Read a mystical novel about what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a woman
Elsewhere — Alexis Schaitkin
What to Read This Week
Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin
Content warnings listed in the footnote of this newsletter.1
What It’s About
Some of you may remember December’s poll on what I should read, and while this book didn’t win, I did promise to read it. It was incredible and is a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time, and I can’t wait to convince everyone to pick it up immediately.
Vera has lived in her small remote village her whole life—everyone she knows has. There’s never anyone new, and they like it that way. Their tradition is everything to them, and they know that never veering from it keeps them safe. But not everyone is safe: some mothers simply disappear without a trace, right into thin air.
There’s no way to know who is afflicted, so girls grow up taking notice of their own mothers and their peers whose mothers have disappeared. As Vera ages and her companions begin becoming mothers, they whisper about who shows too much affection; who shows too little. Which mothers have too many children, and which mothers have too few.
Yet, no matter how much the women prepare to vanish at any moment, their traditions carry on, and the cycle doesn’t stop. But Vera wonders if maybe, just maybe, it could.
Why You Should Read It
You may think that because the description starts off with “a small, isolated town” and “mothers,” that we’re going to be comparing this to The Handmaid’s Tale, but it is definitely not that—I mention this because many people, especially women, are exhausted from real-world fights and don’t have the energy to read about worlds that prey upon them.
Elsewhere revolves around women, and they’re almost revered in a way, respected for carrying the knowledge that at any moment, they may simply vanish, yet they still have children and are the backbone of the village anyway. Yet even with Schaitkin’s ethereal worldbuilding and storytelling, there is an undertone of something haunting, something off-balance, and it’s the perfect blend of magic and intrigue. And its discussion of who mothers are—if they can be wholly separate people from their families and their children, how to navigate their own lives while caring for the lives of others—is what makes this book a standout.
I am not a parent, nor do I plan on becoming one any time soon, but I do think this could be emotional, cathartic, and interesting reading for those who are—especially because the quiet parts are never said out loud. That parenting is hard, and some days you may not want to do it.
For another recommendation of a story about women running families, check out Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile, which I reviewed here.
Next Up
I’m currently reading The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams for an exciting secret project—you’ll have to stay tuned to find out what it is!
I’ve also finished my first big purge of books, and I have a ton of them listed for very cheap on my Pango shop—you know you want some good discounted books!
I’m in a great reading kick at the moment, and I’m flying through books left and right, which is super fun, but I’m always so nervous when it happens that one book will knock me out of orbit and right into a book slump. Here’s to hoping that doesn’t happen!
More Books
Can’t get enough, or looking for a different recommendation? Browse the archives, or check out some popular past recommendations:
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Content warnings include sexual assault, blood, discussion of miscarriage (briefly), death.
I absolutely loved this book! Hope more people read it and talk about it!
Wow, I really want to read Elsewhere. I am a mama and feeling really burnt out, haha, so maybe I need a book that sees me. Thanks for the rec.