About the Book
Title: Cleaning House (Appalachian Elementals #1)
Author: Jeanne G’Fellers
Publisher: Mountain Gap Books
Publication Date: August 1, 2018
Word Count: 512 pages
Tags: LGBT, religion & spirituality, elemental magic
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
Series: Appalachian Elementals
Purchase Links
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Synopsis
Centenary Rhodes is an old soul with a well-traveled name, but she doesn’t know this yet.
Growing up in southern Appalachia wasn’t easy, so Cent left home as soon as she could, but the post-collegiate happiness she’d expected has never occurred. She can’t find a decent date, much less find that special someone and, after losing her job in a corporate downsize, she’s struggling to meet her most basic needs. Her car has been repossessed, her bills are piling up, and her questionable North Chicago neighborhood is dangerous to navigate.
Returning home to Hare Creek, Tennessee, never crosses Cent’s mind until her Great Aunt Tess contacts her with an offer she can’t refuse. The family’s southern Appalachian homestead must be sold, and Aunt Tess needs someone to clean it up. Cent will have access to Aunt Tess’ garden and truck and can live on the homestead rent-free for as long as it takes. A part-time job is waiting for her as well.
It’s a chance to solve some of Cent’s financial woes, but will her return be enough when evil sets its sights on Embreeville Mountain and the homestead?
Cleaning House is a carefully woven Appalachian tapestry of granny magic, haints, elementals, and the fantastic diversity of the human condition – served with a delicious side of fries and a generous quart of peach moonshine.
Review
Cleaning House is the book I didn’t know I needed until I read it. It’s a magic-hiding-in-plain-sight story, but it’s also a celebration: of life, of history, of culture, and of who we are meant to be.
This is a deeply spiritual story. Not in the sense that it preaches itself at readers but in the way it draws us to examine the interconnectedness of life. It’s there from beginning to end, from Centenary’s friends and family to the way the humans interact with the magical realm.
Cent, the central character, is relatable. Her life hasn’t been easy, and she’s discovered what so many young adults today have: that hard work and study don’t always lead to success in the world. She can barely afford rent and groceries, and like many LGBTQ people, her only comfort is in her chosen family (in the form of her friend Betty, who is delightful).
After a stark beginning to the story, Cent’s life is suddenly in upheaval when she’s called home by her aunt. The balance between obligations to (supportive) family and the desire to distance oneself from a painful past is well done. Cent isn’t anxious to go back, but fortunately for us, she takes the plunge.
From there, the real magic happens, literally and figuratively. One of my favorite concepts in a story is when the setting is almost a character itself. This book takes that to the next level, and the land is, in fact, and actual, sentient character. Or more specifically, several. Like their real-world counterpart, they’ve absorbed the traditions of many peoples over many centuries. It’s easy to believe that there really are elemental spirits and fairies and ghosts living in the very earth of Appalachia. Or perhaps there are and we’re too mortal to see them.
While this story is full of beautiful, wonderful queerness in all its glory, it isn’t limited to that. It’s also about taking care of each other and the earth; it’s about coming home; it’s about family of origin and chosen family; and it’s about standing up against the forces of destruction all around us. This is a book for anyone who is looking for love and beauty amidst all the ugliness and cruelty our modern world so often displays.
For likeable, relatable characters, a setting with a literal soul, and a story that stays in your heart long after its finished, this gets 10/10 fountain pens.
Guest Post
Jeanne G’Fellers has graciously offered some words on the spirituality in Cleaning House. This novel is one of the most deeply spiritual I’ve read, and I love all the symbolism. Here, Jeanne tells us about some of her own practices and a bit about the rich cultural roots in her home region of Appalachia.
In this excerpt, Cent, the story’s protagonist, her Great Aunt Tess, and Cent’s cousin, Aubrey, are sitting on a porch, discussing the dilemma they find themselves in, more directly, the person causing the dilemma, a man named Ivan Ruleman and his drive to own the property they’re all trying to protect.
“I don’t understand,” said Cent. “Why’d he attack me at Dryler’s if he only wants the land?”
“You tell me.” Tess’ gaze was fully on Cent. “How’d he feel when you faced him?”
“Strong and mean.” Cent raised her injured hand to look at it. “I’d have called 911 on him if I’d thought anyone would’ve believed me.”
