Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott. Published by Penguin Random House Canada
There are so many topics covered in this novel, what a brilliantly written story. Oh mental illness, so much of this story I was able to relate to, having had a husband with mental illness, using alcohol and pot to calm the voices, not being able to trust anyone, thinking every person is out to get you.
This novel also touches on Native American perceived prejudices and some issues, auch as water, on the reserves. Mostly its Alice's progression with her mental illness, motherhood, living away from family and off the reservation
I really enjoyed this novel, how it was written, the characters were great and well developed and described. I enjoyed the first three quarters of this novel more, the writing style changed at the end and I was a little lost to be honest. This is the first book by this author that I have read, and look forward to reading more

First of all, let me just say that this book is without a doubt one of the best that I've read so far this year.
And Then She Fell is the story of Alice, an indigenous woman named Alice who from the outside seems to have the perfect. life. A nice home, a successful husband and a beautiful little baby named Dawn.
But what lies below the surface is a lot of doubt, postpartum depression, paranoia, fear of addiction and mental illness.
The story explores all these issues and then takes you on a journey even deeper.
A beautiful told and powerful story, And Then She Fell will stick with you long after you've turned the final page.

Please find attached my more in-depth, but still spoiler free youtube review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDwwNQC0Az4&t=452s

I really enjoyed A Mind Spread Out on the Ground and while this is a novel instead of essays/memoir, it touches on many of the same issues. It is very well written and makes it easy to get into Alice's character, and the extra parts (the excerpts of the character's writing and then the whole end section) are an unusual way to explore the story from other angles. It almost feels a bit like horror in some ways, there are good pop culture references and some local colour. I highly recommend it.

This novel delves into so many important issues and will definitely stick with me as I reflect on these issues, many of which I don't see in a lot of fiction. Alice's internal monologue was well written and heartbreaking at times.
With about 1/3 of the story remaining, the novel does take a bit of a left turn and this change did take me out of the story a bit, but in the end it makes sense to the narrative. Really well written story and worth the read.

A beautiful, sinister, love filled story! It is, of course, about indigenous peoples and culture, the loss of family, mourning, mental illness, and touches on a lot of serious ideas. But there is so much love and emotion here, strength of will, too. It has the creeping tones and social commentary and outright horror of many modern horror films but feels so rooted in Alice and her love of her family that these big themes are an important part of her story, and not the story themselves. Wonderfully done and an incredibly enjoyable heart wrenching read.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

I was really happy to receive this book as it has been on my list for a while. I'm trying to get my hands on as much indigenous literature as I can. Admittedly I knew going in this would be a difficult read just based off the premise. I really liked the structure of the book though. The first half describes the main characters descent as she spirals with her mental health. The second half is a conversation she is having between her and her granddaughter.