Genre Fiction
![Alexis Schaitkin - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_alexis_schaitkin.jpg)
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 own 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.
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 own 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.
Editorial Reviews
"Schaitkin's writing is transcendent. Elsewhere takes the visceral experience of motherhood―all its private joys, invisible fears, personal losses, and vague sensations of being judged―and turns it inside out, weaving each element into a dark fairy tale that is wise, gorgeous, and deeply moving."
―Ali Benjamin, author of The Smash-Up
"Elsewhere is among my favorite novels of the last decade. There's an eerie, gorgeous magic to Schaitkin's vision that's related to the magic of Kazuo Ishiguro and Shirley Jackson but also entirely her own. I hadn't realized how much it would mean to me to witness an intelligence this fierce and singular, a capacity for feeling this deep, and a gift for language this extraordinary all trained on the subject of motherhood in all its wonder and strangeness."
―Clare Beams, author of The Illness Lesson
"Elaborately imagined, ethereally detailed...In a complete departure from her debut, Saint X (2020), Schaitkin's sophomore novel is a fabulist narrative with Shirley Jackson overtones and Margaret Atwood themes."
―Kirkus
"Schaitkin (Saint X) returns with...great substance by digging into the complicated feelings brought on by motherhood and the judgments from others, all the while delineating the mothers' utter joy, frustrations, and love for their children. This is a standout."
―Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review
"Schaitkin (Saint X, 2020) has written a compelling, poetic, and chilling novel that examines fate and fear."
―Booklist, STARRED Review
"A simply stunning work of speculative fiction. The prose is as magical as the haunting world Schaitkin creates; the story is as captivating as the prose; the characters, the imagery―flawless. The novel has social commentary and thematic strength to boot.... This novel is, at its core, a commentary and psychological exploration of motherhood, as readers follow Vera through parenting's tender highs and most gut-wrenching, self-doubting lows. Schaitkin's sophomore novel channels earl...
―Ali Benjamin, author of The Smash-Up
"Elsewhere is among my favorite novels of the last decade. There's an eerie, gorgeous magic to Schaitkin's vision that's related to the magic of Kazuo Ishiguro and Shirley Jackson but also entirely her own. I hadn't realized how much it would mean to me to witness an intelligence this fierce and singular, a capacity for feeling this deep, and a gift for language this extraordinary all trained on the subject of motherhood in all its wonder and strangeness."
―Clare Beams, author of The Illness Lesson
"Elaborately imagined, ethereally detailed...In a complete departure from her debut, Saint X (2020), Schaitkin's sophomore novel is a fabulist narrative with Shirley Jackson overtones and Margaret Atwood themes."
―Kirkus
"Schaitkin (Saint X) returns with...great substance by digging into the complicated feelings brought on by motherhood and the judgments from others, all the while delineating the mothers' utter joy, frustrations, and love for their children. This is a standout."
―Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review
"Schaitkin (Saint X, 2020) has written a compelling, poetic, and chilling novel that examines fate and fear."
―Booklist, STARRED Review
"A simply stunning work of speculative fiction. The prose is as magical as the haunting world Schaitkin creates; the story is as captivating as the prose; the characters, the imagery―flawless. The novel has social commentary and thematic strength to boot.... This novel is, at its core, a commentary and psychological exploration of motherhood, as readers follow Vera through parenting's tender highs and most gut-wrenching, self-doubting lows. Schaitkin's sophomore novel channels earl...
Readers Top Reviews
meiganmeigan
It’s been too long since I’ve read a good standalone dystopian novel, so ELSEWHERE came at just the right time. A fantastic tale of a remote and isolated town where women either marry and bear children, or they float off into the clouds. Told in a very unique manner, this book provided such an interesting and reflective look at not just motherhood, but also girlhood and young womanhood. This book dives deep into the pressures that mothers face with constantly being judged. Whether or not a mother does something exactly right and “by the book”, there’s always someone who will judge and critique and just tear down. Society is under the impression that women, that mothers, owe them perfection, and that’s just simply cruel. Perpetually damp and clouded, the small town had such a moody quality to it that I loved. Combine that with the writing, which felt very ethereal in parts, and this felt like a fairytale at times. Albeit a harsh and often tough one, but an important one as well. All told, this beauty is going on my favorites shelf and it’s certainly one I’ll revisit in the future. Many thanks to @celadonbooks and @netgalley for the digital arc.
RFmeiganmeigan
Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin is a fascinating fictional novel that balances that thin line of real vs magical. This is just such a unique and complex novel for a multitude od reasons. It has multiple layers, and a reader can get as much, or as little, out of it as they want. One level, or aspect, is the gray, foggy, take it for its literal interpretation storyline of mothers within this isolated and separate community that seem to “vanish” as they transition from girl to wife to mother. What is really happening? Where are they? What will happen? The second, more fundamental layer discusses the role of motherhood in general. Yes, we are still here after we women become mothers…but where does our old self go? What do we lose when we go from childless to with child? Who do we become? What do we gain, and do we have any control over these parts of our selves and our lives that are affected by this monumental transition? It is deep, it is raw, it is real, but yet almost has a haunting and ethereal feeling to it. I can’t say anymore as I do not want to spoil this journey for others, but it is fantastic. I loved the author’s previous book, Saint X, and I am so glad that I was able to read this gem. 5/5 stars
