Smothermoss is a weird and wonderful coming of age and coming out story set in 1980s Appalachia.

Sheila and her younger sister Angie live in a cabin in the mountains of Pennsylvania with their mother and great aunt. Angie spends her days running through the woods, deep in her fantasies of hunting and killing Russian soldiers. When she's at home, she draws horror creations on index cards and carries this nightmare Pokemon deck with her everywhere.

Sheila is the much more grounded sister, embarrassed by Angie's filth and fantasies. She has learned to keep her head down at school, a task aided by an invisible rope around her neck.

After two hikers are murdered on the nearby Appalachian trail, the sisters have very different reactions: Angie is determined that her cards will help her find the murderer; Sheila grapples with her sexuality in light of the female hikers' own relationship.

Written in compelling prose and accompanied by gorgeously horrific illustrations, Smothermoss is a unique horror story that will appeal to readers who appreciate weird literature with layers of symbolism and plenty of unexplained magical realism. I loved this story and look forward to reading more by Alering in the future.

This review week be shared to Goodreads, Instagram, and retail sites on July 21, 2024.

Author Alisa Alering brings readers a true 5/5 book. "Smothermoss" has it all. I was obsessed with the story within the first page and I couldn't put it down until I finished it!

It's a coming of age story mixed nestled in the Appalachian mountains. Sisters, Angie and Shelia live with their mother alone on a mountain, all three caring for an old women before her inevitable death. Sheila has a rope around her neck that no one else can see besides her. Angie compulsively creates obscure, and heinous cards that act like a tarot deck that guide her through her days.

Thank you author Alisa Alering, NetGalley and Tin House Books for bringing this title to us readers!

I requested this book because a) the cover was stunning (I'm admittedly a sucker for a good cover) and b) the synopsis immediately drew me in.

I also love books set in the 1980s with an Appalachia setting, however I felt like this was a little too all over the place. I love books with magical realism elements, it's one of my favourite subgenres, but at times it was hard to distinguish between that and reality.

This is the kind of book that requires your full attention, and at under 250 pages it's hard to lose track if you're not giving it your all. I think it's a book I might come back to at some point, but I found I was having to remind myself to focus too much and that took my enjoyment out of it.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for the e-ARC! I would definitely give this author another chance.

Smothermoss is a lush and atmospheric novel about queer longing and terror and the terror of being known and terror of the unknown. It was truly frightening at points, and filled with fairytale elements. I highly recommend this book to fans of horror, magic, and coming-of-age.

I was super excited to read this book, but it was unfortunately a rare DNF for me at 60%. It was just SO slow paced - nothing happened in all that I read.

This was a visceral, lyrical rural gothic fairytale about girlhood, womanhood, sisterhood, identity and belonging, and ultimately, murder. I have spent more time thinking back on and digesting this story than it took me to read the book to begin with- which I love. It almost had the feel of an A24 film or a Shirley Jackson novel, blending folksy, uncanny horror with an abstract litfic tone.

Also, Sheila would LOVE Ethel Cain.

One of the best books of 2024! Atmospheric, uncanny, and deeply unsettling- Smothermoss is a gothic horror book for the ages. Its setting in rural appalachia is the perfect backdrop for all the creepy things that unfold as the story goes own. By turns part horror, part fantasy, part sci-fi, part dystopian - it has something for everyone. I loved the chapters where the mountain is the main character.

Smothermoss has my whole entire heart <3
This book is haunting, emotional, and represents girlhood in such a personal way. I'm genuinely floored by every aspect of this story; the writing is phenomenal, the characterization of the sisters shine, the setting and atmosphere is so lifelike, and the story? Don't get me started. It's so unique and yet startlingly familiar in a way that only a great gothic novel can be. And the weird girl representation? Yes please! I'm going to be recommending this book to everyone, and I'm sure I'll be revisiting The Mountain soon enough in a reread.

You better believe Alisa Alering is hot on my radar after this powerhouse debut novel.

The writing of this is beautiful and sparse, and whew is this a bleak book in the opening. I loved the point of view of the mountain, though, and there were moments of striking beauty in the midst of everything. In the end, it the genre experiment of literary horror-thriller didn't fully work for me, but I did very much appreciate the effort.

This isn't going to be for everyone but it's an interesting mash up of Gothic horror and magical realism combined with coming of age and murder mystery- all set in the atmospheric Appalachian region. Sheila, who has a rope around her neck that no one else can see, and Angie, her little sister who draws tarot cards, live a challenging life pretty much on their own. When two hikers on the Trail are murdered, Angie decides she's going to find the villain and that leads the sisters into a, well, no spoilers. Alering writes well and kept me reading even when I was frustrated with all the spikes the tale was taking. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. An interesting read.

