Something Happened Here

by Felicity Meadow

Something Happened Here was written for girls who want to, or have ever wanted to, disappear.

It follows the story of 17 year-old nothing, Sally Fawn, through ink sketches, poetry, and intimate narrative as she returns to her abandoned childhood home with only the desire to disappear. Home was on the derelict Highway 340 in rural Nova Scotia, Canada. Home was dirt, centipedes, and sad dogs, but not Mom. Home was Desiree, who she abruptly had to leave in 5th grade after Dad disappeared into the black Atlantic. That summer, Sally discovers that her home now belongs to someone else. A forcefully charming man named Leon Vaughn, and his jealous dog, Lady. Sally tells him that she's 18. 17 is close enough, right? Leon tells Sally that she's 19.

Something Happened Here reveals the untold story of an invisible girl in an invisible town in rural Nova Scotia, where crime is underreported and when someone disappears, they are forgotten forever. Something Happened Here echoes the voices of women and girls who have been silenced by abuse.

Your voice echoes, and it carries power.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Novels

247 pages, Paperback

Published October 6, 2024

Reviews

[megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the perfect book for girls that dont quite know what they are feeling but also feel weighed down by seemingly nothing at all

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Formating and design of this are so unique and gripping. Reading this book felt like listening to Ethel Cain’s Preacher‘s daughter. Consistent and smart use of visual language and leitmotifs in flora & fauna and their interaction with the protagonist and her relationship with her abuser. Loved the ending and can’t wait for Felicity’s next project.

[Charlotte Mccheyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

You forget how much you miss pictures. At some point you detest reading any sort of text where pictures stand adjacent, like you’re above their influence. But then, you read something like this and berate yourself for ever thinking that way. This is not the typical debut book, I feel like I’ve been reading this work for years, maybe because it’s similar to my own thoughts? You have reignited the spirit in me that loves to read, and you did it by including pictures.

[Adam Haque · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing is repetitive, boring and banal. Attempting to challenge myself as a reader, I stumbled upon this messy and incoherent book. Awful read.

[★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

holy shit. i listened to live through this on my cd player while reading this. i cried, but not at the parts you’d expect. thank you felicity meadow.

[Lani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book was okay. To me it really just seems like antsy teen who just downloaded tumblr in 2014 and thinks they’re different and is trying to convince themself that the entire world’s against them. The illustrations are very pretty though and honestly it’s what drew to me to picking this book up.

[ana solano · Rating 5 out of 5]

best book ever, the poetry is beautiful

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was awesome sause

[daniela · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE. MOST. PERFECT. BOOK. EVER.

[Sydney Trojak · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’m so speechless I think this might be my favorite book ever..
I related so deeply to every page I felt it in my stomach
the ending was so freeing
plz read omg

[maira!]

this book is like fog and the illustrations are beautiful

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

while the transitions were a little off and i feel like desiree and sally’s relationship weren’t fleshed out enough, i couldnt help myself from really liking this book 🥹 i could really resonate with the story and the drawings were such a nice touch… much love from ontario

[De · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the book and authors

[Vic]

Erst dachte ich (S. 1-30), ich würde es nicht mögen, es hat mir milk and honey tumblr vibes gegeben, dann habe ich angefangen, es total toll zu finden. In einem Tag gelesen, die Zeichnungen sind schön und die Musik dazu gut. Hat ein bisschen wehgetan.

[Lenore Nox · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a beautiful contradiction, a hand that keeps pressing on your chest like a weight built of a thousand fading promises.
I ordered the book not knowing anything about the story – I just saw the cover, and the one bad review which said something along the lines of the author needing to be in a mental institution, and I knew – instantly I knew – I had to have it.
As a writer, it’s often hard to shut my brain off when reading and to enjoy a story without revising, editing the words before me, but Felicity Meadow writes in a way that just pulls you in. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t thinking when I read. Perhaps the raw, lyrical way she weaves the words together is reminiscent of the way I write – perhaps that’s the reason I felt such warm familiarity to the book, but perhaps Felicity Meadow is just that good.
This book is not for everyone, that’s clear, but I know with certainty –
This book was for me.
Thank you, Felicity. Thank you for your raw words, for the beautiful scars they left behind. I’ll cherish them forever.

