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"Bristles with dark magic. . . . equal parts gruesome and gorgeous and otherworldly."―The New York Times Book Review
"This beautifully strange book of the mountains is alarming and inspiring."―Samantha Hunt, author of The Unwritten Book
Finalist for the 2024 Big Other Book Award
A haunting, imaginative, and twisting tale of two sisters and the menacing, unexplained forces that threaten them and their rural mountain community.
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. Bristles with dark magic. . . . equal parts gruesome and gorgeous and otherworldly. Smothermoss is a compulsive journey through a wild, unknowable landscape and the wilder hearts of young girls trying to understand themselves, and find their way to each other.
-The New York Times Book Review
Surreal, thrilling. . . . Moody, potent, and tinged with the occult, Smothermoss is unlike anything I've read in a long time.
-Bustle, A Best Book of Summer
For those obsessed with Appalachian lore comes a hauntingly atmospheric tale toeing the line of a twisted fairy tale. Centered on two sisters growing up in 1980s Appalachia, this novel is a gothic and propulsive read that will dazzle you from start to finish.-Barnes & Noble, A Most Anticipated Debut of 2024
Atmospheric. . . . one part fairy tale, one part thriller. . . . a compelling debut that glimmers with the lights of the forest as it unwinds its tale.-Kirkus Reviews
Evocative.-Publishers Weekly
Alisa Alering's alluring novel Smothermoss enters the bloodstream of Appalachian storytelling like a fevered dream, unraveling the intergenerational tales of women living on the edge. . . . a glorious Southern Gothic novel that celebrates women's innate, powerful magic.
-Foreword Reviews, starred review
Stunning. . . . It starts with a vicious death and then spirals into a supernatural tale filled with pitch-perfect tension and atmosphere.-Debutiful
A Southern gothic fairy tale. . . . The story carries you away, with brief chapters and high stakes, each scene building in tension and a sense of wonder, surprising you with the direction these sisters' future may take.-Book Page
Astounding. . . . The descriptive imagery of the natural world calls to mind a more sinister version of Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting, while the peculiar, mystical events draw comparisons to an earthbound Alice in Wonderland.
-Southern Review of Books, Southern Review of Books
Alering is a poet in prose, an alchemist with a pen, and Smothermoss delights and terrifies.
-Shelf Awareness
Unique. . . A cult novel in the best possible way.-Reactor
Spooky and otherworldly, this debut novel will have you feeling unsettled in
"This beautifully strange book of the mountains is alarming and inspiring."―Samantha Hunt, author of The Unwritten Book
Finalist for the 2024 Big Other Book Award
A haunting, imaginative, and twisting tale of two sisters and the menacing, unexplained forces that threaten them and their rural mountain community.
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. Bristles with dark magic. . . . equal parts gruesome and gorgeous and otherworldly. Smothermoss is a compulsive journey through a wild, unknowable landscape and the wilder hearts of young girls trying to understand themselves, and find their way to each other.
-The New York Times Book Review
Surreal, thrilling. . . . Moody, potent, and tinged with the occult, Smothermoss is unlike anything I've read in a long time.
-Bustle, A Best Book of Summer
For those obsessed with Appalachian lore comes a hauntingly atmospheric tale toeing the line of a twisted fairy tale. Centered on two sisters growing up in 1980s Appalachia, this novel is a gothic and propulsive read that will dazzle you from start to finish.-Barnes & Noble, A Most Anticipated Debut of 2024
Atmospheric. . . . one part fairy tale, one part thriller. . . . a compelling debut that glimmers with the lights of the forest as it unwinds its tale.-Kirkus Reviews
Evocative.-Publishers Weekly
Alisa Alering's alluring novel Smothermoss enters the bloodstream of Appalachian storytelling like a fevered dream, unraveling the intergenerational tales of women living on the edge. . . . a glorious Southern Gothic novel that celebrates women's innate, powerful magic.
-Foreword Reviews, starred review
Stunning. . . . It starts with a vicious death and then spirals into a supernatural tale filled with pitch-perfect tension and atmosphere.-Debutiful
A Southern gothic fairy tale. . . . The story carries you away, with brief chapters and high stakes, each scene building in tension and a sense of wonder, surprising you with the direction these sisters' future may take.-Book Page
Astounding. . . . The descriptive imagery of the natural world calls to mind a more sinister version of Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting, while the peculiar, mystical events draw comparisons to an earthbound Alice in Wonderland.
-Southern Review of Books, Southern Review of Books
Alering is a poet in prose, an alchemist with a pen, and Smothermoss delights and terrifies.
-Shelf Awareness
Unique. . . A cult novel in the best possible way.-Reactor
Spooky and otherworldly, this debut novel will have you feeling unsettled in