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"Elsewhere" by Alexis Schaitkin is a genre blend of Dystopian and Speculative Fiction!

A small nameless mountain town hidden in the clouds is cool and damp through the year. This community is protective of their privacy and their strict traditions and rituals surrounding the affliction as if the knowledge of its existence is born in each of them.

Young girls know the affliction sets them apart from elsewhere and understand it to be the best and worst parts of their existence. They will marry, become mothers and some of them will simply disappear into the clouds. The young mothers feel the affliction's scrutiny and speculate which one among them will be the first to go.

When Vera was a young girl, her mother disappeared and now she is a young mother wondering if the affliction will come for her or if she will be able to stay and raise her child.

I did struggle reading the print copy, but the story came to life for me as I began to listen to the audiobook. I let the dystopian-speculative fiction story carry me away as I listened. Closing my eyes, the author's vivid prose painted the pictures of the story in my mind’s eye. It was an amazing experience listening to narrator, Ell Potter, with her British accent, bring this story to life.

A little more than halfway in, the story takes a turn I didn't expect, and it changes everything I thought this book would be. It quickly became the best and most interesting part of the book and takes the reader to the heart of the premise.

The social topics within take this one up a notch for me: motherhood versus loss of personal identity, self-doubt versus confidence, perception versus reality, and apathy versus compassion. This is the type of story that creates thoughtful conversation, different interpretations, and it's what I love the most about this book!

This is an interesting dystopian community with peculiar lifestyles and customs. One thing is certain, I will never pass-through, visit, or live in this place in the clouds! I do, however, recommend this novel to those who enjoy the Sci-Fi genre. I look forward to reading this author's future work and plan to read her debut novel, "Saint X" in the near future.

4.5 stars!

Thank you to Celadon Books for a physical ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.