American Elsewhere

The secrets of "American Elsewhere" permeate the text: the third person perspective is absolutely not omniscient, as every individual in Wink knows infinitely more than we as readers. It is the alien that draws us in, pondering the possibilities of what it going on. So much is thrown at us early in the novel that at times it seems impossible that it will ever be reconciled, yet if we presume the skill of the storyteller, we persevere simply to discover what the connections will be: who was Mona's mother? What are the secrets of Wink? How did the town become as it is (however that may be), and who are the various mysterious forces working in the background? So much about this novel tantalizes off the jump, but without any solutions and show more just more questions, many readers may become lost if they don't engage with the mysteries. Counterpointing the early portion of the novel, once the first threads are laid bare before us, the latter half is a study in chaos as the perfect world of wink falls apart.

This is a solid work of New Weird fiction with a distinctly American flavour. Well worth the read for anyone who appreciates something a little bit different, and enjoys a challenge to standard perspectives (not necessarily of the medium, but certainly of the content).

Though not as lyrical as China Mieville, and far more lucid than many other attempts at a similar genre, "American Elsewhere" encompasses themes of escaping reality, inevitability, unmet expectations, family, boundaries, and many others, making it a compelling offering. show less

A delightful cross between Stephen King and H. P. Lovecraft, set in rural New Mexico. Mona Bright, a former police officer, unexpectedly inherits a home in Wink, New Mexico, from the mother she barely knew. Upon arriving in Wink, she discovers that the tiny town harbors all sorts of secrets -- some of them not of this world.

This book is quite long but is worth the time -- it moves quickly and kept me constantly on my toes. The setting, rural New Mexico with a few speculative tweaks, shines just as brightly as Mona herself. I appreciated that the story was suspenseful and sometimes graphic, but not too gory -- nothing gratuitous. I really enjoyed this novel.

Bennett is very much "see his name, put the book on hold" for me, and that means I went into this missing a really key piece of information: it was published more than a decade ago. As a result, I spent a lot of this judging it against his more recent works, which was really not fair to it. "This is less original than he usually is!" "This character is less well-drawn than he usually manages!" "The pacing is just not as good as is usual for him!" All of that is true, but, well, it's an earlier novel. Unfortunately, it's too late for me to undo all of those mental comparisons.

However, if you like eldritch horror, or if you loved Welcome to Night Vale (and especially if you are into both), this might be a good book for you! I'm not show more especially into either one, and also, as I mentioned, I was reading uphill on this one because I was expecting so much more, so it wasn't the best book for me. But, note, I still finished it, and aside from one interest dip after I figured out what was going on and realized I was going to have to soldier on with the MC not knowing, it held me the whole way through.

(Spoilery side note: Bennett did the scene from every horror video game ever made! You know, the one where you're exploring an abandoned thing and someone left behind a recording that explains it all, but OH NO it is corrupted. And he basically made it make sense! So, you know, even here he managed to surprise me a bit.) show less

Wink, New Mexico. Lovely town, nestled between the mesa and the mountains. Hard to find - not on the maps. Grew up around the government lab on the mesa, but no one talks about that anymore. Definitely retro, a real 1950s vibe, but its people are fine with that, they say. Life goes along well, as long as they avoid the forests and canyons outside town. As long as they stay indoors at night.

To Wink comes Mona Bright, who has just inherited a house in the town. She inherited it from her mother, the mother she remembers as a quiet, fearful woman, who never mentioned an earlier life in New Mexico. Who committed suicide when Mona was just seven. The townspeople don't remember Laura Bright, but they are perturbed that Mona arrived during the show more funeral of the town's most prominent citizen, who was murdered. And that particular man should have been immune to murder.

I was in the room when the book won the Shirley Jackson Award for best novel in 2013. Reading it now, during the COVID-19 epidemic, seemed fitting somehow, although there's no plague in the story. There's a lot else, though, in this horror story, about power, community, and denial. It feels much more in the vein of Lovecraft than Jackson, putting humans in a small oasis in a vast, hostile universe. The Jackson connection comes from the small town with a big secret, I guess.

If you're looking for something even more horrifying than the evening news, this probably won't get you there, but it's a fat (almost 700 pages) and satisfying read. show less

One part each Supernatural & Stephen King, with a splash of Donnie Darko for that extra-trippy feeling.

(Full disclosure: I received a free advanced review copy of this book through Library Thing’s Early Reviewer program.)

Welcome to Wink, where the sky meets the earth - and bumps up against the skies of infinite other worlds!

No matter how far or long her travels, Mona Bright has never felt as though she belonged; never felt at home, or even whole, deep down in the innermost reaches of her soul. Her chronically depressed, possibly schizophrenic mother committed suicide when Mona was just four years old; after Laura’s death, Mona and her alcoholic father Earl resumed their nomadic lifestyle, chasing odd jobs through the southwest and show more finding common ground only in hunting blinds and improvised shooting ranges. As soon as she turned 18, Mona left home, eventually settling down in Houston where she became a police officer. She met a guy, fell in love, became pregnant – only to have to her hopes of fresh starts and second chances destroyed in one tragic instant. With this, Mona resumed a life of drinking and wandering. Running, you might say.

The source of Mona’s malaise never required a supernatural explanation. That is, until she lands in Wink, New Mexico.

Upon her father’s death, Mona unexpectedly inherits a house that her mother, Laura Gutierrez Alvarez, purchased before her life with Earl and Mona. Set in the shadow of the Coburn National Laboratory and Observatory, the town of Wink was established in the ‘60s as a support for the government-funded research lab. Though Coburn is long deserted, the town remains – and in an idyllic state: despite its harsh desert climate, all the lawns in Wink are forever green and perfectly manicured. The sky is always a brilliant shade of blue, and at night an oddly pink moon shines down upon the residents. Divorce is unheard of, and all the television sets are tuned to the 1980s. Think: Leave It to Beaver meets Roswell.

