Smothermoss

By: Alisa Alering

Narrated by: Susan Bennett

In 1980s Appalachia, sisters Sheila and Angie couldn’t be more different. While their mother works long shifts at the nearby asylum, Sheila cares for their home and keeps to herself, even when enduring relentless bullying. Her fearless younger sister, Angie, is more focused on fighting imaginary zombies and creating tarot-like cards that seem to have minds of their own.

When the brutal murder of two female hikers on the nearby Appalachian Trail stuns their small community, the sisters find themselves tangled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Angie discovers a ripped, blood-soaked shirt; money Sheila’s been stashing away disappears; and a strange man tries to barter with a woman’s watch at a local store. As the threat of violence looms larger, the mysterious, ancient mountain they live on—and their willingness to trust each other—might be the only things that can save these sisters from the darkness consuming their home.

In turns both terrifying and otherworldly, author Alisa Alering opens the door to the hidden world of Smothermoss—a mountain that sighs, monsters made of ink, rabbits dead and alive, and ropes that won’t come undone. Unsettling, propulsive, and wonderfully atmospheric, Alering’s stunning debut novel renegotiates what is seen and unseen, what is real and what is haunted.

“Tense and absorbing … an original story from a truly gifted storyteller.”—Karen Joy Fowler

©2024 Alisa Alering (P)2024 Recorded Books

One of my favorite books this year!

This was a rich story of Appalachia, the pressures of growing into womanhood as an outsider, and the magic of the mountains. The prose is poetic and the dialogue is authentic. I’m not great at summaries, but this book made me proud of be an Appalachian woman!

Not my cup of tea, despite beautiful writing

I wanted to love this, but I found it frustrating because there were too many things left unanswered. It sort of reminded me of the TV show, “Lost”. I absolutely loved the authors use of figurative language and imagery. I found myself going back and listening to portions of the book over again because it was so well written. However, I just couldn’t understand the symbolism and the main plot. Perhaps I’m missing the point. As I say to my students, not everything or everyone will be your cup of tea, and this resolution was not mine.

Savors Nostalgic Appalachia

Told from the view of two adolescents, the pacing is as patient, detailed and wandering as the mountains themselves, in a beautiful and nostalgic way. The writer has an excellent voice to tell a story like this and keep you enrapt with each sentence. Both surreal and gritty, realistic prose bat your imagination back and forth while you sift through clues and vignettes to find the treasure lurking in a leaf-shaded glen at the end.

Frustration

Made no sense! Nothing was resolved or answered. The sisters came to an understanding, but that’s about it. Would not recommend.

Worthless

Never understood. Kept thinking somehow it would pull together never happened assume a trauma that was never resolved