Imagining Elsewhere

by Sara Hosey Narrated by Suzanne Freeman

Overview

Being a better person can be a lot harder than it looks.

It’s 1988, and former bully Astrid is forced to move from Queens to the small town of Elsewhere. Although this town is totally weird, Astrid sees the move as a way to reinvent herself. That is, until Candi—the teenage tyrant with supernatural powers who rules Elsewhere—decides she wants Astrid to be her new bestie.

Having to choose between the perks and safety of being the Queen B’s best friend and the desire to be a better person could literally cost Astrid her life. As Astrid and her new friends begin to dig into the dark history of Elsewhere and the source of Candi’s powers, they form a dangerous plan to resist Candi’s compulsion and to escape Elsewhere, or else be doomed to live under Candi’s rule forever.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"It’s 1988 in Elsewhere, New York, and Astrid Friedman-Smith knows something is off about the town’s obsession with a powerful and very beautiful teen girl . . . an interesting take on power, bullying, and fear.” —Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

2022-03-29
It’s 1988 in Elsewhere, New York, and Astrid Friedman-Smith knows something is off about the town’s obsession with a powerful and very beautiful teen girl.

When her mother’s new job lands Astrid and her younger sister, Cecile, in Elsewhere for Astrid’s senior year, an interaction with Candi Clifton at school puts the girl’s bizarre degree of influence on full display. Astrid begins to uncover Candi’s deeply disturbing mind-controlling abilities that have led people to embarrassing or hurting themselves and even dying. She has a hold on the community because of their fear of her power, and when Astrid has a chance to get close to Candi, she plots a way to take her down. Astrid’s own past is storied, having intensely bullied a classmate of hers in Queens. Astrid is a complicated and at times selfish antihero, though she is remorseful. Hosey takes her time getting the plot going; the book initially spends too much time establishing Candi’s power. There are footnotes sprinkled throughout, some to explain unfamiliar elements from the time period, but Hosey also uses them to speak directly to readers. These notes are inconsistent, and not all references that could benefit from an explanation get one. Most main characters are cued as White; Astrid is Jewish, and she experiences antisemitism in her new town, where there is also a racial divide.

Despite uneven pacing, an interesting take on power, bullying, and fear. (content warning, discussion questions, author Q&A) (Paranormal. 13-16)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175636032
Publisher:	CamCat Publishing
Publication date:	06/28/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos