Alicia Elliott's novel offers a haunting exploration of horror and the supernatural, woven into a deeply emotional and challenging narrative. The story follows Alice, a Mohawk new mother, struggling with postpartum depression and cultural disconnection in an affluent Toronto neighborhood. Despite her seemingly perfect life with supportive husband Steve, Alice is overwhelmed by sleepless nights, a baby who won’t feed, and disturbing visions linked to her heritage and personal trauma.

Elliott’s writing is a powerful commentary on identity, motherhood, and systemic racism, addressing themes like cultural appropriation and intergenerational trauma. The book is a compelling, albeit intense, read that shines a light on the complexities faced by indigenous women. A must-read for its profound and insightful storytelling. Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC.

Although she has now left her reservation and Haudenosaunee tribe, Alice is pretty sure that she is exactly where she is supposed to be. She is married to university professor Steve, has a beautiful baby girl called Dawn and is writing a novel rooted in her beloved culture. However, while navigating life as a new mum, Alice slowly starts to fall into madness. As the voices get louder and the walls start closing in, Alice starts to wonder whether it is all in her head or whether everyone is out to destroy her.

I was completely hooked by this book. When the shift happens very near the end (and therefore totally unexpectedly!), my jaw dropped but as it developed, I began to realise what had been really happening to Alice and I was astonished by the complexity of the plot. It made me question everything within the previous 80% of the book but not in a frustrating way. It was so well done and it could have easily got confusing but it really didn't!

The most prominent themes of the book are motherhood, mental health, generational trauma and how all of these things are linked. The fact that we got all of these things from Alice's perspective meant that I got to know her really well and was so interested in her fragile mind. I was rooting for her to be OK while obsessed with figuring out what was really going on. As it turned out, I never would have guessed the turn it took but it was fantastically original and interesting.

I also loved the strong theme of storytelling and the importance of telling the stories of marginalised communities. There was a real urgency to relate the experience of Haudenosaunee women to the reader and it made for a thoroughly compelling reading experience.

There are also some natural links to Alice in Wonderland which aren't rammed down the reader's throat but are easy to spot if you're an Alice fan. The Easter eggs started piling up once I started looking for them and it was so much fun to make those connections.

I can definitely say that And Then She Fell is one of the best books I've read this year and I'll definitely be recommending it to everyone who loves weird girl books. It's reasonably hard to categorise but perhaps that's part of its unique appeal.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book, I was gripped! However, the second half didn't capture my interest as much, it was slower and harder to get into.

It's a well written and tense story, disturbing and dark. The storytelling is excellent and there's a sense of dread. Good character development.
It should be a higher rating but I recently read a couple of books with a similar plot and I'm just wondering if it's a new trend or it was coincidence
That said I recommend it because it's well developed.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I thought some of this book was okay, but it didn't wow me, and some of the book was distinctly under whelming for me I. thought it was too slow, and not a good read I am afraid.

Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley for the ARC - so honoured I got my hands on this PHENOMENAL novel before the rest of the world. Motherhood, mental health, inter-generational traumas, spirituality, transmission, legacy, history of colonisation and the ramifications of it to this day. It was so beautiful, so sad yet funny at times. Compelling read. Amazing storytelling. Highly recommend!

Alicia Elliott's profound genre defying storytelling is of heartbreaking horror, a descent into madness, and the supernatural. It is a chilling, demanding and challenging read that naturally divides into two halves, and probably not for everyone, although it truly deserves the widest possible readership. It touches on important themes and issues, bringing them to life through the character of a Mohawk new mother, Alice, ostensibly in what looks to be ideal circumstances, but as we learn, nothing could be further from the truth. Still grieving from the recent loss of her mother, feeling like a failure to baby Dawn, the desperate Alice is struggling to cope, having left the reservation, married to the seemingly perfect supportive white husband, Steve, an academic specialising in Mohawk culture, but is this a man that can be trusted?

