Elsewhere
Author: Alexis Schaitkin
Dates read: July 10-13, 2024
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
“We could do nothing but leave our daughters with some trace of ourselves and hope that maybe, someday, they would come find us.”
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Also by Alexis Schakitkin…
Long Story Short: A town high up in the mountains has an “affliction” where mothers vanish. It has become an accepted occurrence in this society, and one that the townspeople explain away as a punishment for a mother who must have not been mothering properly, either loving their child too much or not enough. Vera, the story’s main character, loses her mother as a young girl and her father never remarries.
A stranger named Ruth visits the town one day and everyone is enamored with her; they want to bring her into their way of life and show her all of the beauties of where they live. Although Ruth is initially mild-mannered and quiet, her behavior changes as Ruth becomes closer with Vera and starts to question her about if she will consider leaving the town. Vera soon discovers that at night, Ruth visits her home to sleep with her father. Vera becomes disenchanted with Ruth and spreads this information through the town, and everyone turns on Ruth; She is forced out of the town one day by the villagers.
Years later, Vera is a mother herself to young daughter Iris and soon begins to fear that she will vanish like her mother. She starts to “see the signs” that are warnings to mothers, and before she vanishes into thin air, she leaves her home, husband, and child behind in an attempt to save herself. She flees to a nearby city and works odd jobs for some time to survive. Vera begins to question if she was going to vanish or if she has made a terrible mistake and decides to return to Iris.
When Vera returns to her hometown, no one recognizes her. She lives in anonymity and tries to become closer to Iris, hoping to convince her of who she is and that there is another way of life. Vera also returns to her husband and is intimate with him, although he doesn’t know who she really is. Iris learns of all this and turns on Vera and spreads this information through the town. The townspeople turn on Vera and force her to leave. Once this happens, Vera realizes that Ruth was her mother and she is repeating history. Vera goes back to her life in a coastal town and hopes that Iris will one day find her.
Ruth’s Take:
This was such an interesting read! I really enjoyed the character arcs and Vera’s growth as a person and her realizations as she grows older and leaves her hometown. Though you can gather what is going to happen to a degree, there are many plot twists that I wasn’t expecting. As a mother of an only-child daughter, I was particularly drawn to Vera and Iris’ relationship which was articulated so well and at times mirrored my own. I was very sad and angry when Vera left Iris prematurely; this is the first “aha” moment where the reader discovers that the mothers don’t vanish, they leave. I think Vera must have felt depressed and disposable, as she often said (and felt when she was younger) that life carried on without the mothers and their loss wasn’t mourned by the community. The heartbreaking realization that Vera shunned her own mother was tough, especially when you can see it happening with Vera herself by Iris. It was such a captivating story and one I finished quickly!
Reading this for a Book Club?
Here are some questions to entice your readers:
Mr. Phillips tells Vera “Every generation needs a stranger.” Do you think this is true in the case of the town? What do you suppose would happen if no strangers arrived after Vera?
The mothers do not “vanish,” they leave. Do you think all of the mothers left of the same circumstances as Vera, fearful that they must leave before they are “taken,” or do you think some of them wanted to leave? If so, who?
What did you think about the town’s participation in the ceremony that took place after a mother had “vanished?” Were you surprised that the people in the town (with the exception of the affected family) did not find it sad?
How long did it take for you to realize that Ruth was Vera’s mother? If Ruth had told Vera she was her mother, do you think Vera would have believed her, or would she have responded similarly to how Iris reacted?
The mothers were fearful of being taken, and yet there were no measures to stop this from happening to them. Do you think this caused them to leave their town?
Were you surprised that Peter did not recognize Vera? Why do you think Vera didn’t reveal herself to him?
Anna rejected Vera’s friendship after Anna’s mother vanished. Why do you think that is? Did it surprise you to hear that Anna also left her family as an adult?
Do you believe places like this exist in the world? Would you choose to live in them if you could?
Before Vera’s return home was revealed and even afterwards, the book could have taken many different turns in the plot. What were some of the alternate scenarios you imagined?
Vera says she will wait for Iris along the coast for eternity. Do you think Iris will eventually go to the shore marked by Vera’s photograph and find her mother?