The Man Outside

"The Man Outside" by Evelyn E. Smith is a science fiction story about an orphan named Martin whose life takes a surprising turn when Ninian, a woman from the future, becomes his guardian. The book looks at familial duty and how time travel can mess with life. Martin, who grew up in a tough situation, learns to adjust to life with Ninian and his future family. Martin finds out his relatives came back in time to save him from his cousin Conrad, who wants to hurt him to change things in the future. Martin starts to not like this perfect world his family comes from when he finds out they are not what they pretend to be. Martin wonders if his life matters since his descendants control him. As he thinks about what it means to live when others make your choices, he comes to understand free will and how people keep making the same mistakes over and over. In the end, Martin has to deal with tough questions about his purpose.