Etta and Otto and Russell and James
Emma Hooper, 2015
320 pp.
Book Review by Molly Lundquist
March, 2015
Funny, touching, and romantic are what come to mind when describing Emma Hooper's debut novel. Hooper has given us a story grounded in realism and a fable tinged with whimsey—and she skillfully blends the two to create a love story.
The story opens one morning when Otto finds a note from Etta on the kitchen table telling him not to worry but that she (at 83) has decided to walk across Canada to the sea. She's never seen it before, and it's something she must do. Thus begins a journey of self-discovery, three in fact: for Etta, Otto, and Russell, friend and neighbor. Oh, and there's James, Etta's traveling companion—a talking, singing coyote.
Etta's journey is overlaid with memories, and the narrative shifts back and forth, often blurring the distinctions between then and now. . . because sometimes we have to go back to find who we are. Memory forms identity, and Etta is beginning to lose both.
Etta's and Otto's memories create the back story, every bit as engaging as the present, perhaps even more so. Beginning with the Dust Bowl years, Hopper evokes life in Western Canada: the sprawling family of Otto's youth, life on the farm, and the one-room school they all attend. Then comes the grim reality of World War II and its intrusion on their pastoral life. Through it all wends the love story of Etta and Otto and Russell.
Without spoiling the story, suffice it to say that Etta's journey is at times hard but also filled with kindnesses of those she meets along the way. At home, Otto copes with her absence in a burst of creative energy, while Russell makes his own journey.
The story's end is not as satisfying as we might like, a failing perhaps on Ho0per's part. Or not. What it suggests is that all of life—dreams, memory, time, and identity—is a loop. Everything merges and collapses back in on itself, like the very names of the Otto and Etta. It's a beautiful metaphor of life.
See our Reading Guide for Etta and Otto and Russell and James.