Life in the Appalachian mountains is tough and Blooms does a great job of showing us how poverty and lack of opportunity affects a community. While WHERE I CAN'T FOLLOW is a hard read; it is also an important one. Blooms shines light on the darkness we all feel from time to time (if not more often) and how our family can love us to pieces while still trapping us. It is about learning how to accept help when the only person you have ever had to depend on is yourself. Ultimately, it is about choices: what does it take to strike out in a new direction and if there were a little door to walk through to find a better life, would you take it?

Ashley Blooms gets Appalachia just right. I feel comfortable saying that because it's where I live. I loved her descriptions, and the deep feelings I got from reading Where I Can't Follow. Haven't we all wished for that little door?

Well alright - this is a really wonderfully written story, the author's skill as a writer is clear from page one. This book is everything you would think - it's heavy and hard beautiful and oooof the prose captures that perfectly. It's kind of... magic realism, and it tackles poverty and addiction in a way that many books aren't capable of. I really really love this book.

4.5 stars, rounded to five

This novel is written beautifully with wonderful descriptions. Many times I would stop and re-read a sentence because of how well it was worded. The story caught my interest from the very first page. The story concept of the doors is unique and really got you thinking. I can imagine how difficult it would be at times to NOT go through a little door once it presented itself.

This book does get a little heavy at times. The characters’ desperation and frustration are palpable. Mental illness and drugs are two strong themes in this novel.

This is a great book for book clubs because there is plenty to discuss. The back of the novel includes an interview with the author and reader discussion questions.

Thank you Net Galley and Sourcebooks for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review, which is not affiliated with any brand.

#NetGalley #WhereICan’tFollow

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital review copy!

As someone who has grown up in rural Appalachia this book resonated with me. Ashley Bloom portrays her characters with such empathy and understanding it is as if she grew up on the next mountain over from me.

With heavy topics such as mental illness, substance abuse, grief, and desperation the book captures the battles of some rural Appalachian’s. The characters that are portrayed as purchasing drugs are giving their explanations as to why they are in that position, what usually started out as something prescribed is now something critical to a family’s survival. The frustrations of the characters felt so real and relatable.