Despite the title, Alisa Alering’s Smothermoss is not part of the wave of fungus- and plant-focused SFF of the last few years.One of the protagonists does feel a bit smothered by her family’s circumstances, and there’s certainly some moss along with other mountainous flora and fauna, but readers should set aside any expectations raised by the title. However, that should not deter anyone from reading this book! Smothermoss is entrancingly immersive, with entirely evocative language, fascinating fantastic elements, exciting action, and two very vividly drawn protagonists, sisters who have little in common and feel a lot of friction but eventually come together, with a bit of supernatural succor, to face a fearsome foe.

The book opens with a tight focus on two sisters who live with their mother and great-aunt in Appalachian Pennsylvania in the 1980s. Sheila, 17, does a lot of chores while her mother works long hours; she feels a heavy rope around her neck and down her back that appears merely metaphorical at first, and the biggest dream she can imagine is taking a trip to Baltimore with her secret crush, a girl at school who doesn’t appear to notice her. Angie, 12, runs around the mountainside fantasizing about fighting Russian invaders, frustrating Sheila by slacking on her share of housework, and constantly drawing arcane cards (the Tangle of Rabbits, the Twins with Too Many Teeth, etc.) that seem to hold special powers, including telling her where they “belong” once she’s been pushed to create them.

Then the reader encounters a killer, or rather, two Appalachian Trail hikers do. He beats them both to death, but the scene is distanced via its interpretation by the witnessing mountain:

These creatures smell like humans, but they must be rabbits because they are stalked by a fox. Unlike real, watchful rabbits, they don’t know how to protect themselves. Don’t know to circle among the briars, white tails flashing, and scoot safely into an underground warren. They are too far from home.

I really enjoyed the use of language in this book. Parts of it were dreamy, and parts of it were sharp-edged and close-up on the girls’ experiences and interior lives. I read the first quarter of the book slowly, savoring it, and kept pausing to exclaim at passages that really struck me. (The school bus bullying raised some strong feelings, for sure.) Then I raced through the rest of it in one very satisfying day.

I also really loved how sympathetic each character was, although in very different ways. Sheila is trying so hard to fulfill her familial duties,wanting to be liked by her peers but very aware of how handicapped she is by the social rules (including Don’t Be Poor), and beginning to explore her forbidden feelings about her sexuality. Angie is less admirable for letting her sister shoulder most of the burdens at home, but to be fair, she’s only 12, and I have to admire her independence, her refusal to care about what others think, her trust in her own feelings and intuitions (although this puts her in danger sometimes), and her having a Plan (escape by joining the Army as soon as she’s big enough to lie convincingly that she’s old enough). Of course there’s friction; they’re in very close quarters (sharing a bedroom), their goals are wildly askew, and their personalities are too. At one point, Sheila rips up one of the horrifying tarot-like cards that Angie has given to her, and at another, Sheila attacks Angie over reasonable suspicions that Angie has stolen Sheila’s hard-earned savings. But eventually they learn to see each other’s problems and start helping each other.

The mother is too worn down by life to be very interesting, but the great-aunt has some interesting stories that end up having some relevance to the girls’ lives. There’s also a mysterious boy who pops up in Sheila’s life later in the story; I like how his nature is explored but never entirely explained.There are stereotypical cops and a helpful neighbor, but the other character of note is the mountain.

The mountain is aware of the life dwelling upon it, and the taint that invades it. It provides guidance for the girls to try to rid itself of this corruption; Angie adds up some clues and disparate threads are eventually woven together to bring about a highly satisfying conclusion and aftermath.

Some questions remain unresolved, about a mysterious section of the asylum where the mother works (and Sheila gets a summer job there), and particularly about a certain room there and what it contains. I wonder if that will be addressed in a sequel. But I’m fine if it isn’t, because this is a minor niggle. Iit’s good to have some mysteries in life, and in a book’s plot.

Smothermoss was great. I’m going to hunt up Alisa Alering’s short fiction, and I hope to see more novels from them.

Content warnings: Brutal murder, bullying by schoolmates, sister vs. sister fights (arguments and occasional physical violence), animals being raised for sale and slaughter, poverty.

Disclaimer: I received a free eARC of this book from the publisher to review. Smothermoss is slated for publication on July 16, 2024.

