This was a unique story.
The Cover of Elsewhere reminded me of the imagery from Midsomnar. Compare this with a world where mothers disappear, as I was in. The story is in sections and though, at first, it doesn't seem like it needs all the puzzle pieces, by the end everything was important. The ending only became evident in the penultimate section; even then you wish what you knew to be true wouldn't be true. Alexis Schairkin gives a dark, and wicked twist but doesn't end in the black depression. I thought that was a great change of pace for these kinds of stories.
The real problem I had with the plot is the main character is not given enough time to mourn her mother and her role in that death. It was as if it was just a checklist of things going on in their life. Nor is the disappearance ever explained not even with a rumor or folklore tale.
I subtracted one star for the wordiness in the writing style.
The Cover of Elsewhere reminded me of the imagery from Midsomnar. Compare this with a world where mothers disappear, as I was in. The story is in sections and though, at first, it doesn't seem like it needs all the puzzle pieces, by the end everything was important. The ending only became evident in the penultimate section; even then you wish what you knew to be true wouldn't be true. Alexis Schairkin gives a dark, and wicked twist but doesn't end in the black depression. I thought that was a great change of pace for these kinds of stories.
The real problem I had with the plot is the main character is not given enough time to mourn her mother and her role in that death. It was as if it was just a checklist of things going on in their life. Nor is the disappearance ever explained not even with a rumor or folklore tale.
I subtracted one star for the wordiness in the writing style.