective Jack Collins calls on Jenny and asks her to speak to a young woman who is traumatised after a similar experience, Jenny's memories begin to haunt her again.
The story is set sometime in the near future, although the actual year is not disclosed. American is at war, the White House is on full security and the news is full of scandals. Jenny does her best to help people wherever she can, she seems to bear no resentment towards the man who robbed her of her childhood, preferring instead to use the experience in a positive way - to see the best in others and to offer hope to those who are suffering.
Others Of My Kind is really not my usual sort of read, but I enjoyed it very much. Part of the beauty in this book is its length and the eloquence of the writing. It doesn't have a fast paced plot, it's more of a discovery of human kind and how horrific experiences don't always mean the destruction of character.
October 30, 2013
“At age eight, Jenny Rowan was abducted and kept for two years in a box beneath her captor's bed. Eventually she escaped and, after living for eighteen months on cast-offs at the local mall, was put into the child-care system. Suing for emancipation, at age sixteen she became a legal adult. Nowadays she works as a production editor for the local public TV station, and is one of the world's good people.”
Having never read or even heard of James Sallis before and always keen to try new authors I was very pleased to receive this book to review. After finishing the book I was rather disappointed with the read. It is a short book and with that said there was really not enough time for the characters to develop and I really did not form any attachments or care what really happened to them.
Some of the plot seamed really strange and I was not altogether sure what relevance they had like Jenny striking up a friendship with the president (really!). I will not be seeking out any other books by this author and was quite relived that it was only a short book and did not take long to read.
Having never read or even heard of James Sallis before and always keen to try new authors I was very pleased to receive this book to review. After finishing the book I was rather disappointed with the read. It is a short book and with that said there was really not enough time for the characters to develop and I really did not form any attachments or care what really happened to them.
Some of the plot seamed really strange and I was not altogether sure what relevance they had like Jenny striking up a friendship with the president (really!). I will not be seeking out any other books by this author and was quite relived that it was only a short book and did not take long to read.
April 9, 2016
First of all, no offense to the author. I know this is not supposed to be one of his better works and it doesn't really represent his oeuvre. Also, he wrote the novel that was adapted into one of the best movies of the last couple of years, Winding Refn's Drive. So props for that.
As for this book. In short: the writing was not how I want it to be, the characters were not really characters, the social commentary seemed phony and out of place, the pacing was absolutely horrible... Everything was rushed and somehow it didn't work at all. I am sure his other works are better.
As for this book. In short: the writing was not how I want it to be, the characters were not really characters, the social commentary seemed phony and out of place, the pacing was absolutely horrible... Everything was rushed and somehow it didn't work at all. I am sure his other works are better.
March 18, 2014
I didn’t get on with this book at all. I found the characters totally unbelievable and I got no connection with them at all. I had been looking forward to reading this but was left disappointed. I found the story jumped about too much and the characters didn’t behave in believable way. Sorry but this one left me cold and even though it was quite a short book I picked it up and put it down so many times that I thought I would never finish it.
June 22, 2013
Not so much a story as a shared experience with the protagonist. Describing why I liked it would be as difficult as telling you why I've enjoyed the company of a particular friend over the last few years. As promised in the tout, it is brilliantly spare and compact.
September 7, 2017
Finishing at 116 pages, this novella packs in a lot. I've been complaining a lot lately about the extraordinary length of most modern fiction - life is busy and I want a quick fix from my reading. This book certainly provided that. I haven't read any of Sallis' work before, though I gather he is always succinct, and I admire his ability to not over-explain. That said, I probably would have liked the book to go into more detail (yes, I'm contradicting myself).
January 4, 2019
Fascinating character study of a woman who was kidnapped as a child and kept mostly in a box for two years. It's a short novel, a quick read, beautifully written. I would have loved to know more about her time as "mall girl."
October 6, 2013
When I received a review copy of this book as part of the "RealReaders" programme, I was quite intrigued by the blurb on the back - I had heard of James Sallis, and have had "Drive" on my "to-read " pile for quite a while. I should have taken more notice of the word "experimental" in the blurb, though, as that was quite significant.
