Other Echoes

by Adèle Geras

Eighteen-year-old Flora is recovering from “nervous exhaustion” in the sanatorium at her boarding school. She is supposed to rest. But the rest brings back her childhood memories of living in Borneo, where she encountered people and events shaped by the tragedies of the Second World War, when the island was occupied by Japanese soldiers and their concentration camps.

Award-winning author Adèle Geras weaves the captivating story of a young woman who, by coming to terms with her memories of the past, is able to move on to a new phase of her life.

Genres: Young Adult

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Adèle Geras FRSL (born 15 March 1944) is an English writer for young children, teens and adults. Her husband was the Marxist academic Norman Geras and their daughter Sophie Hannah is also a novelist and poet.

Geras was born in Jerusalem, British Mandatory Palestine. Her father was in the Colonial Service and she had a varied childhood, living in countries such as Nigeria, Cyprus, Tanzania, Gambia and British North Borneo in a short span of time. She attended Roedean School in Brighton and then graduated from St Hilda's College, Oxford with a degree in Modern Languages. She was known for her stage and vocal talents, but decided instead to become a full-time writer.

Geras's first book was Tea at Mrs Manderby's, which was published in 1976. Her first full-length novel was The Girls in the Velvet Frame. She has written more than 95 books for children, young adults, and adults. Her best-known books are Troy (shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize and Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal) Ithaka, Happy Ever After (previously published as the Egerton Hall Trilogy), Silent Snow, Secret Snow, and A Thousand Yards of Sea.

Her novels for adults include: Facing the Light, Hester's Story, Made in Heaven, and A Hidden Life.

Geras won two prizes in the United States, one the Sydney Taylor Book Award for the My Grandmother's Stories and the National Jewish Book Award for Golden Windows. She has also won prizes for her poetry and was a joint winner of the Smith Doorstop Poetry Pamphlet Award, offered by the publisher of that name.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Sara J. (kefuwa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review pending.

Read for the "book set in my home town" bit of the Popsugar challenge. Was pleasantly surprised to find that there was one!

[Shahjy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember trying to read this when I was younger and getting bored because there was too much description at the start, but this time I absolutely loved it. The descriptions were absolutely beautiful (in terms of writing and what they looked like) and made me want to whisk off to some tropical island immediately. Although it's a children's book, there are some deeper and sadder themes that give it an edge and really leave a lasting mark, but most of all, I adored the characterisation.
I don't think I've related to any literary figure as much I related to little Flora Baxter (the protagonist), and although it was a little disheartening to realise that I felt exactly this 9 year old girl despite being almost double her age, the stark honesty of a child's voice talking about her feelings was very refreshing. While someone older may hide away what they think and pretend things are different, in the book Flora says exactly how she feels even though she is partly embarrassed by it, so it was reassuring to see those feelings put into words. Ultimately, this book has a special place in my heart because I can relate wholeheartedly to Flora, but it is well-written, interesting and meaningful despite that so I would definitely recommend it to absolutely anybody.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was...fine. I didn't feel like Flora narrating at 18 brought much of anything to the story, and perhaps was a detail better omitted. I didn't know anything about the Japanese occupation of Borneo when I started, so that was an interesting detail to learn about (though you don't learn much in this book). It feels rushed and too short, like the editor told Geras she had a page limit, but also I'm not sure it would have gained anything if it had been longer.

[sc0parium · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember having been fond of this book as a child (with good reason), owing perhaps to the social dynamics present within it, which were put simply enough for my pre-teen brain to understand and be made uncomfortable by. Even to this day, I smell wooden boxes to see if they smell the way Flora described them.

[Conan Tigard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Other Echoes is an interesting story that flips back on fourth between two different times; when Flora is eighteen and in the sanatorium and when she is eleven and living in Borneo. Every chapter starts off in Borneo and ends bask in the sanatorium. This was somewhat confusing until I figured out that the picture on the page was the separator of time and all of the story that followed it takes place in the sanatorium.

Flora is not a strong girl, either physically or in self-confidence. Sure, she finally gains some confidence and makes it up to the "haunted" house, but she does it for the wrong reasons. The story moves along at a good clip and gives the reader a glimpse into another land with different customs. It shows a land that is simpler than what kids today think life should be like.

Young readers will especially enjoy this story if they like to read about someone trying to overcome hardships to be accepted by other kids. Anytime someone moves to a new city, or in this case, a new land, it is hard to start over and find new friends. But there is always someone there, like Vinnie.

Overall, Other Echoes is a good story that girls will enjoy, probably more than boys.

I rated this book a 7 out of 10.

[Tanja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminded me so much of my first visits to West Africa even though this is set in a different part of the world - Borneo.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was more of a two star than three -- some parts were good. I believe this book is for young adults - I wouldn't recommend it.