Melissa Faliveno knows how to give a setting character (make it into a character, even), and is almost poetic in her imagery. The use of metaphor in Hemlock is solid, and Sam is a conflicted and terribly human protagonist.
I want to be fair in this review. Hemlock turned out to be a story that I, personally, didn't want to hear. That doesn't mean it won't be right for someone else. It may be much more meaningful for someone who has wrestled (or is wrestling) substance abuse or addiction.

The writing of this book was wonderful. It was worth reading it just because Ms Faliveno made me feel so much. Despair, anger, guilt and fear.
That being said I didn’t enjoy it, just because it was so dark.
Not my kind of book, but I will be watching for more from this author.

Queer and Gothic? Butch Black Swan? The synopsis could have been composed of only those five words and I'd still have requested it.

It was a surreal reading experience. I was enthralled by gorgeously monstrous novel.

Dark introspection in the Northwoods. This novel caught my eye as a fellow Wisconsinite. I loved the queries into identity, addiction, and one's relationship with nature. The nods to having formerly been religious and the way that absence lingers were some of my favorite excerpts.

The atmosphere and internal reflections were rich, while secondary characters and the practicalities of life were lacking details and order.

This is the book I've been looking ffor ages, so thank you, Melissa Faliveno, for writing it.

Set in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, Sam returns to her family's cabin to fix it up before selling it. But the cabin isn't the only inheritance that makes itself known. Struggling with her sobriety, Sam must reckon with the person she is versus the person she wants to be, and discovers that no matter how far you go from home, it is always with you.

The descriptions in HEMLOCK were incredible; everything was sketched out so vividly. There were so many tiny details of how life works in northern Wisconsin that absolutely captured the essence of Up North, both the good and the bad.

Following Sam as she fights with herself, her past, and her future broke my heart over and over again, the mark of an excellent book. I'll be buying copies for our cabin once it's released!

Utterly entrancing, Hemlock captures the insularity and expansiveness of the psyche in isolation, not unlike the teeming abundance of the forest kingdom. Here in the Northwoods, the trees close in sounding more and more like water; animals speak in words; what is human might become earthly—the earthly, supernatural. With stunning and gothic prose, in the vein of Carson McCullers, Melissa Faliveno’s debut novel reveals the world anew and, in doing so, summons within readers a revelatory sense of presence, myth, and haunting.

"Hemlock" is a compelling, character-driven narrative about a woman's desire to escape her past and make a future for herself. Sam, the protagonist, is memorable and entirely believable, and the plot element of her restoring her parents' weekend cabin is a metaphor for her restoration of self. The surrealist element of Sam maybe turning werewolf, or at least feral, might be hard for some readers to grasp, but it worked well for me as a reference to the more animal aspects of the self. I look forward to recommending this to book clubs.

Hemlock by Melissa Faliveno was an unusual novel. Following Sam, who has finally found her place, sober for 10 months with her long time boyfriend and her cat, lives in Brooklyn. She decides she must return to her family cabin in Wisconsin, Hemlock, to spruce it up in order to sell it since no one has used it in years. Once there, Sam begins working on the cabin but finds a 6 pack of beer in basement. Unable to help herself, she drinks it and thus begins her decline back into alcoholism, an illness shared by her mother and grandmother. As she continues to drink and work on the cabin, various mysteries come to light, her body changes drastically and she meets some interesting people. An interesting novel.

I really tried with this one... I've been on a streak of not loving the books I've requested lately for some reason, and it's very frustrating. I went back to this one a few times, given the rave reviews of others, but somehow just could not find my way into the writing style or story. It just didn't resonate with me and I couldn't finish, despite repeated efforts...

Atmospheric, dark and gothic, this is a story that will seep in your bones.
Hemlock features Sam, a finally sober young woman who returns from her safety in Brooklyn to the family cabin deep in the woods. Thus kicks off a novel of the mind and the forest. Just one more drink, Sam thinks...over and over again.

The novel is described as carnal and a dark sparkler - perfect descriptors for the feelings you will have reading this nightmarish fever dream. The edge of survival, the jaws of menace.... go with Sam into the deep forest.
#littlebrownandcompany #hemlock #melissafaliveno

This was a powerful tale. I am a former alcoholic, so this story hit home, hard. I would think the story was going one way, and it would end up going a totally different direction. I like when books are like that, not easily predictable. The things that Sam went through, I've been there. How she felt, I've been there. All of it. The identity, the issues with drinking, the relationships, her parents. So this was truly a special book for me That I plan on buying.
It could possibly be triggering to some, I think. So anyone who has a history or drugs or alcohol that's thinks it may be a trigger to read in vivid detail probably a lot of what you are going through or have been through, might want to avoid. I however, found this novel to be like a comforting hug, that said *I've been where you are and made it just fine. "

This is the story of Sam, a woman who has gained her sobriety and seems to have found the life of a normal functioning human - a boyfriend back home and even a cat. Years ago, her mother went missing and never returned to their cabin in the woods of Wisconsin, and Sam takes what was supposed to be a quick trip to fix it up. Addiction rears its ugly head again as loneliness and fear set in, and Sam finds herself faced with things she never thought possible. Is it the drink? Or is it something much more malevolent?

Sam is a captivating character and the cabin she returns to is a dark, harrowing place. The descriptions used by this author are deep and intricate, working to create a strong image of Sam's life in this strange world. This book tackles many emotions, especially a questioning of one's identity through glimpses into the past and present, questioning sexuality and an inwards guilt leading to madness.

While I enjoyed this book, I found that sometimes the descriptions were too long-winded - there certainly was not a lack of imagery. For this being the author's debut novel, I have much hope for what they should write in the future!

Much thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

I was engaged from the idea of a butch Black Swan and this book didn't disappoint in that concept. I enjoyed getting into this world and what was happening with the Gothic elements to this book. Melissa Faliveno has a strong writing style and was able to weave characters that I cared about. It was everything that I wanted and was glad I was able to read this.

This is a lovely, bittersweet book about Sam--newly sober--who leaves boyfriend Stephen behind when she travels to her family's cabin in the woods that's been abandoned since her mom took off and was never found. She's determined to fix it up and sell it to give the money to her aging father. But it's lonely and the bars are calling; eventually she hears a doe "speaking" to her. But she continues on her quest to repair things and even at times when it's painful to read, we know Sam has a good heart and will hopefully find a way to live fully!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

If you want raw emotions and for a book to make you feel things, this is the one. It explores the hard emotions of grief among others and was definitely something I felt in my bones, it's going to stay with me for a very very long time.

Quick very high level summary.
This story follows a woman (Sam) who has worked hard to remain sober when she returns to the family cabin in the woods where her mom disappeared. She returns to the dilapidated cabin with the hopes of restoring it for her dad. While there Sam begins to crack around the edges and fall apart just like the cabin. She begins drinking again, feels like she is being watched and starts hearing then eventually talking to a doe she has been feeding. She begins to question her sanity and relive her memories of her mother and grandmothers mental deterioration.

My Take.
he writing was so well done I could actually feel the emotions that the MC was going through. It has a dark and decaying feel to the writing with supernatural elements leaving an ambiguity surrounding events taking place. This ambiguity contributing to the mystery and the feeling of unease. There is so much ambiguity or uncertainty is going on in the environment around Sam as well as within Sam. Sam seems to struggle with her gender identity, sexuality and feelings of acceptance. Our MC Sam also struggle with secrets from her families past that play a crucial role in the story. Often blurring the lines between past and present.

This story explores themes like oppression, guilt, madness, and decay. All the beautifully macabre and darker aspects of human nature and I enjoyed every minute of it.