The Vanishing Act Of Esme Lennox: A Novel

Maggie O'Farrell

June 2008 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this eBook

From the New York Times best-selling author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait comes a gothic, intricate tale of family secrets, lost lives, and the freedom brought by truth.

“I found this actually unputdownable . . . Reminiscent of classic writers like Rebecca West and Daphne du Maurier.”—Ali Smith, author of Autumn

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 more than sixty-one 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 she'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? 

 “Think Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, Charlotte Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ or Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea . . . It’s a breathtaking, heart-breaking creation.”—The Washington Post Book World

Ratings and reviews

The story is built around a long-hidden family secret: a great aunt who no one in the family seems to know anything about. Which is not surprising since the aunt, Esme, has been locked away in a mental hospital for more than 60 years. The problem that arises is that the facility is closing, which means Esme’s family must find her an alternate residence. And of course, slowly the secrets are revealed.

Wonderful! Such an intriguing, solid story. Couldn't put it down.

Good

About the author

MAGGIE O'FARRELL was born in Northern Ireland in 1972. Her novels include The Marriage Portrait, Hamnet (winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award), After You'd Gone, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, The Hand That First Held Mine, and Instructions for a Heatwave. She has also written a memoir, I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death. She lives in Edinburgh.