Book Review: And Then She Fell, by Alicia Elliott 4.5/5 Stars

 

As I tend to do, I've veered off a bit from my Water theme, but in all fairness, I started this one prior to deciding on a theme. 

   This book is a wild wild ride. 

I did a little bit of examining other folks reviews before I started mine because I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about it. Oddly one of the biggest complaints was a very abrupt point of view change that occurs in the latter part of the book.   I puzzled on this because lots of books have POV changes and this one certainly wasn't confusing at all. Some of the concepts that the POV change introduced were unique, but...I think, people were just feeling uncomfortable with some of the things brought up by our main character Alice, that they seized on something that was socially appropriate to challenge. 

   In summary (no real spoilers), Alice is a new Mom (a Mohawk woman raised on Six Nations) living in a upscale white Toronto neighborhood.  Like many new Moms, she's exhausted and although a lot of people are well meaning and trying to be helpful, she's noticing their major shortcomings.  In these moments, I felt that a lot of readers (myself included) might have seen themselves and found themselves lacking.  SO UNCOMFORTABLE.  I did take a few moments to really see myself from Alice's point of view, and then try to adjust my own perceptions. I'd like to think I learned some things. 

Alice has support, but it isn't the support she needs,  (and truly one issue I think a lot of new mothers face is that people only offer things they want to offer, not always what's needed- this could be said for folks suffering many sorts of stressors or crises.) She breaks down, and this is where this dreaded POV switch occurs. 

 In this point of view switch, something amazing happens and the reader is immersed in an alternative environment/universe if you will, leading to an exploration of what might have been or what could be. The conclusion brings the reader to a realization that no life is truly fully full of comfort or ease, and that all options and choices will encompass various hardships.   

This is all done with the help of a cockroach, and the story of Skywoman. 

This was the debut novel for Alicia Elliott, who is a Mohawk woman and based on reading a few interviews it seems she did gain inspiration for much of the novel from various personal experiences. 

The gorgeous cover design was done by Chippewar, and they are worth checking out here  I note that this book has had a few covers, so I hope I'm crediting the right artist with the correct cover, feel free to correct if you know otherwise, I can easily edit. 

As a book that addresses many women's issues, mental health, and Indigenous issues,  it shines as a debut, and I'm interested in reading more from this author.   

Let me know if you've read this and what your thoughts are!