Elsewhere: A Novel
Richly emotive and darkly captivating, with elements of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and the imaginative depth of Margaret Atwood, Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin conjures a community in which girls become wives, wives become mothers and some of them, quite simply, disappear.
Vera grows up in a small town, removed and isolated, pressed up against the mountains, cloud-covered and damp year-round. This town, fiercely protective, brutal and unforgiving in its adherence to tradition, faces a singular affliction: some mothers vanish, disappearing into the clouds. It is the exquisite pain and intrinsic beauty of their lives; it sets them apart from people elsewhere and gives them meaning.
Vera, a young girl when her mother went, is on the cusp of adulthood herself. As her peers begin to marry and become mothers, they speculate about who might be the first to go, each wondering about her own fate. Reveling in their gossip, they witness each other in motherhood, waiting for signs: this one devotes herself to her child too much, this one not enough—that must surely draw the affliction’s gaze. When motherhood comes for Vera, she is faced with the question: will she be able to stay and mother her beloved child, or will she disappear?
Provocative and hypnotic, Alexis Schaitkin’s Elsewhere is at once a spellbinding revelation and a rumination on the mysterious task of motherhood and all the ways in which a woman can lose herself to it; the self-monitoring and judgment, the doubts and unknowns, and the legacy she leaves behind.
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Community Reviews
The synopsis for Elsewhere compares it to Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”, one of my favorite short stories when I was in school, and while the description is accurate, Elsewhere isn’t quite as sinister, leaving more to the reader’s imagination.
I was intrigued by this book about mothers who disappear, but in the end it only made me sad. It’s perfectly fair to say that if I’d read this book in 2019, I probably would have enjoyed it more. I used to be a fan of more literary books, books that made me ponder, books with layers of mystery and unanswered questions. And it’s hard for me to let go of the instinct I still have to pick them up. It’s challenging to rate, as well, not knowing if it’s me and my strange head-space or if it’s the book itself. This one has been getting great early reviews, so I can only assume it’s me.
It is a shorter book, easily read in one sitting, but even with that, I found myself skimming some parts. Elsewhere will be available this summer, but I read it right away, as requested by the publisher. I can’t help wondering how I would have felt about it had I waited.
If you’re a fan of speculative fiction, books that have a dream-like quality, almost a fairy tale detachment, then you might enjoy this one. The author writes beautifully, weaving a tale unlike any other I’ve come across, but unfortunately, I seem to be only gravitating toward more concrete books in this unstable time.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Celadon Books for providing me with an advance copy.
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#popsugarreadingchallenge2022 (prompt #20 - A book whose title begins witht he last letter of your previous read)
Something happened here that happened in no place else. We didn't know why it happened, or how. We didn't demand answers from it because of affliction itself had taught us that you cannot wrest answers from a mystery.
Vera has grown up inn a small, cozy town up in the mountains, far away from any city. The people there are nice and the community is strong, there's just one problem: sometimes mothers disappear. Nobody knows why or how and it's been happening for so long that they just accept it as part of their day to day life. As Vera grows older annd becomes a mother herself she must grapple with the fact that she might disappear one day.
I did not care for this book. I think it was due to my expectations of it based on its summary. It promised a mystery and "elements of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and the imaginative depth of Margaret Atwood" but I found none of that here. This book felt aimless to me and I could not get into it.
I do have a couple of positive things to say about this. The writing was beautiful and evocative, quite lyrical. I found the town and the rituals of the community to be interesting and intriguing. The very first section of this book was actually enjoyable and it drew me in, the problems started once the main character grows up and has to deal with the main plot in a way.
Now onto what I didn't like. After the second chapter this book lost all that made it interesting. The weirdness of the little town and it's customary practices was the most interesting bit and yet the author decided to abandon that in order to focus on the main character's turmoil. I liked Vera at first, but once she makes that pivotal choice she became incredibly annoying and judgy. I never understood what this book was trying to say. Was it about motherhood? Post partum depression? Was that bit at the end about immigration?
It left too many mysteries open for my taste. I like vibes, I can live on just vibes, but in this case they weren't enough. The ending was incredibly predictable to me and the repetition of patterns bored me. This was a let down.
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