A review by librarymouse
Smothermoss by Alisa Alering

adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Smothermoss is a stand out debut novel. The story Alering weaves draws the reader into the lives of Sheila and Angie, letting us peer over their shoulders as the events unfold. Despite the 40-odd year difference in the time the novel is set and the time I read it, so much of the setting and the facets of day to day life remain the same in the foothills of Appalachia. The place of this novel is familiar and well defined.
I really enjoyed that not everything is fixed or explained by the end of the novel. With so much of the story happening within Sheila and Angie, respectively, and in reference to the relationship the two of them have, the semi-unresolved ending of the novel let's readers believe that the two are going to continue to grow up, change, and live. The coming out narrative aspect of this story is unique. It feels very real that the rope is still there, around Sheila's neck after she comes out to Angie, that she doesn't talk to Juanita before the novel ends. The novel ending with Shelia eating after hollowing herself from the weight of her secrets - filling herself with a substance of her choice - is a satisfying continuation of her story, priming her for a future of her choosing.
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