The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

This is the spoiler thread for The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell.

Happy 2021

Hi everyone! I'm glad you picked The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox for our first read in 2021! This was a favorite of mine in 2020. Maggie O'Farrell is having a moment in the literary world!

This perhaps isn't what we typically think of as a "mystery" although there certainly was a mystery element to it. I am rereading this so it's fresh in my mind. Actually listening - it's very good in audio.

I'm very interested to see what you think, and use this thread for spoilers. You don't need to use the spoiler tag as we assume everyone in this thread has finished the book.

I had a hard time with all of the relationships for a while and wondered what would happen with Iris and (not real) brother...don't know if they ever got together. I got it that Esme killed her sister but don't know where they were for that to happen, Esme was living with Iris and so was Kitty in a hospital/asylum? Tremendous, heart breaking social injustice and why? to protect a wealthy family's son?? I thought she was pregnant from him raping her before they were married....lots of questions in this one.

I also think the ending was a bit of an overkill. This murder, in my opinion, does not quite fit Esme's character. She doesn't seem like a violent person, so I don't think she could do it because of a momentary frenzy. And if she had been planning it all these years, the story doesn't built up to this. And Iris who somehow realizes that Esme can kill Kitty? On what basis? I believe this final scene could have been written better. In my opinion, it could even end with the discovery that Kitty took Esme's baby.

I agree, I never saw the impulsive/explosive Esme, yeah, I'm sure she'd be angry but this after 60 years? there would be tells for sure. Ending seemed to end so quickly I don't know how they were all together and how did Iris know it had happened? I also think Iris was a bit unfinished as well....

First day in this group and love it!

I will come back a little later to respond to your comments, Penny and fleurette, but I will mention that in my second read of this book in just 4 months, I'm seeing how O'Farrell dropped hints along the way about Kitty taking Esme's baby.

I'm so glad I'm rereading - I'm getting much more out of it and really "seeing" it. I found it very hard first time around to figure out who was speaking and about what. We are living in the heads of elderly people whose thoughts stream in in a jumble, making it hard for the reader to make sense of this puzzle.

Oh, I had no problem figuring out that Kitty took Esme's baby. This was no surprise to me. I even think I started to think pretty early that Esme might be Iris's grandmother, I don't really remember why. Although, I admit, I suspected Kitty and her mother might have put Esme into a mental hospital so Kitty could marry Jamie.

In fact, I'd rather imagine Kitty killing Esme in the final scene so that the secret would never be exposed. That would suit Kitty's personality more than Esme's.

You're right, Suzy. Kitty passages in particular are difficult to grasp at times. Her jumps from one point to another have also caused me problems at times.

Suzy, I see the error in my ways and had a feeling this would happen. I "graze" read/listen to my regular suspense/psycho thrillers and it usually works, but I worried I'd get busted with this group! And I did. I will do it a bit differently in February😉. I have had to go back all day to double check. I don't understand the subplot of the not-real-bro and the frustrations there. Why didn't he want Iris to help Esme? What about married lover?

fleurette wrote: "Oh, I had no problem figuring out that Kitty took Esme's baby. This was no surprise to me. I even think I started to think pretty early that Esme might be Iris's grandmother, I don't really remembe..."

The first hint that Esme was Iris's grandmother was early on in the book when Iris noted that her father had looked a lot like Esme. I am about 75% through the audio and I will ponder your thought about Esme killing Kitty being out of character. I did not feel that way when I first read, but it will be good to finish the book through that lens.

Penny wrote: "Suzy, I see the error in my ways and had a feeling this would happen. I "graze" read/listen to my regular suspense/psycho thrillers and it usually works, but I worried I'd get busted with this grou..."

Definitely this is not your average mystery/thriller that we can breeze through. Maggie O'Farrell is a well-regarded author of diverse fiction (plus one memoir) and not sure she wrote this intending it as a mystery, although there is definitely a mystery element to it!

Don't feel busted! There's a lot of depth to plumb in this book, so if you ever want to give it a reread, I would recommend. Like I said, I'm seeing a lot of things I missed the first time around. I just picked up a print copy of the book, and while it doesn't clearly delineate who is speaking, I did notice that the format is different when Kitty and Esme are the narrator.