Wow. What a pleasant surprise "Smothermoss" was. I love novels that take place in the 1980's. I also love novels that involve sisterhood. I've read so many great novels this year about dysfunctional sisters. 17-year-old Sheila and 12-year-old Angie couldn't be more different. They live up in the mountains near the Appalachian Trail. Sheila is reserved and socially withdrawn, and Angie is a little spitfire who loves drawing tarot-like cards and play fighting bad guys (the Russians) in her spare time. Their small community is rocked one day when a man kills two women camping on the Appalachian Trail. Angie is prepared to fight and defend her property from this unidentified murderer, and Shelia just wants to distance herself from such a heinous man. This book is part literary fiction and part magical realism. Usually, I don't gravitate novels with magic in them, but this one is so well written and razor-sharp, I just couldn't resist. Hard to believe this is a debut. I will definitely read more from this author in the future. I absolutely loved Angie. I cared about this little girl so much. She's such a weirdo and I loved her to bits. This book made me feel so many different emotions. It's so lyrical, deep, profound, poignant, and funny as hell. I loved it. Such an underrated gem!

Thank you, Netgalley and Tin House for the digital ARC.

This is one of those stories that are a mix of prose and lyrical where you’re not sure what’s real and what’s not.

For me this is a major detractor although I know many will love this writing style.

Netgalley ARC Review 4/5 stars

Viscerally weird and raw in every way imaginable. Exactly what I was hoping for when I read the synopsis: two sister's living in 1980's Appalachia. A weird little sister obsessed with hunting down a murderer through the use of her hand drawn tarot-esque cards and an older sister haunted by an invisible rope around her neck.

The entire story felt like a haunting coming of age fever dream. The deep respect for Appalachian land comes across in every page. This was such lush story-telling.

1980s Appalachia is the setting for this speculative fiction debut about two sisters (who are as different as can be), who are dealing with more than just a murder in their small, isolated community. Sheila has an invisible rope that is tightening around her neck and a secret she isn't ready to share. Her younger sister Angie (who draws monsters that just might be real) is obsessed with catching the killer. The sisters might have to rely on each other if they're going to survive.

The thing I loved most about this book was the way the girls relationship didn't magically improve after the drama of the story was over. They still didn't get along or understand each other, and that was okay! It was one of the most realistic relationships I've read in a long time and I really appreciated it.

Beautiful prose and setting, unfortunately I had a hard time following the actually story. It was difficult to tell what was reality and dream or whether it even mattered (lots of re-reading pages). I think many will really like this book, it just wasn’t for me. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

This was a fascinating blend of literary fiction, folk horror, and magical realism. Set in 1980s rural Pennsylvania, it follows sisters Sheila and Angie after a murder along the Appalachian Trail. This eerie and thought-provoking book is perfect for fans of atmospheric reads.

One standout aspect of Smothermoss was its setting. The Appalachian mountains and surrounding woods feel alive and menacing, adding to the overall spooky vibe. Sheila and Angie’s relationship is authentic and compelling. Sheila navigates her queerness and heavy responsibilities at home, while Angie lives in a fantastical world, creating homemade tarot cards and preparing for what she believes is an inevitable nuclear war. Their differing perspectives add depth to the narrative.

The novel’s folk horror and magical realism elements keep readers on their toes. Angie’s tarot cards and the mysterious rope around Sheila’s neck blend reality and the supernatural intriguingly. However, these elements sometimes feel out of place in the realistic narrative, seeming more aesthetic than plot-driven.

It also explored themes of queerness and self-acceptance poignantly. Though the ending leaves some plot threads unresolved, this invites multiple interpretations. Overall, Smothermoss was wonderfully atmospheric, perfect for fans of gothic fiction.

I really liked this. I can see how other people would find it confusing or too strange but I am exactly the type of reader who enjoys a lot of WTF in what I read. I’ve seen it compared to Bunny and I think Bunny readers would enjoy this. The sisters were distinctly rendered and the nature writing was gorgeous. I particularly enjoyed the mountain perspective.

Having just finished this stunning debut novel 5 minutes ago, the last thing I want to write in this review is some short, pithy statement about how "magical" it is, how the mountain is alive, the sisters are clairvoyant, blah blah blah. Except all those maxims really apply so . . . . let me try to elaborate.

