And Then She Fell

A Novel

De: Alicia Elliott

Narrado por: Cheri Maracle, Jenna Clause

A Globe and Mail "Best Book of 2023"; a Most Anticipated Book Pick by Good Morning America, Bustle, CrimeReads, Electric Literature, Debutiful, Ms. Magazine, The Nerd Daily, and Paste

A mind-bending, razor-sharp look at motherhood and mental health that follows a young Indigenous woman who discovers the picture-perfect life she always hoped for may have horrifying consequences

On the surface, Alice is exactly where she thinks she should be: She’s just given birth to a beautiful baby girl, Dawn; her charming husband, Steve—a white academic whose area of study is conveniently her own Mohawk culture—is nothing but supportive; and they’ve moved into a new home in a posh Toronto neighborhood. But Alice could not feel like more of an impostor. She isn’t connecting with her daughter, a struggle made even more difficult by the recent loss of her own mother, and every waking moment is spent hiding her despair from Steve and their ever-watchful neighbors, among whom she’s the sole Indigenous resident. Even when she does have a minute to herself, her perpetual self-doubt hinders the one vestige of her old life she has left: her goal of writing a modern retelling of the Haudenosaunee creation story.

Then, as if all that wasn’t enough, strange things start to happen. She finds herself losing bits of time and hearing voices she can’t explain, all while her neighbors’ passive-aggressive behavior begins to morph into something far more threatening. Though Steve assures her this is all in her head, Alice cannot fight the feeling that something is very, very wrong, and that in her creation story lies the key to her and Dawn’s survival.... She just has to finish it before it’s too late.

Told in Alice’s raw and darkly funny voice, And Then She Fell is an urgent and unflinching exploration of inherited trauma, womanhood, denial, and false allyship, which speeds to an unpredictable—and surreal—climax.

Complex thoughtful themes

I really enjoyed this book and how it wove in many complex themes and emotions; however, there were times where I thought main character’s psychotic episodes were a little over the top, and it frustrated me that she was portrayed as so misunderstood because she would stop herself from expressing genuine thoughts and emotions and what was going on in her head.

To live, I think you have to fall

This was enjoyably frustrating. I never knew, like Alice, who to trust in her world.
This book hits home in a lot of ways with my own family and that thin line between being connected to the world around you and mental illness. I think the world, from Alice's viewpoint, written so well by Alicia Elliott, is terrifying, beautiful, sad and so filled with love.
It's a great listen, well written, and one of those stories you'll come back to.

Great listen

Overall, this book was fantastic. I could not stop listening. It covers so many important topics.

Nothing like I expected

The storytelling here was so incredibly powerful, moving, at times brutal, and so incredibly loving. I cannot wait to read more works from Alicia Elliott, and to find more Native voices to listen to. What a magnificent journey this book is.

hau day own day!

As a Native woman I absolutely loved this book. I related to so many of the personal experiences of the characters specifically about racial situations in school and predominantly white environments. Loved seeing the aspects of culture that some see as crazy come to life. Aho day baht haw

Captivating and modern

I wish there was more into what happened to Ali. I wish we can know what she felt like after she divorced Steve and gave her heart to her grandchildren. I loved this book either way it makes me feel like people judging women making us feel crazy when really we're not.

Wow! Story telling at its finest

I cannot wait to read more from Alicia Elliott!! This story has so many layers. Bravo!

A fascinating look at mental illness

Sometimes hard to follow through the voice of an unreliable narrator as her mind begins to unravel, first slowly and then seemingly all at once plunges into hallucinations and paranoia. The beauty of the described bond between the native women in this family was a wonderful salve to the harsh realities of mental illness that still exist.

Very hard to relate to.

Did not care for the story. Very hard to get into. Main character was not particularly interesting.