The World on Either Side

The World on Either Side is an adventure romance about a 17-year-old girl whose mother has taken her to Thailand to jolt her out of her grief following the killing of her boyfriend. Because the story is told in the first person, readers see right inside Valentine’s broken heart and feel the deep toll Amir’s death has taken on her. Toronto-based writer Diane Terrana also makes good use of this exotic setting to explore, question and discover ideas and issues about important current topics. The accountability of child soldiers, the ethics of eco-tourism, Buddhist philosophy in western society, the welfare of elephants, and the continuing impact of colonialism are all explored in this fast-paced, thrilling story.

Six months after Amir’s death, Valentine is still not going to school and can barely get out of bed. When she overdoses on sleeping pills – maybe it’s an accident, maybe not - her desperate mother makes an unusual decision: “You’re my daughter, and I’m not going to lose you. Do you hear me? I’m not losing you. I’m taking you away from here, from this bed and from the school you never go to and from all your memories. We’ll go to Thailand, I think. It’s full of orchids, elephants and Buddhists. Not to mention mountains to climb.” Prophetically, Valentine labels it Shock treatment tourism.

In Chiang Mai, Thailand, Valentine and her mother join their group and guides for a trek that will take them via elephant through the lush jungle and the villages of hill tribe peoples, close to Thailand’s border with Mynmar. But two days into the trek, their guide makes the ill-advised decision to split up the group. Deep in the jungle with no means of communication and no supplies, Valentine’s small group comes upon a slaughtered family of elephants. There is one surviving calf, and Valentine and Lin, a young, attractive Burmese man, make the next ill-advised decision: to lead the shocked and disoriented elephant youngster to safety at a monastery near the Burmese border. With armed, vicious poachers on their trail, Valentine and Lin must pick their way through the dense jungle.

The tension makes for exciting reading. Even though Valentine and Lin are in great danger, they are also very attracted to each other. And while Valentine is still mourning the loss of Amir, she feels herself falling for Lin.

Valentine is a very likeable character. She’s self-aware enough to understand how her behavior affects others, but she’s selfish enough to wallow in her grief, regardless of how it affects others. Valentine has a deep appreciation for poetry and often turns to favourite verses for comfort and clarity. This nice stylistic approach allows author Terrana to embed beautiful poetry throughout the novel while elevating Valentine’s narration to enrich our understanding of her pain. Reflecting on a poem her teacher gave her following Amir’s death, Valentine says, “I was confused at first. The poem basically crackles with despair. Falling leaves and rain. Frost, fire, death and snow. There was nothing to console me. But Mr. Singh promised that one day I would see how life-affirming it is.”

But Valentine’s tone is generally wry and often amusing. Here she tells the reader how her heart shrank to the size of a hard golf ball after Amir’s death: “And for the record, a small hard heart is as heavy as a freaking bowling ball. It’s one of those inverse rules of physics – the smaller the heart, the greater the weight.”

Valentine’s mother is also very likeable. She is an enthusiastic newcomer to Buddhism and utterly devoted to her daughter’s well-being. Her experience on the trek, along with the four other trekkers, provides important perspective on the novel’s events. The young amateur journalists from Australia are knowledgeable about the geopolitical situation in the area and keen to become involved. Their late-night discussions and debates about complex issues around refugees and the Rohingya genocide serve to educate both the reader and the other trekkers.

But the most complicated character is the mysterious young guide, Lin. His past seems filled with sadness and regret. Perhaps this is what attracts Valentine to him. Their brief romance while on the run in the jungle is the first signal that Valentine has begun to heal. In a violent confrontation, Lin saves Valentine from a sexual assault by one of the poachers and leads her out of the jungle, but his own brutal history as a child soldier imperils Valentine. In the end, it is Valentine’s mother who ensures Valentine’s safety.

The mature scenes in this novel are suitable for the intended teen audience. Most readers will be well-satisfied with the physical romance that Diane Terrana has deftly created. The poacher’s assault of Valentine, while horrible, is not explicit.

The World on Either Side is sure to be enjoyed by many kinds of readers. It is at once a thrilling adventure story, a heartbreaking romance, and an engaging current issues exploration.