I was expecting to encounter something along the lines of an Elmore Leonard, with a complex and unfolding plot, with twists and turns along the way, finishing with a surprising and satisfying twist at the end. If that is what you are looking for, this is not the book for you. It is more along the lines of a written example of using negative space, as it is what is not talked about that is important.
It's very difficult to discuss the book without giving spoilers, as so much of the book is dependent on context and filling in the spaces that are left blank. If you don't want to read any spoilers, skip to the next review!
The subject matter of this novella is rather timely coming so soon after the release of the victims in Cleveland, and it seems to be the authors attempt at looking at the effect of abduction on the victims. We are told that the protagonist, Jenny Rowan, is one of the "good people" but we soon learn that she is also a very damaged person. There is an elephant in the room throughout this book, in that we are told very little of what she actually went through, apart from being kept in a box under her abductors bed - it was only after reading the book, and sitting down and thinking about it that I realised that Jenny has only moved through a succession of boxes. She is essentially a very closed off person, trying to please those around her, but keeping herself boxed up to avoid any hurt or damage. She makes a huge effort to trace her parents, but then makes no effort to re-establish any relationship with them. She never digs deeper than the surface with anyone, and never allows them to get too close to her - and much the same happens to the reader. There are also some very strange divergences within the plot - she manages to strike up a friendship with the (Female, black) President... and walks away from it - but the grounds for that friendship are never really established, nor her reasons for walking away. The whole book seems to be a collection of loose ends and divergences, loosely structured around a series of reminiscences that taken as a whole seem not to make much sense.
However... despite the drawbacks, along with the lack of depth and overall superficiality of the book, it's real genius lies in the attempt to show us that the "others of my kind" are all of us, in that we all suffer damage and hurt, yet we all show a face to the world that can be controlled by others.
I was expecting to encounter something along the lines of an Elmore Leonard, with a complex and unfolding plot, with twists and turns along the way, finishing with a surprising and satisfying twist at the end. If that is what you are looking for, this is not the book for you. It is more along the lines of a written example of using negative space, as it is what is not talked about that is important.
It's very difficult to discuss the book without giving spoilers, as so much of the book is dependent on context and filling in the spaces that are left blank. If you don't want to read any spoilers, skip to the next review!
The subject matter of this novella is rather timely coming so soon after the release of the victims in Cleveland, and it seems to be the authors attempt at looking at the effect of abduction on the victims. We are told that the protagonist, Jenny Rowan, is one of the "good people" but we soon learn that she is also a very damaged person. There is an elephant in the room throughout this book, in that we are told very little of what she actually went through, apart from being kept in a box under her abductors bed - it was only after reading the book, and sitting down and thinking about it that I realised that Jenny has only moved through a succession of boxes. She is essentially a very closed off person, trying to please those around her, but keeping herself boxed up to avoid any hurt or damage. She makes a huge effort to trace her parents, but then makes no effort to re-establish any relationship with them. She never digs deeper than the surface with anyone, and never allows them to get too close to her - and much the same happens to the reader. There are also some very strange divergences within the plot - she manages to strike up a friendship with the (Female, black) President... and walks away from it - but the grounds for that friendship are never really established, nor her reasons for walking away. The whole book seems to be a collection of loose ends and divergences, loosely structured around a series of reminiscences that taken as a whole seem not to make much sense.
However... despite the drawbacks, along with the lack of depth and overall superficiality of the book, it's real genius lies in the attempt to show us that the "others of my kind" are all of us, in that we all suffer damage and hurt, yet we all show a face to the world that can be controlled by others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2013
Different Kind of Crime
Others of My Kind by James Sallis is an interesting crime novella where for a change we have the victim of crime as our narrator throughout the book carefully guiding us through the book. One of the best things to say about this book is that Sallis does not waste time with fluff sticks to all the relevant information in the story, which in turn reflects our narrator’s brevity
Jenny Rowan who is our narrator reveals that she had been abducted when she was 8 and kept in a box under a bed for a couple of years, and when she managed to escape then live in a Mall before being caught and forced to live in a state facility for mental health patients as they did not know where to locate her. She is a highly intelligent young woman, and wins her freedom at 16 and eventually works her way to become an excellent production editor at a local news station in Washington DC.
