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.

[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.

[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.

[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

[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

[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!

[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.

[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.

[Q Kearney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the kind of book that I literally couldn’t put down and read the majority of it in two sittings, something about the writing just made sense to me and felt so natural. Also Felicity is the sweetest. The book is unsettling in the way that you get that eerie feeling, the ending was so satisfying #FuckYouLeon but I also think the story does a good job at portraying how things like that actually affect the victims, truly I don’t think I would’ve changed anything about this book, the art was unsettling in the best way possible and there wasn’t a single moment where I felt bored reading this. Also the vibe was so whimsical I love it.

“I can endure it, anyway.”

[;) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It really is my fault.
There's no excuse
when there's something satisfying about the pain.”

This is a masterpiece. The writing style is as captivating and melancholic as the story. Her metaphors, prose and track of thought is insanely deep and beautiful.
I deeply resonated with sally’s thoughts, her depressive state, her nothingness. The way she went back knowing the pain, embracing it in the name of being something to someone.
This book captures the feeling of impending doom so well. Her decisions are so predictable and saddening, I see myself doing the same, having done the same.
I’m in awe. This is definitely a favorite.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a beautiful way of showing the weight and worry of being a young woman. Not only as a female will you find moments in the story you think back to your own life, or maybe an older sisters life, or a friend. This story has a way of being relatable to everyone due to the fact this is the experience of many. That it’s comforting to see something so raw and relatable at times in this story. The author writes in such an effortless way it feels like you are taking on a journey with a friend. I can’t wait to see what’s next ❤️

[Smilla Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75⭐️

Very interesting to read a mixed genre book: poetry, fiction and illustrated novel.

Very stunning execution of all genres and mixed very smoothly.

I felt so deeply and rooted for sally all the way through.

I hated how Leon took advantage of sally, he was 30 and she was merely 17 years old, I felt so bad she is still a child and she experienced so much shit:(

And I didn’t quite understand the role of Desiree, if there was more to her than I understood but nonetheless a very stunning reading experience.

The ending was very good.