Sheila and Angie are sisters born to the same mother, but different fathers in 1980s Appalachia. Sheila, the elder at 17, is world-weary, having been bullied into sullen, quiet girl who nurses her desire for Juanita, a new girl at school, privately. The heaviness of her burdens - she cares for the family's rabbits, which they raise for meat and to sell, and for Great Aunt Thena, the great aunt with whom they live - manifests in the form of a thick rope looped around her neck, with the length trailing along behind her everywhere she goes. Only Sheila can see or feel the rope. Young Angle, at 12 (almost 13!) wiles away her days fantasizing about saving the world from multiple forms of evil - the Russians, the man who murdered two women as they camped on the Appalachian Trail, and anyone else who has caused her pain in her short life. She loves Rambo and soldiers, and the Martial arts, practicing her stealth movement so she'll be ready when she's needed. She draws a deck of tarot-like cards that she entrusts to guide her through her mission in life - to save the world. Their mother works long hours at the local lunatic asylum; the girls are largely left to their own devices,.

Appalachia -- and here I go again with the cliches -- comes to life in this novel. The streams, the rivers, the dense ferns and brambles are so lushly written that a woman like me, who grew up in a similar wild locale, can smell the greenness of it all. The dampness, the life. The phrase "mountain mama" came to mind more than once. Sheila and Angie knew, without ever really articulating as much - that the mountain was power, the mountain can give and take away on a whim. Though there was a murderer on the loose, the mountain, with her moodiness and caves, floods, rockslides and other proclivities, was not to be trifled with. One of the most stand-out themes for me was the innate knowledge one has when, having been raised on the side of a mountain (or surrounded by a national forest, as I was) is that nature will always win. As Stephen Crane's characters learned in the short story "The Open Boat," any desire to throw rocks at the temple of nature, is fruitless. There are no rocks, there are no temples. Nature always wins.

This novel isn't without plot, but it's difficult to explain without spoilers. It delivers, and it does so beautifully. I won't forget Sheila or Angie, and I won't forget this author. I can't wait to see what they do next.

2.7 stars
One Liner: Ambitious and dark but flatters in execution

1980s, Appalachia
Sheila, a seventeen-year-old, lives with an old woman, a twelve-year-old sister Angie, and their mother. Life is hard and a constant battle of bullying, lack of money, and too much work. It doesn’t help that Angie lives in her own world and draws cards that seem to have a life of their own.
When a pair of female hikers is murdered in the region, the sisters are drawn to the case. This brings danger and violence closer to their home. As things get murkier, can Sheila and Angie survive the aftermath?
The story comes in the third-person POV.

My Thoughts:
There’s something dark and suffocating about the title and cover, which made me request a copy of the book. The premise was intriguing too, especially the setting. The main characters are YA but this is an adult read. I wouldn’t recommend it to teens (unless they are comfortable with dark themes).
What I Like:
The setting is dark and intense. It shows the brutal side of nature, which aligns perfectly with the plot and the characters. The atmosphere is thick, suffocating, strange, uncomfortable, and sinister. Anything can go wrong and they do.
There’s hardly any lighter moment or a scene that makes the reader smile. Everything is tainted with suspicion. Naturally, it makes for an intense read. I enjoyed how the elements were used even when the rest wasn’t working as expected.
Despite the characters living in imaginary worlds, the situations are very much real and gritty. The MCs are poor, outcasts, and bullied. They have different coping mechanisms. The adults aren’t great either. Flawed and compelling.
The chapters' titles and the drawings are intriguing.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
There’s magic realism of sorts, and the lines between real and imaginary often blur. I don’t have issues with this since it is one of my favorite genres. However, I do need things to be a little less haphazard.
The mystery is so, so weak! I hoped for some tension-filled stuff. But nothing much happens for a long, long time and then something happens. After that, I’m not sure how the whole thing would work in reality. It’s confusing and disappointing.
While I understood metaphors like the invisible rope, I’m still not sure about ifs and what’s regarding the recurring role of rabbits. Is there even some sort of inference? No idea!
There are a few more themes like sexuality, gender orientation, eating disorders, dysfunctional family, etc. These weave in and out of the narrative but don’t always make sense. The whole thing feels elusive and hazy.
The ending is okay, decent. There is some progress but this feels largely like a slice-of-life narrative that doesn’t provide any answers. All those bits and pieces were underdeveloped and went nowhere.
The POVs jump from one character to another and from reality to make-believe. It is easy to lose track if we don’t give it 100% attention. In fact, I’ve had to reread some paragraphs even when I was fully focused on the narrative. It feels like a fever dream in many places.
The book is just 250+ pages but packed full, though nothing much seems to happen. This is a strange mix of everything and nothing and further weighs down the reader (unless you enjoy such styles).

To summarize, Smothermoss sounds great in theory and has some worthy elements. It works great in parts but ends up a bit undercooked as a whole. The results will be case-sensitive. So, if my nays are your ayes, give this a try. I know I’d want to read another book by the author. Good potential.
My thanks to NetGalley, and Tin House Books, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***********
Other links will be updated later.