The Other Side of the Island

by Allegra Goodman

Born in the eighth year of Enclosure, ten-year-old Honor lives in a highly regulated colony with her defiant parents, but when they have an illegal second child and are taken away, it is up to Honor and her friend Helix, another "Unpredictable," to uncover a terrible secret about their Island and the Corporation that runs everything.

• ISBN10: 1595141952
• ISBN13: 9781595141958
• Publish Date: 4 September 2008
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 23 September 2014
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Razorbill
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 280
• Language: English

Reviews

[violetpeanut]

In general I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to fans of dystopia and good story telling. I was particularly impressed with the societal world building. The book is set sometime in our future after climate change which causes the oceans to rise and then extreme weather, famine and war. Survivors are brought together by a woman who is come to be known as "Earth Mother" and she rules the new world with 7 other people called "The Corporation." Over time Earth Mother is pretty much worshiped as a god. There are details within the story telling that gave me chills because I could see things being twisted this way in the future (the corporate creed, for example which is really just a twisted version of The Lord's Prayer and then the nursery rhymes...).

The reason I did not give this book a higher rating is because I believe - as many other reviewers seem to - that the characters were a bit weak. Honor is developed to a certain degree but none of the other characters really were - including her parents, her best friend and her brother.

From the author's notes at the end of the book it seems that she is happy where it ends. I liked the ending but there is definitely room for a continuation in the future. I would read a sequel if there were one.

Overall a very enjoyable read.