A review by serendipitysbooks
Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin

mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 Elsewhere is set high up in the mountains, in a village isolated from the rest of society except for a single trader who visits regularly. Apart from its location and isolation the other thing that sets this village apart is that periodically, without warning, some mothers simply disappear into the clouds, never to return. At the centre of this novel is Vera. We first meet her as a young girl whose own mother has disappeared and then follow her through her teen years until she marries and eventually has a daughter of her own. I liked the fairytale like setting and atmosphere and thought the story was a clever way of exploring motherhood, the pressures mothers face and the pressures they place on themselves, the way they are judged by society, the parts of themselves that they lose when they have a child. I loved the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship and they nuanced way they were portrayed via Vera’s relationship with her mother and then with her daughter Iris. Children’s memories, what and how they remember is another important issue examined via the story. What this story doesn’t do is wrap up neatly or answer every question the reader may have. I felt that was a smart move since it amplifies the disconcerted feeling that the storyline creates. 
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