Elsewhere is a small, short book that delivers so much atmosphere in a quiet little community in which mothers sometimes just... disappear. 

This is where Vera has grown up, her own mother vanished years ago. Now it is her turn to grow up and become a woman and then a mother, the ultimate responsibility in her community. The women are always quietly looking for signs, who will go next? When Vera becomes a mother, what will be her destiny? 

Full of ruminations on motherhood and allegories to how one can get lost in it, this book was moving on multiple levels. It was unsettling and also beautiful in its own way. There are a lot of vivid details that are not expounded upon, which I'm listing as both praise and criticism. I wanted more, and I also enjoyed the atmosphere created by not receiving it. 

If you've liked Shirley Jackson, Margaret Atwood, or Jessamine Chan, I think this is worth picking up!