3.5

Vera, our narrator, lives in a seemingly idyllic mountain town in which at any point mothers can disappear, never to be seen or talked about again. This, and many other quirks are accepted the way of life. When a stranger comes to town, her presence impacts the rest of Vera's life.

The writing in this book was very well done. I really enjoyed Vera’s POV and how she looked at the world, especially one that is so foreign to me. The author did a great job of describing these bizarre events as everyday occurrences through Vera’s eyes. First person POV is not always my favorite but it was perfect for this story. Additionally, Schaitkin did a very good job building suspense, particularly at the end of part 2.

Elsewhere explores themes of motherhood in a very interesting way, the pressure of being the perfect mother and the idea that if anything happens to your kid is your fault and you will quite literally cease to exist for it. The discussions of losing yourself to motherhood were interesting, if very on the nose.

My main problem with the book was pacing. Time passed very inconsistently with each part covering a vastly different period of time. The slower pace of part 1 worked the best for me and if each part focused on one period of time without skips within parts, I would have favored that.

Overall a very solid read with strong writing, an ambiguous ending, and unexplained mysteries (which doesn't always work for me but did here).

TW for a graphic sexual assault scene mid-way through the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the idea of this book - a society removed from the rest of the world where some mothers would just disappear. It was well written and an interesting commentary on how women often do disappear when they become mothers and become totally absorbed in their children. However, it left me with too many questions - where were they and when exactly is this taking place, why didn't more people leave instead of just accepting their fate, did the women really even disappear or did they all actually leave. It would make a good book club selection since it is not too long and will provoke a lot of discussion.

Elsewhere is an eerie, dark, unique work of speculative fiction about a small village, high in the mountains, isolated from the rest of the world. The villagers call the world outside their village "Elsewhere". Most of the women in this community marry and become mothers. Motherhood is highly valued, but mothers are judged heavily. The community has an "affliction", in that some of the young mothers mysteriously vanish in the night, disappearing into the clouds.
The story is told from the first-person perspective of Vera, whose own mother disappeared when she was a young child. Vera has grown up in this community, accepting its norms, going on to marry and become a mother herself.
This haunting book made me profoundly sad. It shocked and stunned me. This lyrical and beautifully written story feels like a fairy-tale and is a powerful thought-provoking allegory of motherhood. Schaitkin's debut, Saint X, was excellent, but Elsewhere is fantastic and catapults her into the stratosphere as a writer. Thank you to BookishFirst and Celadon Books for a copy to review. @CeladonBooks #CeladonReads #ElsewhereBook #partner #BookishFirst

Thank you to Celadon Publishing for a netgalley!

I am going to keep this concise, as I feel too much would spoil the story.

Vera lives in a town where mothers randomly disappear. No one knows why and after the mother disappears, others go in an clear all of her items out and burn any picture with her in it. This town has a supplier and that is the only outside person they know. Til Ruth comes.

I found Vera to be a very subdued narrator, but her way of telling her own story was well done. The descriptions dragged at times, but the overall plot did not. I really wasn’t digging this book and then it came out of no where. The ending was really well done!

I was really interested in the premise of this book, but overall it fell kind of flat for me. Like the idea of mothers disappearing and the main character thinking she was going to suffer the same fate was really cool. I'm certain there is some sort of metaphor here about women and the sacrifices they make as mothers. However, there wasn't enough for me to really keep my interest. I am happy that I finished it though because it is well written. I just didn't connect.

Thank you to Celadon for the gifted copy of Elsewhere! All opinions in this review are my own.

Vera grows up in an isolated town in the mountains where mothers face a strange affliction. Some mothers vanish into the clouds at night. No one knows who will vanish and they take nothing with them, but the people left behind must destroy every trace of the ones who left. As Vera grows up, she begins to worry she may be the next to vanish.

I absolutely loved Elsewhere! I read it in one day (it helped that I had a train ride to read on) and I was so engrossed in it! I want to keep this review spoiler free so I will just say there are so many moments that stayed with me from this book long after I read it. I already cannot wait to reread it!

I did not enjoy this book. I really felt as tho I was in a fever dream reading. I know there are people out there who will love this book and I am very happy for them. I think the writing was beautiful but it was just not for me.