With less than two weeks to spare, Mona speeds off to Wink to claim her inheritance – and hopefully learn more about the mother who is but a distant, painful memory.

More disconcerting to Mona than Wink’s odd, occasionally foreboding ambiance is the life her mother lived here. The sad, paranoid woman Mona knew is nowhere to be seen. In her place, Mona finds a happy, sociable, competent woman who is a complete stranger to her. Even more shocking: Laura wasn’t part of the support staff in Wink, but rather a research scientist at Coburn. Laura Alvarez, mentally ill, unemployed wife of alcoholic oil jockey Earl Bright III, once had a doctorate in physics and was second in charge to only to Dr. Coburn himself. What could have happened to Laura in Wink that caused her to fall so far?

As Mona investigates her mother’s life and work, she begins to uncover that which is best left “unseen” in Wink. Laura’s trail leads Mona on a journey of self-discovery – which not-so-coincidentally coincides with a similar awakening for the town’s otherworldly inhabitants. Mona has unwittingly stumbled into a homecoming-slash-civil war between the people from elsewhere.

The plot is wonderfully weird and touches upon a number of supernatural and sci-fi staples: aliens, multiple universes, cosmic bruising, time travel, body snatchers. An eclectic mix of The X-Files, Supernatural (especially the Season 6 finale “Let It Bleed,” in which H.P. Lovecraft opens a door to Purgatory and the “monster” otherwise known as Dr. Visyak escapes), Stephen King (pick a novel! any novel!), Eureka, and Donnie Darko (it’s the rabbit, stupid!), American Elsewhere is an engaging read. Part science fiction, part horror, part fantasy, part mystery, it defies easy classification – which only adds to its charm.

Additionally, American Elsewhere briefly touches upon racism, homophobia, and sexism. Though the cast of characters could hardly be called “diverse” – most of Wink’s residents are white, middle- to upper-class, engaged in heterosexual relationships, etc. – those few people who don’t neatly fit into Wink’s idealized 1950s mold call attention to Wink’s patriarchal construction. Mona is unequivocally described as Latina – while father Earl is “lily white,” Mona has her mother’s Mexican looks: brown skin (browner than Laura’s, in fact) and dark hair and eyes. In a town that’s 98% white, Mona at first feels conspicuous – yet the issue of her ethnicity never comes up: “It feels as if the citizens of Wink have gotten used to people different from them.” (page 119). Given that Wink is located in New Mexico, its overwhelming whiteness is itself conspicuous.

As is the absence of divorce in Wink. However, we soon see that not all partnerships are happy ones: neighbors Margaret and Helena are both trapped in their marriages, the only respite from which is a brief moment of physical contact, shared from opposite sides of the fence, but once a month. Divorce is forbidden, but homosexuality carries with it a possible death sentence. In their quest to recreate the idyllic “all-American” town, the people from elsewhere have adopted some of the most pernicious of human traits.

A strong 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 on Amazon. Though I greatly enjoyed it (so much so that I’m tempted to try out some of Robert Jackson Bennett’s other works), the ending lacks the expected emotional punch. Unlike some of my all-time favorites, American Elsewhere isn’t a story I’ll be pondering long after I’ve turned the last page.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2013/03/20/american-elsewhere-by-robert-jackson-bennet... show less

A horror story and fantasy both, I found American Elsewhere to be a fun read, but one for which I kept looking for more depth and meaning. To contradict that statement, the main character, Mona , was well drawn and found revelation and growth in the events that took place in Wink, but the rest of the story seemed thin to me. I liked how the tension built as more of "elswhere" and its inhabitants were revealed. Definitely fun and entertaining but not terribly memorable for me.

Wink, New Mexico is a small town unlike any other. On the outside, it is perfect -- white houses with white picket fences and lawns perfectly cropped and green despite the desert sun. Yet beneath the surface are secrets, strange occurs few in the night, places one does not go, shadows into which one does not look.

When Mona finds out she has inherited a home from her mother, she travels to Wink to learn more about the woman she barely knew. As she looks into her mother's past, Mona begins to be drawn into the weird and dangerous world of Wink, a world the could cost her more than her life.

I pretty much loved this book from chapter one, when three men drag a less than human man out of a house and leave him to be destroyed by a powerful show more and terrible creature. The mystery and frightening wonder of that act drew me in immediately. And each new creature was introduced, all odd and frightening and fabulous, I was drawn in all the more. The tales unfolded like fairy tales, with the creatures you don't follow into the woods and the "agreements" made for peace and safety.

I loved Mona. She was cynical, smart, complicated, persistent, wounded, and generally kick ass. She doesn't pick up on all the weirdness right away, but in her defense the people of Wink expend a considerable amount of effort in pretending everything is normal. But once confronted with this reality, she handles it with aplomb and a big ass gun.

I also love how all the villains are interesting and frightening, each the hero of their own story. In fact, the author does so well crafting these characters that I actually pitied even the worst of them. Creating sympathy for characters you are meant (and do at times) hate is a neat trick.

There wasn't a single character that I didn't find interesting to read about, not one I didn't want to learn more about. I adore this story and how it all comes together, unfolding in layers with a good mix of tension and just the right amount of blood splatter. And I as I read the final lines, I didn't even want to put it down; I held onto it, hugging it to my chest, fighting the urge to read it again. show less