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Men's Friendship Endures Despite Their Differences

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By THEODORA LEAVENS SCHMID

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 27, 2008

"The Other," by David Guterson (Alfred Knopf, $24.95)

The novel begins in 1972, when two 16-year-old boys meet. They develop a friendship that transcends most ordinary connections and endures until death and beyond.

John William Barry, who attends an elite prep school in Seattle, becomes acquainted with middle-class Neil Countryman at a track meet. Their backgrounds could not be more different. Barry is the privileged only child of wealthy parents. Countryman is the son of a carpenter and attends a working-class public school.

Their friendship is forged during extreme wilderness survival challenges. As they smoke lots of pot around the campfire, their differing world views emerge. Barry cannot tolerate hypocrisy and compromise. He drops out of college and lives in the woods, eventually barely surviving in a cave.

Countryman graduates from college, marries, has children and becomes a high school teacher. He is loyal to Barry in ways that would puzzle most. He made a commitment to friendship and carries it out over the years.

Countryman has learned to live with compromise and enjoys a rich, full life. Barry cannot abandon the ideals of his youth and becomes more radical as the years progress.

The author conveys a deep admiration for nature and the enduring bonds of friendship and fidelity. Countryman's commitment to his friend is rewarding to both on many levels. As Countryman matures into a decent and thoughtful middle-aged man, his memories of the friendship reveal the mystery of life and the surprising ways that loyalty can be rewarded.

Theodora Leavens Schmid is a counselor at Monroe Middle School.

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