Disappearing Earth

Finished my last book of 2019 just under the wire. I expected I would be finishing as the clock approached midnight on NYE, but a bout of middle-of-the-night insomnia made for a good hour to wrap things up this morning. This was a good one to end with, but it left a little to be desired.

I didn't know much about Disappearing Earth, but it was on quite a few lists of the best books of the year. Reading the description, I wasn't sure it was for me. But, it was a well-told story with a complicated web of characters that you knew would somehow come together in the end.

It starts with the disappearance of two sisters on Russian's Kamachtaka Peninsula. Isolated from many and in the shadow of a volcano, the mystery begins on that very first page. We, the readers, know that the girls are taken. Many in the region believe they merely drowned in the bay. 

Each chapter is a different month of the year of their disappearance and each focuses on new characters. Slowly, they start to blend into each other's stories. When each chapter begins, it takes a few pages to engage with that story, but I found every one of them to be worthwhile on their own. Then, you see a pattern emerge about the way women are treated in this far-flung part of the world; each of their stories, much of their existence, is defined by the men in their lives. In each case, you realize that it's up to the women to find their own way.

I found this story riveting and, at times, breathtaking. There were a couple of moments where I literally put my hand over my heart at what was taking place. But, as it raced toward its conclusion, I found it wrapped up a little too easily. I also look back now realizing some of the characters that moved the book along didn't do much to advance the story itself. While much of it was grounded in realism, the ending felt a little too tidy.