Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance - Alison Espach

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Best described as a dark coming-of-age novel, "Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance" is as thought-provoking as it is poignant. Like many coming-of-age stories, it's much more character-driven than plot-driven, though there is still very much a central plot to the story. 

For readers looking for a missing-persons thriller, be not deceived by this (still perfect, if you ask me) title, because this is not that. This is a commentary on grief, and one that's so beautifully done. Our main character unexpectedly loses her sister, and consequently is forced to grow up and navigate life without her at the epicenter of a normal family sliding into dysfunction and disconnection as a result of their very different journeys through grief. 

Espach's prose is deeply-moving and darkly-funny; this book is a free-fall into the introspective teenage mind of Sally Holt and what the gaping absence of her sister Kathy means for her life, past, present, and future. If you are someone going through a difficult grieving process, proceed with caution; Espach's characters are heart-wrenchingly human, and their attempts to assign meaning in their lives (or simply find it again) after Kathy's death is something I found almost uncomfortable to sit with at times. 

Who are we when we lose an irreplaceable part of ourselves? 
How do we go on (especially without guilt) when a loved one's grave beckons us to stay firmly planted in the throes of grief? 

"Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance" attempts to answer these questions with Sally Holt as their vehicle, and for me, it was a triumph. This novel will sit with me for a long time.

Rating: 5 Stars
Publication Details: Out 5/17/2022, Henry Holt & Company 

Huge thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing my review copy!

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