Elsewhere is an eerie, dark, unique work of speculative fiction about a small village, high in the mountains, isolated from the rest of the world. The villagers call the world outside their village "Elsewhere". Most of the women in this community marry and become mothers. Motherhood is highly valued, but mothers are judged heavily. The community has an "affliction", in that some of the young mothers mysteriously vanish in the night, disappearing into the clouds.
The story is told from the first-person perspective of Vera, whose own mother disappeared when she was a young child. Vera has grown up in this community, accepting its norms, going on to marry and become a mother herself.
This haunting book made me profoundly sad. It shocked and stunned me. This lyrical and beautifully written story feels like a fairy-tale and is a powerful thought-provoking allegory of motherhood. Schaitkin's debut, Saint X, was excellent, but Elsewhere is fantastic and catapults her into the stratosphere as a writer. Thank you to BookishFirst and Celadon Books for a copy to review. @CeladonBooks #CeladonReads #ElsewhereBook #partner #BookishFirst
The story is told from the first-person perspective of Vera, whose own mother disappeared when she was a young child. Vera has grown up in this community, accepting its norms, going on to marry and become a mother herself.
This haunting book made me profoundly sad. It shocked and stunned me. This lyrical and beautifully written story feels like a fairy-tale and is a powerful thought-provoking allegory of motherhood. Schaitkin's debut, Saint X, was excellent, but Elsewhere is fantastic and catapults her into the stratosphere as a writer. Thank you to BookishFirst and Celadon Books for a copy to review. @CeladonBooks #CeladonReads #ElsewhereBook #partner #BookishFirst