Penny wrote: "Suzy, I see the error in my ways and had a feeling this would happen. I "graze" read/listen to my regular suspense/psycho thrillers and it usually works, but I worried I'd get busted with this grou..."

Oh, meant to mention I will finish the last 25% of the book with your questions in mind.

The murder of Kitty came as a surprise to me too. Still, I think it makes sense. Kitty was not only partly responsible for putting Esme in the asylum, but had also stolen her baby, and pretended that he was her own. I don't believe that Esme had a violent nature, or that killing Kitty was a spontaneous act. The idea must have entered her head after Iris mentioned that it was her father's birthday. In that moment Esme realised the truth, and she had really nothing to lose. When Iris took her to the nursing home to meet Kitty, Esme asked to be left alone with her sister. To me this also indicates that the murder was planned.

Suzy wrote: "Penny wrote: "Suzy, I see the error in my ways and had a feeling this would happen. I "graze" read/listen to my regular suspense/psycho thrillers and it usually works, but I worried I'd get busted ..."

😊

Tone wrote: "The murder of Kitty came as a surprise to me too. Still, I think it makes sense. Kitty was not only partly responsible for putting Esme in the asylum, but had also stolen her baby, and pretended th..."

ahh,asking to be alone, yes.

Penny wrote: "Suzy, I see the error in my ways and had a feeling this would happen. I "graze" read/listen to my regular suspense/psycho thrillers and it usually works, but I worried I'd get busted with this grou..."

I think that Alex (the son of Iris' mother's second husband, and the man she loves) worried about Iris bringing Esme into her home. This was natural under the circumstances. He would have wondered how crazy Esme really was, and if she could be dangerous.
I'm also quite sure that Luke (the married lover) became history when Iris ran into him with his wife, who turned out to be heavily pregnant.
The book has a so called open ending, where some things are left unsaid and not all the questions are answered. It's up to the reader to imagine what's going to happen next. I rather like this, but realise that it may not be the thing for everybody.

I just finished listening to this for the second time. I would add to Tone's thoughts about Alex's resistance that I felt he did not want anything to interfere with his relationship with Iris. My thought (given the open ending) is that he is going to make moves to get back together with her.
I also thought that 60 years of repressed resentment and anger about Kitty stealing her baby and being abandoned in an asylum by her family led her to kill Kitty. It felt very true to her character to take that step.

This time around the cruelty of committing women to life in an asylum hit me hard. Families and especially men could lodge a complaint that would allow them to sign their family member away for life in an institution for little or no reason. The Emily Dickenson poem in the preface says it all:

Much Madness is divinest Sense --
To a discerning eye --
Much Sense -- the starkest Madness --
In this as All, prevail --
Assent -- and you are sane --
Demur -- and you're straightaway dangerous --
And handled with a Chain --

Here are some reviews at the time of publication for your perusal.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/200...

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/bo...

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...

Tone wrote: "The murder of Kitty came as a surprise to me too. Still, I think it makes sense. Kitty was not only partly responsible for putting Esme in the asylum, but had also stolen her baby, and pretended th..."

I agree with most of what you say Tone. I don't know that the murder was premeditated though. I think that Esme went there to confront Kitty. Kitty's response to Esme turning up is shock as she recognises Esme - 'You look just the same, just the same.' Then denial - 'It wasn't me, you know. It wasn't. I didn't take it. Why would I have wanted it? The very idea.' And then she tries to justify her actions - 'Anyway, it was for the best. You have to admit that. Father thought so too, and the doctor.' Then back to denial - 'It was mine, it was mine all along.' And - 'I didn't take it. I didn't.'

I think that if she had said that she was sorry she had taken the baby, Esme might not have killed her.

Having her own baby ripped from her arms must also have brought back the trauma of baby Hugo's death when she was also treated rather harshly. Kitty was there both times and I think that, combined with her guilty reaction to Esme's appearance, is what motivated Esme to kill her.

I would like to think that if Kitty's murder ever came to trial it would result in Esme being acquitted due to temporary insanity.

I don't think Esme wanted to discuss her familial relationship to Iris until she had confronted Kitty.

A link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And here is my review: link

Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* wrote: "A link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Outstanding, thoughtful and insightful review, Sandy! I loved this book even more the second time around, and I only read it this past October! The writing is amazing, creating unique voices for each of the three narrators (even if it wasn't always easy to know who was talking the first time I listened to it!). Thanks for sharing your thoughts and review.

