A World Elsewhere

By Wayne Johnston

Beloved author Wayne Johnston returns to the territory of his #1 national bestseller The Colony of Unrequited Dreams with this sweeping tale of ambition, remorse and hope.

A World Elsewhere has all the hallmarks of Wayne Johnston's most beloved and acclaimed novels: outsiders yearning for acceptance, dreams that threaten to overpower their makers, and unlikely romance. It is an astounding work of literature that questions the loyalties of friends, family and the heart. At the centre of this story is a mystery: the suspected murder of a child. This sweeping tale immerses us in St. John's, Princeton and North Carolina at the close of the nineteenth century. Landish Druken is a formidable figure: broader than most doorways, quick-witted and sharp-tongued. As a student at Princeton, he is befriended by George Vanderluyden, son of one of the wealthiest men in America. Years later, when Landish and his adopted son turn to Vanderluyden for help, he invites them to his self-constructed castle and pulls them into his web of lies and deceit.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Aug 9, 2011
• ISBN: 9780307399922

Reviews for A World Elsewhere

[sashakristyana · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was witty and it treated the business of life in the book with humour. Although it is not the best writing I have read, it was a good read, and the story was heartwarming. It took place in Newfoundland and North Carolina in the late 1890's .

[tvordj · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A book by a Canadian Author, this was on the list for one of the book prizes, Giller i think. It's about two men, Landish and Padget (Van) Vanderluyden who meet at Princeton just at the end of the 19th century. Landish comes from Newfoundland and Van is rich, based on one of the Vanderbilts. Van and Landish are close but Van seems to use that friendship. Van is spoiled and selfish and Landish is a bit of a hanger on and a bit over fond of the drink but otherwise not a bad fellow. Van's actions cause Landish to be expelled and he goes back to St. John's but since he will not follow in his father's footsteps and become a fishermen on the seal boats, he is disowned. His father is responsible for the death of some of his crew and one of them has a little boy. Landish feels somewhat responsible and when the boy's mother dies, he takes the child in though he is barely able to feed himself let alone take care of a child.They are very poor but manage to get on. Soon, however, he's desperate enough to write to Van for help. He is refused at first and then is sent tickets on a ship and train to come to the huge estate Van has built in North Carolina, called Vanderland, based on the Biltmore estate the Vanderbilts built. He is beholden to Van and is one of a band of tutors that live there to teach Van's little girl. The little boy, Deacon, takes classes with her.The book has a lot of father-son themes running through it, not just about Deacon and Landish but the relationships the two men had with their fathers also plays an important part in their lives. The book is well written though there's not a huge amount of plot. Lots of play with words and expressions and the characters are drawn quite well.

[librarycin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Landish Druken is from Newfoundland and, while attending Princeton, meets George Vanderluyden. They have a falling out, but years later, Vanderluyden has since built a mansion, is married, and has a daughter. He takes in Landish and the boy Landish has taken in, Deacon. I have to admit to being quite distracted as I read the first 2/3 of the book, so I know I missed some things. For the first 1/3 of the book, I kept reading Landish’s last name as “Drunken”. Oops! It got better (though still wasn’t terribly exciting) for the last 1/3 of the book, when I was able to better focus on it. There were a few twists at the end. I actually smiled at the dedication and the acknowledgments: I knew his parents and it was dedicated “in loving memory” of them. I was a good friend of his youngest sister so have met some of her siblings, as well (all mentioned in the acknowledgments), though I’ve never met Wayne. Of course, that’s just a personal reaction to those parts of the book that really don’t have to do with the book itself!