One night she is met outside her apartment by a detective who needs her help in reaching out to another victim of abuse similar to that which Jenny had been through. It is hard but Jenny takes Cheryl under her wing and they become roommates. At the same time America is in crisis the White House is under attack and the Vice-President’s son goes missing. Political turmoil all around but life still does on.
This is a wonderful short crime book through the eyes of the victim who has to overcome her past to be able to live in the now and the future. It shows that even if the world is in turmoil we can overcome our past that shapes us and that we should not be prisoners of our past. It is also a mirror of the ‘American Dream’ in that it does not matter where you are from or what your background is you can overcome and reach the highest position available.
This is a great and very enjoyable book well worth reading and great to see something from a victim's point of view
Others of My Kind by James Sallis is an interesting crime novella where for a change we have the victim of crime as our narrator throughout the book carefully guiding us through the book. One of the best things to say about this book is that Sallis does not waste time with fluff sticks to all the relevant information in the story, which in turn reflects our narrator’s brevity
Jenny Rowan who is our narrator reveals that she had been abducted when she was 8 and kept in a box under a bed for a couple of years, and when she managed to escape then live in a Mall before being caught and forced to live in a state facility for mental health patients as they did not know where to locate her. She is a highly intelligent young woman, and wins her freedom at 16 and eventually works her way to become an excellent production editor at a local news station in Washington DC.
One night she is met outside her apartment by a detective who needs her help in reaching out to another victim of abuse similar to that which Jenny had been through. It is hard but Jenny takes Cheryl under her wing and they become roommates. At the same time America is in crisis the White House is under attack and the Vice-President’s son goes missing. Political turmoil all around but life still does on.
This is a wonderful short crime book through the eyes of the victim who has to overcome her past to be able to live in the now and the future. It shows that even if the world is in turmoil we can overcome our past that shapes us and that we should not be prisoners of our past. It is also a mirror of the ‘American Dream’ in that it does not matter where you are from or what your background is you can overcome and reach the highest position available.
This is a great and very enjoyable book well worth reading and great to see something from a victim's point of view
October 27, 2013
I must admit, this is not exactly the sort of story that I would choose from the bookshop. I read the precis and thought it might be a little too grim.
However, it is good to try new authors as you might find a hidden gem. This story did actually grab my attention and make me want to investigate some of Mr Sallis's other works.
Jenny Rowan has already had a hideous life when we first meet her but she is no victim - she is a strong, independent woman who is not looking to right the wrong done to her but to help other people - because she can. The tale does not dwell unnecessarily long on her ordeal at the hands of Danny and you feel that the most dehumanizing thing she encounters is after her 'escape' ,when she is placed in the social care system itself.
She is a compelling character, you want to get to know her and even though she engages with other people, you still feel as if she hold you at arm's length. She interacts with other 'damaged' people but helps and supports them, changing their lives for good, and then moves on.
You really do get an uneasy feel of the period in which the novel is set, the near future, so like today but not quite and that uneasiness helps the story.
It is a slight book (157pages) and I devoured it in one sitting - I was left wanting more, more Jenny - a character who inspires.
However, it is good to try new authors as you might find a hidden gem. This story did actually grab my attention and make me want to investigate some of Mr Sallis's other works.
Jenny Rowan has already had a hideous life when we first meet her but she is no victim - she is a strong, independent woman who is not looking to right the wrong done to her but to help other people - because she can. The tale does not dwell unnecessarily long on her ordeal at the hands of Danny and you feel that the most dehumanizing thing she encounters is after her 'escape' ,when she is placed in the social care system itself.
She is a compelling character, you want to get to know her and even though she engages with other people, you still feel as if she hold you at arm's length. She interacts with other 'damaged' people but helps and supports them, changing their lives for good, and then moves on.
You really do get an uneasy feel of the period in which the novel is set, the near future, so like today but not quite and that uneasiness helps the story.
It is a slight book (157pages) and I devoured it in one sitting - I was left wanting more, more Jenny - a character who inspires.
