The Otherlife

Julia Gray

I always get away with it when I try stuff like this. Partly it comes down to sort of assuming that I'm going to. I've got loads of confidence. And Loki got away with everything. Well, almost everything.
When troubled, quiet Ben begins at the ruthlessly competitive Cottesmore House, school to the richest, most privileged boys, he is befriended by Hobie: the wealthy class bully, product of monstrous indulgence and intense parental ambition.
Hobie is drawn to Ben because he can see the Otherlife: a violent, mythic place where gods and monsters roam. Ben has unnerving visions of Thor and Odin, and of the giant beasts that will destroy them, as well as Loki, god of mischief. Hobie is desperate to be a part of it.
Years later, Ben discovers someone very dear to him is dead. And he can’t help wondering if Hobie – wild, restless, dangerous Hobie, had something to do with it…
Beguiling, shocking and richly imaginative, The Otherlife is about the darkest impulses within us all.

Reviews

"Gripping, bold and completely original"
Katherine Rundell

"A big, mysterious book full of dangerous characters and half glimpsed truths. An absorbing and unusual read. I loved it"
Melvin Burgess

"A bold, original and engrossing collision between the Norse gods and our high-pressured school system. I love books about gods in modern times and this one had me gripped. An auspicious debut."
Francesca Simon

"Stunning... a searing satire on the pressures that privileged children are put under by pushy parents."
Amanda Craig - New Statesman

"Grand and gripping"
Literary Review

"An intelligent and insightful read, this YA novel manages to merge Norse myth, competitive parenting, bullying, class issues and exam pressures into a taut and chilling thriller. Perfect for fans of Sarah Govett and Neil Gaiman."
Anna McKerrow - BookTrust

"A dark, gripping and unusual debut"
Fiona Noble - The Bookseller

"Persistently unsettling and unusual"
David Owen, author of Panther

"A striking and sophisticated book about myth, privilege, pushy parents and heavy metal music. Truly marvellous."
Inis, Children's Books Ireland

"Super intriguing and instantly involving... It feels utterly frank in its tone"
Katie Clapham, bookseller at Storytellers Inc.