And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott

A thrilling novel featuring thoughtful social commentary, observations on racism, exploration of mental health, and a unique twist on the Haudensonee creation story

Since January I’ve had the honour and the pleasure of occupying a little section of the Girls to the Front! newsletter written by Susan Sanford Blades. Susan is the authour of the book Fake It So Real which was one of my favourite reads in 2021 and her monthly newsletter is packed full of information celebrating the work of female-identifying or non-binary Canadian fiction writers. In “Carly’s Choice,” I get to provide a mini-review of one of my favourite recent reads and I spend a lot of time every month choosing just the right book to feature there. For this month, there was no hesitation. As soon as I was even partway through my selection, I knew it was the right one which resulted in zero procrastination and the closest I’ve come to being on time with my submission so far! 🎉

I chose And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott and Susan’s newsletter with my thoughts about it went out yesterday morning. The only way to read my portion of the newsletter is if you are subscribed so if you weren’t before now, you missed the original, (don’t miss another - subscribe here!) but I’m super excited for the opportunity to talk about it in my own space here as well.

Here’s the synopsis:

On the surface, Alice is exactly where she should be: She’s just given birth to a beautiful baby girl, Dawn; her charming husband, Steve is nothing but supportive; and they’ve recently moved into a new home in a wealthy neighborhood in Toronto. But Alice could not feel like more of an imposter. She isn’t connecting with Dawn, a struggle made even more difficult by the recent loss of her own mother, and every waking moment is spent hiding her despair from their white, watchful neighbors. 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.

At first, Alice is convinced her discomfort is of her own making. She has gotten everything she always dreamed of, after all. But then strange things start happening. She finds herself losing bits of time, hearing voices she can’t explain, and speaking with things that should not be talking back to her, 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 look at inherited trauma, womanhood, denial, and false allyship, which speeds to an unpredictable—and surreal—climax.

I received a copy of this book from the Penguin Reads program and I was so excited when it arrived. I had read Elliott’s memoir A Mind Spread Out on the Ground back in 2019 and her voice stood out to me as one that was honest and unapologetically frank. I was curious about her transition to fiction and hopeful that the raw nature of her writing would mesh well with her solid storytelling. I’m happy to report that they go together even better than I could have imagined.

And Then She Fell is a perfect read for these darkening days of fall when you really want to curl up under a blanket and just let go into an immersive story. Elliott brings a clear and direct style to her first novel, but that doesn’t make it an easy story to digest. I defy anyone to not have at least a few moments when they think “wtf?” and lower the book away from their eyes or hit pause on their audiobook to mentally walk themselves back through the most recent events.

One of the most meaningful parts of reading this book was that Elliott embedded the lived experience of being an Indigenous woman into every page. She does not spare the non-Indigenous reader from the realities of inherently racist attitudes and approaches when interacting with Indigenous people, Indigenous women in particular. Through writing this work of fiction, she has held up a mirror to non-Indigenous people and reflected that well-meaning does not always equal respect or allyship.

Another key part of this book was Alice’s contemporary version of the Haudenosaunee creation story. No matter how I’ve heard it told, it’s a story I love to listen to and Elliott gave me and others a different experience when thinking about it. Using Alice’s pursuit of her own means to tell the story was a unique way of allowing it to be shared with a reader who may never hear it otherwise.

I have spent a lot of time in the area where Elliott and Alice are from so my familiarity with some of the descriptions really contributed to my enjoyment of the book. When I spoke to her at Whistler Writers Festival last month, we laughed as Elliott talked about all the easter eggs, as she called them. It also makes it an easy recommendation for my friends and family from back there.

This book is not for the faint of heart. It is intense and it is dark and twisting, but it is also witty and sharp. With elements of suspense, history and social commentary, it packs a big punch and will leave any reader thinking about it long after they turn the final page.