topic 4: Others See Us by William Sleator

Sleator, William. 1993. Others See Us. New York: Dutton Children’s Book. ISBN: 0525451048.

In William Sleator’s novel, OTHERS SEE US, Jared is anxiously waiting for the day when we will get to see his beautiful cousin, Annelise again. After a fall into a polluted swamp nearby, however, Jared begins to notice strange voices and thoughts inside his head. At first he thinks he might be going crazy, but then he realizes that he is actually hearing what the people around him are thinking. When the journal where Jared recorded his deepest feelings disappears from its secret hiding place, he realizes that someone else can read thoughts as well. Jared begins to “learns that Annelise is not the innocent, sweet girl her relatives believe her to be, but an evil, plotting young woman.” (Knoth, 75.) He also discovers that everyone has secrets that they do not want exposed and pressures that they must contend with when they return to their lives are the family reunion. Jared must figure out which of his family members he can trust, when it becomes obvious that Annelise is up to something.

Sleator uses the ability of telepathy to cut through a character’s appearance to the core that person’s nature. “I was aware now of her cunning, clicking away underneath her outward panic like a movie projector displaying a horror film,” thinks Jared as Annelise searches for her own missing journal.(Sleator, 44.) The knowledge of her true nature led Jared to another cousin, Lindie, who had a secret that if exposed could harm her reputation and future. Knowing that Annelise would not hesitate to use this secret against her, Jared and Lindie must figure out how to stop her. With their grandmother, Jared and Lindie try to protect their family and the people in the town from Annelise. They also realize that there are things that their grandmother will not tell them and probably can not explain to them anyway.

The quick pace and easy readability of OTHERS SEE US make the book a fun read for younger teens. It touches on the relationships between family members and how they change and develop over time. It also handles very deftly the idea of poetic justice. Some of the characters actions seem to be a little over the top, like Grandma’s theft and extortion of her neighbors, but Sleator ties them to the end to make that poetic justice. “Sleator ties up his story but leaves unanswered, unsettling questions about the nature of seductive power.” (Knoth, 75.) One of my favorite images from the novel, is an interesting twist on the old cliché, “what webs we weave ….” “The old knitting machines, shiny again, clashed in intricate patterns below us, producing yards and yards of delicate silvery weblike fabric.”(Sleator, 153.) The patterns are explained toward the end of the book that explains why the actions seem so inexplicable and yet tie so neatly at the end.

Reference List:

Knoth, Maeve Visser. 1994. Booklist: For Older Readers. Horn Book Magazine. Vol. 70, Issue 1 (Jan/Feb): .

Sleator, William. 1993. Others See Us. New York: Dutton Children’s Book.