Elsewhere is an unusual story set in a fictional mountaintop town which suffers from an "affliction" in which the mothers of the town disappear into thin air. The townspeople have come to accept this eventual fate for its mothers, and have built up a set of commonly accepted norms and rituals around it. The novel is told from the perspective of Vera, as she grows up in the town, becomes a wife and mother herself, and witnesses the disappearance of mothers, including her own.

Through Vera's story and observations on the town and its inhabitants, the author comments on the complex nature of relationships between mothers and daughters; of the fulfilling yet exhausting and thankless nature of motherhood and the desire of a mother to be remembered and cherished after she is gone. The novel also makes subtle commentary on the meaning of home, what it is to be considered an outsider or stranger, and how we perceive home once we have left it and experienced other places and people. Can we experience it in the same way, once we have known other places, experiences and people?

The more I ponder this novel, in light of my own life, motherhood, travel and experiences, the more I find in it. Thank you NetGalley and Celadon for this thought-provoking read.

Vera lives in a small, isolated town. She was raised by her father after her mother mysteriously disappeared during the night. An affliction that happens to mothers in this town and no one knows why. As Vera grows up, and the pressure to marry and have children increases, she wonders if the same thing that happened to her mother will happen to her. 

This story is ultimately a tale of a dystopian society but at first I thought this was a book about a cult because girls were marrying young, wearing braids, long dresses… then the girl mentions she works at a photography store and that threw that little assumption right out the window. 

Be prepared to be thinking about this one long after it's finished. Not only does it provide a perfect commentary with respect to women, their roles as wives and mothers, and their sense of self and purpose, but there’s a mysterious element to it all. That being said, I’m the type of person who wants to think about a book long after it's finished but I need resolution. I need conclusions. I need answers. I have so many questions. Logistics? People? WHO? WHAT? WHY? HOW?! I feel like the only thing we know is where and even that is somewhat vague. 

Alexis Schaitkin if by some miracle you are reading this and you’re available I need to pick your brain LOL. 

I definitely recommend this to those looking for an easy-to-read book that packs a lot of substance and who also enjoy a mysterious element. I found the story to be bingeable and the pages kind of turned themselves. 

Thank you to Celadon Books for providing an advanced reading copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I first read the synopsis I got major “Grace Year” vibes but that was the extent of what I liked. I felt this story dragged and I just couldn’t get into it. I’m Alain not really a fan of fiction novels eithiut a lot of dialogue so that also might be why. If you are ok with that then you might enjoy this more than I did. Thank you to NetGallery and Celadon books for this eARC.

I was drawn into this dark, mysterious world where every girl yearns to be a mother knowing that once she becomes one she may disappear without a trace. Reading of their unusual customs and practices, piercing their partners with a silver pin during sex, the obsession with music, the constant thick fog and the ever present judgement was enchanting.

I could see the novel as a magnification of the constant judgement that mothers receive, the loving and the leaving, the disappearance of who we are outside of motherhood. I couldn't help but want more concrete answers despite knowing it was supposed to be a representation or warning but... I wanted to actually know where the mothers went. Why did they prick their partners? Why was that village so isolated from the rest of the world?

Overall, I appreciated the themes of motherhood. I am a mother myself and it brought up many feelings. But, I think speculative fiction may not be a good fit for me. I prefer all immersive and spooky prose AND a neater, conclusive resolution.

Delighted to include this title in the June edition of Novel Encounters, my regular column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer magazine. (see review at link)

Anna and Vera were best of friends. They grew up playing mother and stranger. The mothers in this community magically disappear in the night without a trace.

Then one day a stranger comes to town named Ruth. At first everyone is in awe of her and wanting to be around her. Then they discover she is taking things. They realize she is not wanted in this area and must be run out of town.

The women often wonder what it is like elsewhere? Mr Phillips comes to town to bring them supplies and he is the only link between them and elsewhere. This story is well written just a tad on the bizarre side.

Thank you to Celadon for the advanced ebook copy of Elsewhere. I enjoyed Alexis Schaitkin's previous book Saint X and appreciated the chance to return to this writer's intriguing approach to storytelling. There are themes and ideas that brought to mind in tangential ways The Handmaid's Tale, the recent feminist horror Femlandia, even themes from The Push feel present.


