I found a paperback of the 1971's psychological horror novel "The Other" by Thomas Tryon 12 or 13 years ago at a Salvation Army Thrift Store for 10 cents. I was more than thrilled at the time as I had seen parts of the 1972 film adaptation several times on AMC late at night in the early 2000s. To this day, I have never seen all of the movie, which, to me, seemed to be edited so badly that the story was extremely confusing. Thus, I wanted to read the book, and like many other titles I own, I never took out the time to actually read it.
Well, that's until I read the entire novel yesterday afternoon.
Set in 1935, the film centers around identical 13-year-old twins Holland and Niles Perry. Their father had died in an accident in the apple cellar on their family's farm earlier in the spring, which sent their mother into a deep depression. Their Uncle George and his wife, Winnie, are now taking care of the farm. Additionally, their pregnant older sister, Torrie, lives nearby with her husband, Rider, as well as their grandmother.
Despite the recent tragedies, Holland and Niles have seemed to move on with their lives by playing on the farm. However, the apple cellar has been locked up and it's off limits for everyone. Holland doesn't like to obey by the rules and removes the lock so they can play in there. As the summer rolls on, many accidents and deaths occur around the farm and all the evidence points towards Niles, who had somehow gotten ahold of the Perry family ring, which was supposed to have been buried.
Remember, this is a horror novel and things, including the dead, never stay buried!
Final Thoughts
Wow! Where should I begin?
The Other is a extremely twisted novel that gets inside your head, rattles around a bit, and doesn't want to leave right away. Does that make any sense to anyone? I guess you need to read the novel yourself to understand what I'm talking about.
It's not written like a typical horror story, instead, it's a well-written Gothic family drama about a psychopath 13-year-old. The 1930s descriptions are wonderfully done, the suspense scenes will give you goose bumps, and the dialogue can be haunting at times.
Overall, I enjoyed reading The Other. It's a nearly forgotten scary gem that needs to find a new life with horror fans. The book was reprinted in 2012 and I believe it's still available to purchase on Amazon. I recommend checking the book out if you can find a copy.
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