Smothermoss

by Alisa Alering

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1959030582
• ISBN13: 9781959030584
• Release Date: July 2024
• Publisher: Tin House Books
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Maybe Mismarketed?

I was interested in this because it was marketed as an Appalachian horror/mystery. After reading, I would say this is actually a queer coming of age story with gothic elements and magical realism. I didn’t find the ending to be as satisfying as I wanted it to be, or rather, I wish the answer to a question I had about the older sister, Sheila, was more clear. Though this book wasn’t what I expected it to be, which is usually a big turn off (I can’t stand when something isn’t marketed correctly), I still found this book to be an engaging read, despite plot lines ending up unresolved by the end. All in all, worth the read imo.