A review by lizsmartie13
American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

4.0

FINALLY finished. I originally had this book scheduled for May and kept pushing it, and then it took me over two weeks to read, so my journey with this felt LONG. I think that’s also the nature of Robert Jackson Bennett’s writing— I didn’t realize until about halfway through this that he also wrote the Foundryside series and now everything makes sense. The lore is deep, the schemes are plentiful, and the characters are rich and layered, but the prose is… I don’t even know how to describe it. All I know is that as long as they have taken me and as frustrated as I can get while reading, I have not yet regretted finishing one of his books, because the worlds’ they exist in are so unique and bountiful. This book especially reminded me IMMENSELY of Stephen King, both in theme and style, so if you’re a fan of King’s eldritch-horror books, this may really work for you. It certainly did for me.