Suzy wrote: "Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* wrote: "A link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Outstanding, thoughtful and insightful revie..."

I like this review, too. The heartbraking story of Esme, so well written and in such a beautiful language, is the kind that stays with you long after you've finished the book.

Suzy wrote: "Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* wrote: "A link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Outstanding, thoughtful and insightful revie..."

Thanks Suzy.❤📚

Tone wrote: "Suzy wrote: "Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* wrote: "A link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Outstanding, thoughtful and ins..."

Thanks Tone. ❤📚

Here's my review which includes a link to another great review from Goodreader friend, Debbie.

fleurette wrote: "And here is my review:
link
"

Thanks for sharing your review, fleurette! Definitely this is outside what we usually think of as "mystery" and your point about Esme's story being realistic to those times is (tragically) apt.

I just finished reading, I really loved this book despite it not being my usual kind of read. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, it felt more like it was written for the shock value, it just didn't feel right, like something was missing.

I will admit I didn't see it coming that the baby was actually Esme's! As soon as I found out it felt like my heart fell to my stomach. I've also got to say I didn't really enjoy Iris and her relationships with Luke and Alex, it felt like I was reading a completely different book when they were around.

All around a wonderful book, beautifull written, definitely a joy to read.

siân wrote: "I just finished reading, I really loved this book despite it not being my usual kind of read. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, it felt more like it was written for the shock value, it just..."

Thanks for sharing your perspective, sian!

What I found so sad was the mirroring of events- when Esme was a child and Hugo died and she couldn’t let his body go- and then when her own baby was taken off her.
I also believe, as has also been postulated, that if Kitty had apologised instead of instantly denying she had taken Esme’s baby, the outcome may have been different.

The book was entirely logical to me, given Esme's personality. She was fire and her mother was ice and Kitty was spineless slush.

Hi all, I finished two days ago but wanted to think about it a bit before posting and put some things together, especially there in the final parts of the book. I thought things did fit together mostly, although the fragmented narration, and shifts in time and place sort of threw me. But, I think that there are enough things that kind of put the puzzle together. I was a little confused with some of the narration sections with Kitty though, because those just were jammed in their sort of like steam of consciousness or something, but as the novel wore on I kind of found my way a little more and I think O'Farrell gives us enough clues and hints (although admittedly I had to go back and look).

In total, I agree with some of the thoughts of it being a very tragic and heartfelt and emotional story, and I think it really is a book that lends itself to some discussion about some of the themes here. I felt really bad for Esme, especially how she is misunderstood, and treated, and those parts where she appears (at least in her mind) to be close to being released out of the institution. It's a very heartfelt story and the ending where she kills her sister makes sense in retrospect (given how Esme feels at that point, I think she decides to do it at that moment. I don't think it was premeditated).

I thought it was a pretty powerful novel, not your typical mystery, but a mystery in the sense of putting all these pieces of Esme's life together and understanding her family then and now. I'm glad it got nominated and enjoyed reading the posts.

Yes, it takes a little effort to piece this puzzle together. It's so easy to miss some of the clues, especially if you've been listening to an audio book. There are different timelines and several narrators, and in addition one of them is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Kitty's narrative is incoherent, but in between her ravings there's an obvious hint to who the son's real mother is, when she says: "it was Esme's and I took it".

I also listened to the audio and I missed two things. Who was Kitty talking to as she recollected her past with Esme? Also, and I may know this but just to clarify - what happened to Hugo? Thank you!

Denise wrote: "I also listened to the audio and I missed two things. Who was Kitty talking to as she recollected her past with Esme? Also, and I may know this but just to clarify - what happened to Hugo? Thank you!"

Hi Denise - sorry, it's been so long ago that I don't remember. Was Hugo the boy who got Esme pregnant? I don't think we hear from him again.

Suzy wrote: "Denise wrote: "I also listened to the audio and I missed two things. Who was Kitty talking to as she recollected her past with Esme? Also, and I may know this but just to clarify - what happened to..."

Hugo was Kitty's and Esme's little brother who died when the family lived in India.

As to who Kitty was talking to, I remember that Iris questioned her about Esme at one point, but most of the time I think she was just talking to herself.