Smothermoss
by Alisa Alering
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Pub Date Jul 16 2024 | Archive Date Jun 30 2024
Tin House | Tin House Books
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Description
When the brutal murder of two female hikers on the nearby Appalachian Trail stuns their small community, the sisters find themselves tangled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Angie discovers a ripped shirt, soaked in blood; money Sheila’s been stashing away disappears; and a strange man shows up at a local store, trying to barter with a woman’s watch. As the threat of violence looms larger, the mysterious, ancient mountain they live on—and their willingness to trust each other—might be the only things that can save them from the darkness consuming their home.
In turns both terrifying and otherworldly, author Alisa Alering opens the door to the hidden world of Smothermoss—a mountain that sighs, monsters made of ink, rabbits both dead and alive, and ropes that just won’t come undone. Unsettling, propulsive, and wonderfully atmospheric, Alering’s stunning debut novel renegotiates what is seen and unseen, what is real and what is haunted.
Advance Praise
"At the heart of this story are two sisters, the mountain on which they live, and the persistent question as to which is more perilous, the natural world or the unnatural. Beautifully written, tense and absorbing, Smothermoss is an original story from a truly gifted storyteller." - Karen Joy Fowler, author of Booth
"Smothermoss is rich, strange, and beautiful, simultaneously eerie and so very honest. An exciting first novel." - Kij Johnson, author of The Privilege of the Happy Ending: Small, Medium, and Large Stories
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781959030584 |
| PRICE | $17.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 264 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Kathryn M, Reviewer
I was hooked from the cover and description and really glad I got to read this. It uses the Appalachia element perfectly. I was invested in the characters and how they worked in this universe. I was invested in the supernatural element to this and thought it was perfect for the genre. Alisa Alering has a great writing style and I'm glad I got to read this.
Marissa H, Media/Journalist
Smothermoss totally cracked my head open in the best ways. I´m not from Appalachia and am not super familiar with its lore and folk stories, etc, but I still found myself totally wrapped up in this incredible, unique debut novel. I finished it in about 24 hours and fell asleep reading...I´m pretty sure these sisters permeated my dreams. This is a story about generations of women living together in the rural woods, about sisters who are bullied and teased for being poor and dirty, about a mother who works long shifts at the local asylum and an elder whose stories from youth might just connect with what´s happening to the town in the present. What exactly is happening? Two women from the East Coast are murdered while camping not far from where the girls live, and the town becomes consumed with the missing killer, especially the 12 year old Angie, the younger sister. The older sister, Sheila, has her own experiences with the surreal, the bizarre, and when it comes together, the story reveals itself in a smart, gripping reveal--the mountain always knew, the river always knew, the forest was always letting the people play its game. Haunting and wonderful and so special.
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