August 18, 2013
2 1/2 star rating
A story of a strong female protagonist who survives a horrendous experience of childhood abduction, captivity and sexual servitude before she escapes, survives for a while on the streets before eventually becoming a captive of the child social service system. This woman is tough, resourceful, self reliant and able to study and eventually find a place in the bigger world. She is remarkably adaptable, self sufficient, without anger and talented. I felt that a good story would unfold but to me the heroine lacked emotions and felt two dimensional. How can a woman who has been through so much be so giving, kind, gracious, helpful and wanting of no real human connection – her character felt to be at odds with her experiences. It didn’t work for me.
This novel was very spare as the description stated, a little to spare for my liking. I did not connect with this character, I felt she had no real spirit, that her past defined her as only a shell of a person living a day to day existence, surviving but not really living (and that is totally understandable given her situation). She seems to have no enjoyment in her life, nor any pleasures, big or small. She reaches out to others in need of compassion but I don’t feel she connects with them.
A story of a strong female protagonist who survives a horrendous experience of childhood abduction, captivity and sexual servitude before she escapes, survives for a while on the streets before eventually becoming a captive of the child social service system. This woman is tough, resourceful, self reliant and able to study and eventually find a place in the bigger world. She is remarkably adaptable, self sufficient, without anger and talented. I felt that a good story would unfold but to me the heroine lacked emotions and felt two dimensional. How can a woman who has been through so much be so giving, kind, gracious, helpful and wanting of no real human connection – her character felt to be at odds with her experiences. It didn’t work for me.
This novel was very spare as the description stated, a little to spare for my liking. I did not connect with this character, I felt she had no real spirit, that her past defined her as only a shell of a person living a day to day existence, surviving but not really living (and that is totally understandable given her situation). She seems to have no enjoyment in her life, nor any pleasures, big or small. She reaches out to others in need of compassion but I don’t feel she connects with them.
October 12, 2013
Unlike others of its kind (books I've given a single star, on the grounds that in order to give a review one cannot withhold all stars) I actually managed to finish Others of My Kind. That says far more for my morning commute than it does for the book.
The writing is both pompous and lazy; words like apocryphal and ensconced have been thrown into the prose in an attempt to appear intelligent, but basic structural things like dialogue, characterisation and even plot have been left behind. The narrator says of herself, "essentially I had no identity" - and she had the author convinced, as he didn't bother to create one for her. Often I finished a chapter with not much idea and less interest in what was happening or what Sallis was trying to achieve. The way to create a credible lost soul is not to neglect to write them!
Its saving grace is its length. Sparse, yes; lyrical, definitely not.
The writing is both pompous and lazy; words like apocryphal and ensconced have been thrown into the prose in an attempt to appear intelligent, but basic structural things like dialogue, characterisation and even plot have been left behind. The narrator says of herself, "essentially I had no identity" - and she had the author convinced, as he didn't bother to create one for her. Often I finished a chapter with not much idea and less interest in what was happening or what Sallis was trying to achieve. The way to create a credible lost soul is not to neglect to write them!
Its saving grace is its length. Sparse, yes; lyrical, definitely not.
November 27, 2014
The narrator was kidnapped and incarcerated as a child. Following her escape she lived in similar circumstances to a street child, but in a mall for several years. Now in her adult life she works for the newsroom of a TV company, but her work and social life is taken up by interest in others cases however vaguely similar to her own. That, and the special relationship she had with her original captor, are what the novel is about.
It is black in places, as you might expect from Sallis, but the overriding feeling is that it is bold and innovative. More recent cases in the news of girls having spent a large time of their childhood imprisoned by a pedophile or crazed person easily come to mind, and make this work by Sallis even more special.
His twist in the las part of the book is clever also, and quite unpredictable.
Read it to find out why the last line means so much : I wish you all good openings, and wonder, and surprise.
It is black in places, as you might expect from Sallis, but the overriding feeling is that it is bold and innovative. More recent cases in the news of girls having spent a large time of their childhood imprisoned by a pedophile or crazed person easily come to mind, and make this work by Sallis even more special.
His twist in the las part of the book is clever also, and quite unpredictable.
Read it to find out why the last line means so much : I wish you all good openings, and wonder, and surprise.