The despairing Alice now lives in a upmarket white Toronto neighbourhood where she is the only indigenous person, she is being crushed by the lack of sleep, what seems like her baby's rejection, the never ending crying and refusal to feed. She is worn out, weighed down of her lack of self esteem and post partum depression as she constantly questions herself and her abilities. She feels guilt at leaving her old life and compelled to write a contemporary retelling of the Haudenosaunee creation story, but strange and odd things are happening around her. The neighbours do not welcome her, a threatening presence, making disturbing comments, on her culture and race. Everything looks set to fall apart, as when she was younger, when Pocahontas reached out from the TV to speak to her, there are bizarre and surreal hallucinations, contacts set in the future, and so much more. Will the vulnerable Alice be able to save herself and her daughter?

Elliot proves to be a remarkable writer as she illuminates what it is to be an indigenous woman, writing of issues over identity, motherhood, disconnection, racism, indigenous beliefs, spirituality and culture, intergenerational trauma, mental health issues, oppression and cultural appropriation. It's barely surprising that Alice is buckling under, she is swamped by what is nothing less than a horror story, an emotional nightmare, of being a mother and that reveals the kind of troubling history and current pressures that make for a moving and inspiring book that is powerful, educational and informative. A must read that I recommend highly. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

First half was great would recommend. The second half was slow and lacked intrest and I had to persevere to finish it.

A book of two halves for me. The first part was good. But then the second half lost me and I became a bit uninterested and my attention started drifting.

The author deals with some delicate subjects from post partum, to mental illness, to racism, to indigenous identity to belonging and all the stories that are passed down through generations and also navigating motherhood as a first time mum. If you are triggered by anything mentioned please bare it in mind before reading the book. Although the author does a good job with dealing with everything in a sensitive manner.

We follow the story of Alice who is a new mum. Who has just moved into a all white neighborhood to raise her child, along with the child's father who is trying to become an expert in indigenous culture.

The second half switches pov and went into a very wild direction that didn't really make any sense.

An incredible debut exploring motherhood, post partum psychosis, mental illness, racism, indigenous identity, belonging and stories passed down- this book blew my mind!!

The first kind of 80% follows the main character Alice as she navigates new motherhood, moving to a white neighbourhood and raising a daughter with a white man who is trying to insert himself into and become an expert on indigenous culture, and as a reader watching as she slowly descends into a rabbit hole of visions of cartoon characters, trees and cockroaches speaking to her throughout her life.

The last 20% then switches to a different POV which I initially didn’t love and wanted to continue to keep hearing from Alice but by the end having this switch up and having the book go in a completely wild direction really elevated the whole book and made it one I’ll be thinking about for a while.

I also was reminded of Everything Everywhere All At Once slightly while reading this in the way both have themes of motherhood, family, alternate realities, fabulist elements and belonging- both very different but if you enjoyed EEAAO, I feel like you’ll enjoy this too!

Can’t recommend this one enough and I feel like we’ll be seeing it everywhere when it comes out (deservedly so!!)

I really enjoyed the first half of this book and getting to know Alice and how she is adapting to become a first time mum. All the worries and problems that come along with being a mum and the lack of sleep.
This book gives enough information to be put off having children.
The second half of the book, really confused me and I just lost interest as I could not connect to her character in the same aspect. I did still enjoy the writing but it became less gripping and took me a few put the book down and pick the book back up in order to finish.

Thanks Netgalley & Publisher for this Advance reader copy

The first part of this novel is utterly gripping. Where I'm less sure is the second part, which shifts into territory which I think Elliott may be aiming for as sub-Atwood, but is in fact more like some of Marge Piercy's early work. (I'm a big fan of Piercy but not entirely sure it works here.)

3.5 stars

I liked the first half of this book best, getting to know Alice, as she gets to grip with being a first time mum.
The worries and problems that go song with that, sll heightened by lack of sleep.
It gives such a raw account, it would be enough to put you off having kids.

The last part confused me slightly, I couldn't connect with it the same way, but I still enjoyed the writing.
Overall its a great read, with a lot of tough subject matters , all handled well.