Ask a Bookseller: ‘Smothermoss’ by debut author Alisa Alering

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now. Christina Rosso-Schneider of A Novel Idea on Passyunk in Philadelphia, Penn., recommends a “fever dream of a novel” that’s risen to the top of her list so far this year. The novel is called “Smothermoss” by debut author Alisa Alering. “It gives very Shirley Jackson or Samantha Hunt kind of vibes, which I’m here for,” says Rosso-Schneider about this sister story set in 1980s Appalachia. Our two sisters in question are as different as could be at the outset. Older sister Sheila is practical and hard-working, trying to keep up with the household chores while their mother works. Angie believes in the other-worldly. She creates drawings that feel like tarot cards and seem to have a life of their own. They live in the woods very near the Appalachian Trail, and the novel’s plot kicks into motion when two female hikers are found murdered near their home. The sisters set out to find the serial killer. The story involves “some true magical realism, like outside-of-this-realm kind of things happening,” says Rosso-Schneider. “It’s gruesome; it’s inspiring; it’s heartfelt. It’s very craveable.”