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My Starry Rating: 3/5 Stars
Reason for Rating: Only good thing about this story was its atmosphere. The plot was confusing.
What I Learned: I don’t care for elusive plots…
Publication Date: July 16, 2024 by Tin House Books
Genres: Gothic, Horror, Mystery
SYNOPSIS:
A haunting, imaginative, and twisting tale of two sisters and the menacing, unexplained forces that threaten them and their rural mountain community.
Ferns grow knee-deep along the shoulder, laced with briars and unripe raspberries, so thick they could hide a bear. Could hide anything, really.
In 1980s Appalachia, life isn’t easy for Sheila. She endures relentless taunting and bullying at the hands of her classmates; she takes care of her great-aunt, the garden and home, and the rabbits; and forages for mushrooms in the forest, all while her mother works long, back-breaking shifts at the nearby state asylum. But it’s her peculiar little sister, Angie, who worries her the most. Angie is obsessed with nuclear war, Rambo, zombies, a Russian invasion of their community, and the ominous, tarot-like cards that she creates that somehow speak to her. As if all that weren’t enough, Sheila feels an unexplainable weight around her neck. Is it the ancient and strange mountain that they live on that casts its shadow on her, or something or someone else unknown? Unseen?
When a pair of female hikers are brutally murdered on the nearby Appalachian trail, Sheila and Angie find themselves inexorably drawn into the hunt for the killer. As the ever-present threat of violence looms larger, the mountain might be the only thing that can save them from the darkness consuming their home and their community.
Unsettling, propulsive, and chillingly atmospheric, Alisa Alering’s Smothermoss opens a hidden door into a world caught between rural gothic and fairytale, inviting the reader to renegotiate what is seen and unseen, what is real and what is haunted.
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REVIEW:
Smothermoss is a Gothic Appalachian tale about two sisters, Sheila and Angie whose lives intertwine with the rustic woods around them, mirroring the beauty and darkness of nature. Trees, rabbits, ghosts, and murder initiate a coming of age for the sisters who must grapple with the threats and dangers of their burgeoning awareness of the powers of nature both literally and metamorphically.
The descriptions of the flora and fauna created a creeping atmosphere where the hiddeness of nature played up the survival and harsh life of the forests inhabitants. The scurry of a squirrel, the heartbeat of a rabbit, or the glimmer of a rock created a propulsive feeling that made me anxious with anticipation. The mood and vibe of the story had a pagan folk horror feel and this was the best part of the writing. With that being said, I found the plot confusing and finished the book being very unclear about what actually happened. Not a lot made sense to me…
Overall if you enjoy atmospheric elusive stories, then Smothermoss should be on your reading list.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Alisa Alering grew up in the Appalachian mountains of Pennsylvania. After attending Clarion West, their short fiction has been published in Fireside, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, Podcastle, and Cast of Wonders, among others, and been recognized by the Calvino Prize. A former librarian and science and technology reporter, they teach fiction workshops at the Highlights Foundation. Alisa now lives in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona.
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