September 5, 2018
So this was five stars up until the middle of the book. And I think where it dropped two stars was that it didn’t reach its potential. In truth, the real story exists before this one with the protagonist living in a box under the bed. Sure, maybe SALLIS didn’t want to be that predictable. Maybe there were too many The Room-type books out there. So the theme is uniting people who have undergone trauma. I get it. But damn, I felt he missed a trick. He’s a great writer, but yeah, I felt a detachment to the characters as previously mentioned by others too. Shame. But I’ll still be checking out more of his books.
October 22, 2013
It has been said that every reader thinks that they could write at least one good book. I admit that I have bought into that conceit. Then I read a book by James Sallis and I KNOW that whatever I could cobble together would definitely not be writing. Sallis, George Pelecanos, James Lee Burke and Daniel Woodrell all elevate language to a place that I can only hope to visit, not inhabit.
September 12, 2013
I don't usually write reviews but this was one of the most boring books I've read in a long time. I kept waiting for the action to start, and then the book ended. What a waste of time.
September 23, 2013
Great characters that are soiled by a rambling narrative and far fetched plot points that are too naturalistic to be fantastical and too out there to be grounded in realism.
November 20, 2013
Not at all what I expected based on the synapsis...
April 18, 2022
James Sallis does things few other writers can do - he can write the ordinary and make it unusual as he does routinely in his Lew Griffin novels. Or he can write the unusual as if its his own story. This is among the strangest books I've ever read. Of course, there have been other books written about children who were kidnapped and held captive for years (e.g. Room), but they are inevitably about the captivity and escape. Others of My Kind covers that in the first few pages and the remainder of the book explores what that experience means for every subsequent minute. A major decision every writer has to make when writing a story is what parts of the stry to tell - Sallis always tells the parts that most other writers would ignore. And by doing that, Other Of My Kind is a book unlike any you will ever read.
April 25, 2024
wow wow wow wow wow
First of all! This is a book not suitable for everyone. It follows an increasingly dark story. If abduction, kidnapping, or sexual assault well with you don’t read this, please.
As a fan of Law and Order SVU - this was right up my alley AND only 116 pages.
I picked this book up on a whim at the local library and it’s my first James Sallis book! Looking into his bibliography IT IS STACKED. Exciting stuff.
What I find remarkable about this story is the author’s ability to take a (fictional) survivor’s story and turn the character into a beacon of survival for other characters. The book intertwined a level of political drama that wraps in so elegantly.
Was a much needed break from Fantasy! Maybe something lighter for my next read!
First of all! This is a book not suitable for everyone. It follows an increasingly dark story. If abduction, kidnapping, or sexual assault well with you don’t read this, please.
As a fan of Law and Order SVU - this was right up my alley AND only 116 pages.
I picked this book up on a whim at the local library and it’s my first James Sallis book! Looking into his bibliography IT IS STACKED. Exciting stuff.
What I find remarkable about this story is the author’s ability to take a (fictional) survivor’s story and turn the character into a beacon of survival for other characters. The book intertwined a level of political drama that wraps in so elegantly.
Was a much needed break from Fantasy! Maybe something lighter for my next read!
September 27, 2017
I wish I could give this a 3.5. My main complaint is that there was no real engine for the story. By that I mean, I was never really sure what ending the book was working toward. But as usual, Sallis' writing is phenomenal, and he crams so much character development and story into so few pages. I think this book would be a great read for survivors of sexual or physical abuse because the protagonist is so independent and at peace with the world. But don't read this expecting any kind of revenge tale.
July 30, 2017
I don't even feel like doing a review for this.
I didn't have expectations going into this because I didn't know what it was about. It wasn't a bad story, neccessarily. It was nice that there wasn't a perfectly wrapped up ending. It was nice the whole thing felt a little scattered. It felt realistic.
However, it honestly just wasn't very interesting to me and I didn't enjoy reading it. So, 2 stars.
I didn't have expectations going into this because I didn't know what it was about. It wasn't a bad story, neccessarily. It was nice that there wasn't a perfectly wrapped up ending. It was nice the whole thing felt a little scattered. It felt realistic.
However, it honestly just wasn't very interesting to me and I didn't enjoy reading it. So, 2 stars.
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