"We felt her vanishing like a thread cut loose, presence turned to absence." This idea of a her vanishing, a mother or mothers to be precise, in an isolated mountain town that has its own rules, its own memories (or lack of memories?), its own set of ethics and values, is a central theme in Elsewhere, a complex story of motherhood and women's lives post marriage/childbearing. There are also some less developed themes on women who do not bear children which is woven into the periphery of this town and into the minds perhaps of some of the women who struggle as mothers. The plot offers readers a chance to consider what it might feel like for young women, girls really, to think that all that is available to them is inevitable marriage and childbearing, of living with the knowledge that mothers often seem to leave (so much so that there is a ritual burning/cleansing the day a mother leaves), and the questioning of what if there is something else/something more or different "elsewhere"?

These are big, heady ideas and themes but... they never quite come together to achieve the promise of the narrative, the potential fascinating commentary on women who mother and struggle, women who mother but do not want the role (at least not at the time it begins), women who want to mother but also want to be more than a mother, the feeling of nothing/irrelevance once childbearing is over... these themes just never came together. I wanted so much more from and for Vera but the atmospheric, somewhat distant and mythic tone seemed to interfere with how much the story actually revealed. A lot is left to the reader to think about and consider but not in a way that really works as I felt too much was left unclear and underdeveloped.

That being said, the writing is excellent, there is a consistent mood and tone, and for some readers this book will really work. I also think this is a great choice for some book clubs as the possibility for fascinating dialogues about the themes and ideas alluded to in this narrative is present.

this is a 3 star book for me with 4 star writing and 4 star potential.

DNF @ 40% - I really don’t like not finishing books, especially ARCs, but there was a lot I didn’t agree with about this one. it’s fine line relationship between mother and child, and the main character was clearly out to exploit that. I think maybe if I was a mother, I’d think differently, but maybe this is also just the wrong genre for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books and MacMillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the sophomore novel by Alexis Schaitkin, audio narration by Ell Potter - 4.5 stars!

Vera grew up in a remote mountain town with Elsewhere - any place besides their town - just a thought. Their town has an affliction - mothers disappear, never to return. No one ever knows when or whom will vanish - but when they do, the other mothers sweep in to gather and burn any remaining photos, clothing or proof of their existence. Vera's own mother disappeared into the clouds and now that she is a mother, she feels the anxious pull of thought that she could leave her child. Should she leave first?

This is not an easy read; it requires thought, speculation, and introspection. But I loved all the topics it introduced - how we give of ourselves to our families no matter the cost; how mothers are judged by others; what we would do for our children; community and isolation. The narrator's voice was perfect for this book - it was lyrical, otherworldly, and gave life to the beautiful verse. I was a huge fan of Schaitkin's debut novel, Saint X. With her latest, she is definitely a must-read author.

Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin was a deep dive into the concept of motherhood. It was strange but captivating.

Thank you to Celadon Books, the author, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Vera lives in a world where women deal with the "affliction" where one day, after having kids, they vanish into thin air, and this community accepts that this is the case. When Vera becomes a mother, she grapples with the possibility that she could disappear unexpectedly and what are the possible repercussions for her family. Alexis Schaitkin writes beautiful prose, but I struggled to be invested in the story so I ended up DNFing halfway through the book. Many things just felt convoluted to me and I found myself getting fairly lost with the plot. I'm hoping to return to this one and potentially try again.

Thank you to Celedon Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really wanted to enjoy this story. The premis intrigued me and I was overjoyed to have been provided with an ARC. While the story is beautiful and well described I found myself very confused at many moments. The story didn't seem to flow in a way that I could follow.

The story is centered upon a small remote town where the mothers suffer from an "affliction" where they are their one moment and then the next they are not. They simply vanish.

As a mom I just couldn't connect with the characters and as a daughter I just don't know how I feel.

We start with Vera as a young child and watch her grow up, and how the whole town just accepts that the girls will grow up, get married, and have kids and that any one of them could disappear any moment after that. It really makes you think about what you might do if you found yourself in that kind of situation. When Vera becomes a mother we get to see her make some really tough decisions about her future.

This is a very beautifully written book, the imagery was so descriptive I could really picture the small secluded town where Vera lived. However, I had a hard time getting sucked into the story. There were a lot of questions left unanswered, and a lot of things I think I just couldn't connect to because I'm not a mom.