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lettuce_read's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
And Then She Fell is the story of Alice, a Mohawk woman married to a white man and the mother of a newborn who has recently moved to suburban Toronto. I found Alice’s story to be a rich one, full of many layers, and while I’m not a fan of horror I thought horror elements were used here to excellent effect. The first half of the story appears straightforward. We first meet Alice as a young teen and witness the beginning of her mental health problems, as she sees and hears things that aren’t actually there. It’s clear that intergenerational trauma, misogyny, sexism and the legacy of colonisation plays into this. As an adult her mental health struggles are exacerbated by her move to the city where she feels alienated and unwelcome, encounters micro aggressions as well as more blatant racism, and is also troubled by cultural appropriation - her husband building his career on the back of her culture, gaining knowledge she hasn’t had access to. Add in the tough reality of a new baby and postpartum depression and it’s not a total surprise when she experiences a total psychotic break. Or does she? For at this point the story takes a really interesting turn. I don’t want to give too much away but it definitely left me with lots to think about - particularly the cultural lens through which we view mental illnesses, how something that is viewed as an illness in one culture could be viewed very differently by someone steeped in the knowledge of another culture. I was also left pondering the power of cultural knowledge and understanding, as well as the nature of horror, particularly that which is part of some people’s everyday reality. While aspects of this novel were tough to read - none more so than Alice’s terror at her hallucinations - there were other aspects that were a delight. Chief amongst these was the bonds between the women in Alice’s life. Her aunt, niece and cousin clearly had her back but by the end of the novel we’d seen that the bonds of female solidarity and empowerment ran far deeper and were much more complex. There is also a story within a story - a version of a Haudenosaunee creation story which Alice is attempting to write. There are clear parallels to be made between Alice’s story and that of the Sky Woman. The ending Alice crafted for her was perfect. I’d love to see this book on the shortlist.
Graphic: Grief, Addiction, Colonisation, Racism, Mental illness, and Death of parent
savvylit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Racism, Gaslighting, Addiction, Colonisation, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Grief
jessicakornelsen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Drug abuse, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Death of parent, Cannibalism, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cultural appropriation, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Colonisation, Classism, Racial slurs, Genocide, and Body horror
drownedinfictionx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Police brutality, Racism, Alcohol, Medical content, Addiction, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Child death, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Gore, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Classism, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts
tenderbench's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Addiction, Racism, Colonisation, Grief, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Vomit
brit_is_reading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
While I was interested in the themes that Alicia Elliott was exploring in the first half of the book, I found the back half to fully descend into madness (which, I understand, is part of the plot), but was largely difficult to follow and understand.
I don't think I'm unable to explore dense material, but it just came across like there were so many interesting ideas here, and just one or two couldn't be decided upon - so it had to be all of them.
The end in particular, while I found it to be sweet as an idea, felt wholly out of place in comparison to the rest of the novel.
If I had to do it all over again, I’d probably skip this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Grief, Addiction, Alcohol, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Minor: Blood, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, and Cannibalism
careinthelibrary's review against another edition
2.5
I struggled with how slow the first half was. It was slowly building to something, but I was impatient to get into the horrific and the shocking. It deals with some heavy topics like post-partum mental health, Indigenous motherhood being intensely scrutinized, MMIWG2S, and academia's fascination and appropriation of Indigenous knowledge and stories.
The second half really takes off and I was both *here for it* and also very confused. It is full of twists and turns and definitely held my attention as its pacing sped up. Those topics that were introduced in the first half fall to the wayside a bit in exchange for gory body horror.
The book jumps from domestic fiction with a graphic, horror twist to a confusing sci-fi conclusion. I wish it had kept its horror genre throughout and maintained its clear message because I felt the last 10% fizzled out. I'm not quite sure where it leaves the protagonist and her family.
I can feel the influence of Cherie Dimaline in And Then She Fell's dark, urban fantasy vibes and fans of her work will want to check this out.
Graphic: Alcohol, Body horror, Cultural appropriation, Pregnancy, Blood, Drug abuse, Racism, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Child death, Child abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, and Eating disorder
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Drug abuse, Alcohol, Misogyny, Racism, Grief, Drug use, Mental illness, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Genocide, Vomit, Addiction, Death of parent, Classism, and Death
Minor: Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Blood, Infidelity, Murder, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Pregnancy, Car accident, Bullying, Self harm, Confinement, Suicide, Excrement, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Police brutality, and War
Mention of MMIWG2S, residential schools.caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
- AND THEN SHE FELL is what I might categorize as literary horror. Elliott blends a variety of types of horror - of motherhood, of racism, of literal monsters and voices in your head - into an incredible tapestry of a book.
- Much of this book is built on the tension of Alice (and the reader) trying to sort out if the things she's experiencing are real, or if she's losing her mind. But something happens in the last few chapters that takes everything to a whole new level. I was reading with my mouth open, not wanting it to end.
- The more I think on this book, the more layers I find in it. I hope you'll seek it out, even if you aren't typically a horror reader.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Death of parent, Gore, Mental illness, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Blood, Racism, Drug abuse, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Ableism, Alcoholism, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Abortion