A mind-bending, razor-sharp look at motherhood and mental health that follows a young Indigenous woman who discovers the picture-perfect life she always hoped for may have horrifying consequences
On the surface, Alice is exactly where she thinks she should She’s just given birth to a beautiful baby girl, Dawn; her charming husband, Steve—a white academic whose area of study is conveniently her own Mohawk culture—is nothing but supportive; and they’ve moved into a new home in a posh Toronto neighborhood. But Alice could not feel like more of an impostor. She isn’t connecting with her daughter, a struggle made even more difficult by the recent loss of her own mother, and every waking moment is spent hiding her despair from Steve and their ever-watchful neighbors, among whom she’s the sole Indigenous resident. Even when she does have a minute to herself, her perpetual self-doubt hinders the one vestige of her old life: She has her goal of writing a modern retelling of the Haudenosaunee creation story.
Then strange things start to happen. She finds herself losing bits of time and hearing voices she can’t explain, all while her neighbors’ passive-aggressive behavior begins to morph into something far more threatening. Though Steve assures her this is all in her head, Alice cannot fight the feeling that something is very, very wrong and that in her creation story lies the key to her and Dawn’s survival. She just has to finish it before it’s too late.
AND THEN SHE FELL
Alicia Elliott
How long do I have to wait for another book by Elliott? It’s the only question I had after reading AND THEN SHE FELL.
In AND THEN SHE FELL we meet up with Alice. Alice is a young mother struggling with her identity as a new mom, as a wife, and as an author. She’s grieving the loss of her mother, whom she feels left a vacuous hole nothing and no one else can fill. At times she wishes she could just have a break until that’s exactly what happens.
When the writing is good, and the sentence is on pace I can get in a vibe that feels like all is right with the world. I had that experience reading AND THEN SHE FELL. One word encouraged the following, every sentence lured me to the next, each paragraph building into chapters that I couldn’t devour fast enough.
I came here to discuss mental health and motherhood and suddenly, we were having an unexpected conversation about things often left unsaid. We were talking about who is represented in the stories we tell, who is missing and why.
I didn’t expect this from a horror book. And now I want nothing less.
I’m so glad to have read AND THEN SHE FELL and recommend you pick it up the next time you decide to pick up a book. It was such a great seasonal choice. I can’t wait to read what Elliott writes next.
Thank you to Netgalley, and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton for the advanced copy! It was a pleasure to read and provide feedback.
AND THEN SHE FELL…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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