Maggie O'Farrell is a British author, who has written 5 novels this far. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox is her fourth novel. It was first published in 2006.
I had had The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox on my TBR list for a long time. Just like with The Picture of Dorain Gray I am really happy I finally read this novel.
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox starts with Iris, a young single woman receiving the information that she should come and pick her great-aunt up from the mental institution where she has spent over sixty tears of her life. Little by little as the story progresses we get to know (at least most of) the story that lead to Esme's being forced into an institution at the age of 16. The story is told from three points of view: Esme's, who recollects her childhood and youth, Iris's contemporary view, her problematic love life and the surprise of finding a, maybe mad, great-aunt (or is she mad after all?), and thirdly through the fragmentary memories of Esme's sister Kitty, who has Alzheimer's.
The novel has been said to be gripping and "a horrifying story of jealousy and betrayal" and I wholeheartily agree with these comments. It was astonishing, apalling really, how totally Esme's parents seemed to misunderstand her, how horribly she was treated by her own family and also by some others. I also liked Iris's storyline, small as it was, and would actually have liked to know more about her. All in all I found O'Farrell very clever in revealing small parts of the plot along the way.
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