The Disappearances Offers An Intelligent, Magical Mystery

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

I read a few exceptional novels in 2017, but the one that stands out most is The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy.  Why?  Lots of reasons: it's original, it's absorbing, it's intelligent, it's well written, it's just ... magical in a lot of ways.  It's also really hard to describe, so you know what?  I'm not even going to try.  I'll just hit you with the back cover blurb:

What if the ordinary things in life suddenly…disappeared?
 
Aila Quinn’s mother, Juliet, has always been a mystery: vibrant yet guarded, she keeps her secrets beyond Aila’s reach. When Juliet dies, Aila and her younger brother Miles are sent to live in Sterling, a rural town far from home—and the place where Juliet grew up.

Sterling is a place with mysteries of its own. A place where the experiences that weave life together—scents of flowers and food, reflections from mirrors and lakes, even the ability to dream—vanish every seven years.

No one knows what caused these “Disappearances,” or what will slip away next. But Sterling always suspected that Juliet Quinn was somehow responsible—and Aila must bear the brunt of their blame while she follows the chain of literary clues her mother left behind. 

As the next Disappearance nears, Aila begins to unravel the dual mystery of why the Disappearances happen and who her mother truly was. One thing is clear: Sterling isn’t going to hold on to anyone's secrets for long before it starts giving them up.

  

Intrigued?  You should be!  The Disappearances, Murphy's debut novel, offers an intriguing premise brilliantly executed in a memorable, well-written story about the importance of the things we take for granted every day.  Don't be put off the book cover, which makes The Disappearances look like a dark horror novel.  It's not at all.  The novel's more of a genre mash-up, boasting the perfect blend of magic and mystery swirling together against a colorful historical setting.  I absolutely adore this book and have recommended it like crazy to everyone I know.  Do yourself a favor and just read it already!

(Readlikes:  Reminds me of The Forgetting and The Knowing, both by Sharon Cameron and of Don't You Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence and brief, mild language (no F-bombs)

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Disappearances from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.