{“The Otherwise Girl”}[27th April 1978]

[Redbook2:114-115][19780427:1655a]{“The Otherwise Girl”}[27th April 1978]

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[continued]

I suppose it is worth recording one of many such co-incidences, or series of co-incidences. It is usual for me to visit the SF shelves in [WH] Smith's [Bookshop], although I rarely buy anything from them now (– unfortunately). I suppose it is likely that the section which might loosely be labelled as 'occult' should adjoin the SF section, and perhaps not surprising that my eyes should be drawn to the arresting cover of 'The Otherwise Girl'. I read the blurb, and the end (!), and wanted to confirm my guess as to what had happened to the girl, so tried so-called 'random selection' and got it at second go.... It is, of course, identical fundamentally to a story I planned some years ago, of a girl who is drowned in a river but 'comes back', eventually fading away. I am going to read it right through now, despite exams; but so far my verdict is that I would not then and could not now have handled it nearly so well.

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Finished it, with one or two interruptions. I think, a much cleverer book than it appears from outside.

*

But: a viaduct with one-hundred-yard arches! Now that is really some viaduct.

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