“I met Ivan Ruleman when he was about your age,” Tess continued. “Good soul. A true Christian. He did more than talk the talk. He lived the life. He was quiet, a working type so you’d never know he came from money, and his church congregation adored him.”
“You attended his church?” Aubrey wrinkled his brow.
“Why not? Just because he and I don’t share all the same beliefs doesn’t mean we haven’t got a lot in common. He talked abouthelping, of loving your neighbor, about how a person should not judge another. He even visited me after your Uncle Kinnon died, brought me a Bible and a stack of casseroles his congregation had made. Those meals are long gone, but I’ve still got that Bible and have read it cover-to-cover several times.” Tess stroked the porch rail with her weathered hand. “It’s like every other religious text. It can be used for good or bad, dependin’ on how you take the words. But this ain’t about the Bible. This is about Ivan Ruleman. He changed a few years ago, suddenly got mean. His congregation split soon after. Most of them moved to other churches, but a handful stayed, and they’ve turned mean too. Ugly. Full of piss and bile. Negative. Genuine hypocrites. They’re every bit as hate-filled as he is.”
“He has minions, great.” Aubrey sighed. “But that doesn’t explain why he wants us off this property so bad.”
“I think it does,” said Tess. “He wants it sold so he can have it for himself, but he don’t want the house nor the land. Ivan Ruleman wants other things here, things much more important.”
“He’s a preacher, so why would he…” Cent gasped as the reason behind Ruleman’s powerful grip on her arm became clear. The problem wasn’t Ruleman himself. No, he was merely a puppet, a conduit for something in search of— “Energy. He’s being controlled by the same force I felt directing Mama.”
“Exactly.” Tess dropped her arm into her lap. “We’re gatekeepers, Cent. We watch over this land so others can cross the veil to rest before their next lives. The elementals here are bound to this place to help protect it.” She opened her eyes wide and leaned forward to stare at Cent. “And something dark wants what we’re guarding.”
What am I trying to say with this excerpt? Whatever religion, faith, or spiritual path a person might follow, they all have one thing in common: the ability to be used for good or evil. It isn’t a matter of the specifics, but what you choose to do with them. I’ve seen paganism used to disguise white supremacy, the Bible and Koran used to justify…you name the ill. Being a good person has nothing to do with what you believe. How you act or don’t act on those beliefs is what’s important.
As a solitary natural witch with strong feminist leanings, I follow the path of the divine feminine. It’s not that I worship multiple deities or even one for that matter, or that I believe females are superior. Solitary practitioners all choose their own path. It’s the idea, the natural process of nurturing, growth, creation (and sometimes destruction), and the wisdom that comes with age, that I embrace and follow. It really has nothing to do with female anatomy, aside from symbology, but everything to do with what’s recognized as feminine in nature…and that can and does include men and nonbinary people in the divinity process.
So how does this fit into Cleaning House? As aunt Tess says, “Everything’s a mix in Appalachia.” These mountains are among the oldest on Earth. That’s a lot of time, energy, creation, destruction, and ancient, natural magic. It’s something that the Tsalagi (Cherokee) people recognized, as did the mix of Scots, Irish, English, and German settlers who came later (there were some Spanish explorers in there too, by the way). We’ve become a mix of religions (though there is still a decidedly Protestant edge), beliefs, and practices. Modern pagans embrace this mix, but the word witch wasn’t used in open conversation around here until recently because of the traditions and fears that derived in Europe. Appalachian practices such as bibliomancy, cartomancy, curses, hexes, and herbalism, among others, are, by definition, traditional witchcraft, but you certainly can’t tell the elder protestant Christian practitioners that.
There’s also a small but growing sect of witchcraft that centers on the Appalachian Mountains and their ancient divine nature, but that’s another subject altogether and one I’ll be ready to discuss after I learn more about it.
Thank you for stopping by. I hope readers check out this book, and be sure to look for more in this series as well as other books from Mountain Gap with a uniquely Appalachian flair.
About the Author
Born and raised in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, Science Fiction and Fantasy author Jeanne G’Fellers’ early memories include watching the original Star Trek series with her father and reading the books her librarian mother brought home. Jeanne’s influences include author Anne McCaffrey, Ursula K. LeGuin, Octavia Butler, Isaac Asimov, and Frank Herbert.
Jeanne’s first series, The Taelach Sisters Series, won two Golden Crown Literary Awards for excellence in Speculative Fiction and was short-listed for a Lambda Literary Award.
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