The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
Maggie O'Farrell
Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780755308446. Maggie O’Farrell takes readers on a journey to the darker places of the human heart, where desires struggle with the imposition of social mores. This haunting story explores the seedy past of Victorian asylums, the oppression of family secrets, and the way truth can change everything. In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriend’s attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital - where she has been locked away for over sixty years. Iris’s grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. But Esme’s papers prove she is Kitty’s sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father in Esme’s face. Esme has been labeled harmless - sane enough to coexist with the rest of the world. But Esme’s still basically a stranger, a family member never mentioned by the family, and one who is sure to bring life-altering secrets with her when she leaves the ward. If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit? Maggie O’Farrell’s intricate tale of family secrets, lost lives, and the freedom brought by truth will haunt readers long past its final page.
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0After reading The Hand that First Held Mine, I immediately became a super fan of Maggie O’ Farrell. I was anxious to dive into another book by her and The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox is perhaps one of the most haunting and twisted family drama stories that I have read since my high school years of devouring V.C. Andrews.
Iris Lockhart is a single young woman who spends her days tending to a vintage-clothing shop and trying to sidestep a commitment with her married boyfriend. To her surprise, she receives a call one day letting her know that her great-aunt Esme is going to need to find a new place to stay because the insane asylum that she has been staying at is going to be closing. The clincher is, Iris never knew that her great-aunt existed and that she has been housed in the asylum for over sixty years.
The story that unfolds is both dramatic and, at times, very confusing. It is told through the eyes of a young girl whose only true fault is being strong-willed and dedicated to her academics. It is told through the eyes of Iris, as the young woman is trying to discover her family secrets while carrying the burden of knowing she can’t make a commitment to any man until she deals with her own secrets. It is finally told through the eyes of Esme’s sister, Kitty, a nursing home patient who has been struck with Alzheimer’s in a fragmented and disjointed prose that mimics the mind of Kitty.
The story is haunting, the betrayal is shocking, and the twisted ending just begs for a sequel. It will leave you wondering what will become of Esme and it made me want to read it all over again once all the pieces have slid into place.
0When I realized the book had no chapters I was a little put off. It was difficult to find a place to stop when I needed too. But the lack of definite chapters weren't the only reason I had a hard time putting it down.
It won't be an amazing book for everyone. But for me it was. I originally picked up this book because it made me think of a great-aunt I never met, that my dad never knew existed, until I found out about her while researching my family tree. She lived the majority of her life in the Georgia State Home which was an asylum. I'm unable to get copies of her records and I've spent hours imagining what reason her parents might have had to send her away and leave her (they even moved out of state!). 'Eseme Lennox' felt very personal to me for that reason.
I loved the book but I'm not sure I'll read anything else by this author.
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