[Sero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first saw this book on tiktok and i was like oh lets read this, and as a person who reads about one book per year, not because i hate reading, but just because i can never find a book or genre i enjoy, this book was amazing, personally the pacing was perfect, the rawness and just how human the whole thing is, this book is a very good read.

[Kahleelee · Rating 5 out of 5]

My tummy hurts

[Fish Food · Rating 5 out of 5]

i LOVED this so so so much. it was so so good and painful and fuckef up but the END omg so cathartic

[corpseprize · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️
characters, story, atmospheare, structure and visuals were great but the writing style pulled me out of it. it really wanted to be something it could have been if it were to be written by another more experienced author. you could just tell it was a debut. often sounded like the result of telling an ai bot to write something edgy (not accusing the author of using ai, just saying). could have been better but i did still enjoy this book a lot
also the symbolism felt very obvious at times and i wish it could have been more subtle instead of screaming to your face

⚠️spoilers ahead: i also thought leons switch up was way too sudden and should have happened more slowly

[julia barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

the poetry and even the prose is really good u can just feel it. its pretty but also well done! honestly yeah the story isn’t really fleshed out well but lowkey that never really mattered to me in terms of readability bc it felt like one long poem or even one long daydream or fantasy. the relationships didn’t really have to be addressed fully like you’re already established in the mind of the main character. buttt also i think the standard structure/ format of fiction constricts the writing. it almost needs to be more abstract with less obligation to conflict and conflict resolution if there is no build up. i like the fantastical element of it so there is an abstract route u could take it idk what that really means tho. the parts I struggled with: the love for lady seemed abrupt? i liked the flip flop love/hate feelings towards leon but his character felt dimensionless. i liked the feelings and prose about her friendship with desiree but that, too, felt abrupt with little buildup i would of liked it if they argued at the bar more, more on the mom?, why does leon know tho…?, more on her life after the age of 11 but before 17.

also loved the illustrations with it, fit the vibe of story great.

[pacitamelodiaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

the ending of this book gave me an inexplicable amount of hope

[Niko King-Mahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought i was the audience initially, but either this was oddly written or im slow

[Jazmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t stop thinking about this book. Such a raw, emotional, devastating read. I love the mix between poetry and prose, as well as the beautiful illustrations. Even though this gutted me, I loved reading this book. Everyone struggles with the slow and painful process of growing up, leaving your childhood behind, living in the awkward phase between adult and child. Bad things happen to you in that phase, and Sally Fawn is the poster child for it. The amount of times I wanted to crawl into the book and either shake some sense into her, or give her the warmest hug. I’ve never read something quite like this. I recently went to rural Nova Scotia this past Summer, and the descriptions in this book were palpable. I’ll definitely reread this book, maybe this time with a pen and some sticky notes. Much love from BC! 🇨🇦

[jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

i LOVED the poetry and artwork in this book!! so amazing

[Jayden Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute masterpiece. I was hooked from the start to the end!

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I thought it was just trashy in the way guilty pleasures are but goodness me I was wrong, this is a heartbreaking piece of literature. It gets tremendously better once more characters are introduced (alongside the nausea) and I really adored the formatting of littered stanzas and illustrations. I finished it in 2 sittings which is surprising considering I’ve been in a reading slump since last summer so that in of itself is a testament to how good it is.

I also cried for almost 20 pages straight so there’s that. Bonus 0.5 because the narrator has the same name as me (So 3.5 but goodreads doesn’t allow halves). I wish some more things were fleshed out like how *blank* (I prefer writing no spoiler reviews) casually knew her family history or the societal critiques that are mentioned in passing but feel rushed over, and the depth of the connection between Sally and D considering the level of comfort they almost immediately find in one another but I do understand that some things must’ve been intentionally left unfinished.

