The Disappearances

Starred review from May 8, 2017
Set in New England in 1942, Murphy’s debut novel opens with 16-year-old Aila Quinn and her younger brother, Miles, saying farewell to their father, who has been drafted. Their mother, Juliet, died recently, so Aila and Miles must move to Sterling to live with Juliet’s childhood friends, the Clifftons. Malcolm, Matilda, and their son are gracious hosts, but other residents of Juliet’s hometown prove less than welcoming, and it’s not long before the siblings find out why. Every seven years, the townspeople lose something, such as the ability to see reflections or smell. Nobody knows why the “Disappearances” happen, but they started the year Juliet was born, and she’s the only one to have shed their effects upon leaving Sterling, so many believe that she’s somehow responsible. With the next Disappearance Day rapidly approaching, Aila vows to discover the curse’s cause, vindicate her family, and end the Disappearances for good. Sumptuous worldbuilding, richly developed characters, and a swoon-worthy romance elevate this delightful, fantasy-tinged mystery. Ages 12–up. Agent: Peter Knapp, Park Literary & Media.

May 15, 2017
At the center of Murphy's debut novel is a small town shrouded in mystery.At first, everyone lost their senses of smell, then their reflections, followed by colors and other invaluable aspects of life. In the town of Sterling, something unexpected disappears every seven years, and no one knows why. Seventeen-year-old Aila and her younger brother, Miles, are plunged into the thick of it all when they're sent to Sterling following their mother's death. Here, in their mother's hometown, the two grapple with the secrets she left behind. Guided by her mother's handwritten annotations in a collection of Shakespeare's works, Aila makes it her mission to figure out why the Disappearances happen and how they can be stopped. While readers can easily get lost in Aila's world, nestled within her narrative is a more fascinating storyline in the form of a journal kept by an unknown writer, full of twists and surprises. Murphy's novel is delightfully whimsical and unsettling but loses some momentum with a tenuous Shakespeare connection. Set in rural Connecticut in 1942, the novel features a cast of white characters. While there are a few snags in the storytelling, overall, a story bursting with color and originality. (Historical suspense. 12-18)

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April 1, 2017
Gr 8 Up-Fifteen-year-old Aila Quinn's mother just passed away, and to make matters worse, her father is being shipped off to fight in World War II. As a result, Aila and her brother are forced to move to the small town of Sterling, where their mother grew up. It's there, living with their mother's best friend and her teenage son, Will, that they learn startling town secrets. Every seven years, something new vanishes for the inhabitants of Sterling and two nearby towns. So far, the -Disappearances- have included stars, smells, reflections, colors, and dreams, but soon after Aila arrives, music also disappears and people in love can no longer hear each other speak. This becomes particularly problematic for Aila when she falls in love with Will and realizes that her secret will soon be revealed. The town has discovered a number of variants that will temporarily bring back some of the Disappearances, but everyone is more anxious than ever to figure out what's going on and put things right once and for all. This mystery fits neatly within the lines of a young adult novel chock-full of bland characters. The Disappearances are supposed to be a huge deal to the towns' residents and are cited as the main reason for avoiding out-of-towners, but they end up feeling more like minor inconveniences that fail to offer much in the way of world-building. VERDICT While the plot is somewhat intriguing, there is little to set this book apart from others in the genre.-Candyce Pruitt-Goddard, Sno-Isle Libraries, Marysville, WA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2018
Every seven years, something unexpected disappears from Sterling--scents, residents' reflections, the stars. Sixteen-year-old Aila suspects her recently deceased mother was connected to these "Disappearances." With only her mother's annotations in a volume of Shakespeare's works as clues, Aila vows to solve the mystery. Literary mystery, magical realism, romance, and historical fiction merge in this novel with strong world-building and engaging storytelling.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

June 1, 2017
Grades 9-12 Scents were the first to go. Then reflections, starseven dreams. Every seven years, the town of Sterling experiences a Disappearance. Aila and Miles Quinn, arriving in town after the death of their mother, Juliet, are just in time for the latest departure. Even though Juliet grew up beneath Sterling's starless skies, this is the first the Quinn siblings are hearing of the town's curseor their mother's alleged involvement in it. Lucky for Sterling, Aila is armed with Juliet's cryptically annotated volume of Shakespeare's plays and poems, and she's discovering that within its many riddles may be precisely the answers the town needs. With its bewitching brew of magic realism, romance, historical detail, and alternating narratives and time linesall set against the dread of WWIIMurphy's debut is no doubt ambitious. And while its considerable scope often comes at the expense of pacing and character development, Murphy's expertly woven world, spun with secrets, lush with literary allusion, and shimmering with magic (quite literally), is a place many readers will happily disappear into.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)