I found the ending cathartic and it gave me the same feeling that the end of the movie Girl interrupted gives me. I love Lady and everything she symbolises, she was unironically one of my top three characters.

You’ll like this book if you like the following: Alice madness returns (the illustrations remind me of it), Girl interrupted but even more so the book, and Lana Del Rey/Ethel Cain. Also if you like @bdsm641 ‘s tiktok slideshows.

Favourite line: “I wonder, if men have intuition, would it be called a hunter’s instinct?”

Here’s the playlist I listened to whilst reading: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5FU...

[kimmypng · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure where to start as I am quite baffled at what I just read. Is this a masterpiece in disguise, or am I reading raw parts of trauma written so thoughtfully??? One thing I know for sure is that I HATE LEON AND I HATE HIM VERY MUCH!! What a disgusting old bastard! For Sally, poor girl Sally, I'm very happy that she eventually escaped that horror town and freak house and that she is able to start a new life with Desiree and Lady.

As for the book itself, I really feel like I have read something similar to Ottessa Moshfeghs' "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" and Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar". But somehow, something even more sad and messier and teenage-ish. Once I started reading, it just swallowed me whole into this different world. I couldn't put the book down either. I really am not sure whether to give this book 4.5 or 5 stars as honestly, I love books that have that eerie messed up athmosphere and books that really makes you think "what did I just read". The problem is, books like these really leave a cloud of saddness lingering above me. I feel like perhaps this book really made me feel like I was nothing, perhaps that's what the author wanted us to feel, just like how Sally felt, and honestly, I felt every single thing. I just wish that there was more context so that it felt more lively, but perhaps that wasn't the purpose. I do believe that this is a good debut novel!

So I give this book 4.5 stars, the illustrations are beautiful and they were drawn very talentfully. Definitely, a book I will not forget.

[marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book because the way Sally's life is described in the synopses sounds a lot like certain phases of mine. At a certain point it got very raw and painful and I considered taking a break to read something else. But I reasoned that my discomfort was a good thing since it speaks to Felicity Meadow's talent in evoking very real, visceral feelings that young girls and women experience. I've even thought of playlists for the archetypal roles that Sally, Desiree and Gloria play in the story. Sally's main artists would be Nicole Dollanganger, Mitski and Ethel Cain, Desiree's would be Lana Del Rey and Fiona Apple; Gloria's playlist would be full of Stevie Nicks and Florence + the Machine.

However I wasn't sure what to rate it. Her writing style is atmospheric and full of details, but I got tired of reading about the color of the sky or snake imagery over and over again. It's a beautiful book nonetheless.

[Alexa Boles · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been far too long since I've read a book that's hard to put down. I finished this novel in two days, and I definitely would've finished it in one sitting if I didn't sleep.
It's real, raw, tragically poetic, and familiar. It's relatable in a way you wish wasn't. It's beautiful.
I love how it's written just like a girl writing in her journal - thought after thought, unpredictable emotions, confusion, and finally understanding.
This novel reminds me of that quote. "Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable."
I was definitely comforted.
I will re-read this forever. Thank you for being a writer.
(Also, the art is captivating. It was my second favorite part of this read, the first being the poem breaks.)

[sofia✧˖*°࿐ · Rating 4 out of 5]

first book of 2025🌟

I hadn’t intended to read Something Happened Here in one sitting. My plan was to savor it slowly, immersing myself fully in this story.
But, as with so many things in life, plans changed.
I devoured this book in just a few hours, unable to put it down.

Meadow’s writing is fearlessly personal, raw, and profoundly honest, drawing the reader deep into the mind of 17-year-old Sally Fawn.
The accompanying drawings further elevate the narrative, making it even more striking and memorable.

It’s a stunning, poignant work, and I feel both privileged and grateful that this was my first read of the year.