‘Thick with mystery, buried secrets, and magic, nothing is safe in The Disappearances. Be careful, or you might lose yourself in this strange and wondrous world, where stars go missing, reflections don’t exist, and the question, how much would you sacrifice for love? is given entirely new meaning. I adored this book!’ – Stephanie Garber, bestselling author of Caraval

Every seven years something disappears in the remote town of Sterling: people’s reflections, the stars in the sky, the ability to dream. Aila realises that her mother may be to blame for the curse. But some mysteries are buried very deep and some secrets want to stay hidden – and one young woman’s desire to uncover the truth may not be enough to save Sterling from the past.

A beautifully told story of love, loss and finding the truth – no matter how difficult that may be.

Reviews

Thick with mystery, buried secrets, and magic, nothing is safe in The Disappearances. Be careful, or you might lose yourself in this strange and wondrous world, where stars go missing, reflections don’t exist, and the question, how much would you sacrifice for love? is given entirely new meaning. I adored this book!

Stephanie Garber, bestselling author of 'Caraval'

The Disappearances is a wonder of a book. I lost myself in this world where reflections, scents and stars go missing, and revelled in its reveal

Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of 'The Girl of Ink & Stars'

The Disappearances is purely poetic – a beautifully woven story with enough heart to take on its own life

Lindsay Cummings, New York Times bestselling author of 'The Murder Complex'

The Disappearances is a dazzling debut, as glimmering as the Variants themselves, with a haunting mystery, wondrous world building, and a finely wrought family at its heart. I adored it

Jessica Spotswood, author of 'The Cahill Witch Chronicles'

Inventive, ambitious, effortlessly evoking the ephemeral beauties of the workaday world, this elegiac mystery might prompt the reader to ransack Hamlet or Othello in the hope of finding steganographic secrets within

TLS

An intriguing tale… Emily Bain Murphy displays imagination, combined with historical perspective, and an understanding of the adolescent mind

Carousel

Mystery, magic and buried secrets abound in this intelligent and exciting debut… this beguiling story is full of unexpected twists and beautiful world building that will delight readers. The plot is clever and well-crafted, whilst the characters leap off the page straight into your heart. A lovely book for intelligent young readers who enjoy mysteries with a touch of magical realism

School Library Journal

Gripping and highly enjoyable… it’s certainly one of the most inventive and lovingly crafted novels I’ve read recently

Minerva Reads (blog)

This young adult novel delivered on my anticipation in every way… magic, tragedy and delight

Lizzy's Literary Life (blog)

What a terrifically strange little book this is… It has a poetic nature to the prose; stunning, buttery and magical

Little Huxtales (blog)

I have read a lot of magical realism lately, and this one has been by far one of my favourites. With elements of magic, grief and romance, and a fantastically twisted plot, this story had it all

Whispering Words (blog)

The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy swept me off my feet and deposited me in a world I wanted to live in. This is easily (by far) my favourite read of 2017

Jera's Jamboree (blog)

With themes of loss, love and secrets, The Disappearances is one of the most beautifully evoked novels I’ve read in a while! The language was gorgeous, the story magical and the concepts unique

The Cosy Reader (blog)

Sumptuous worldbuilding, richly developed characters, and a swoon-worthy romance elevate this delightful, fantasy-tinged mystery

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Full of twists and surprises. Murphy’s novel is delightfully whimsical and unsettling… a story bursting with color and originality

Kirkus

The riddle behind the town’s curse is an intricate and surprising one, and readers will happily join the clever and witty Aila on her hunt for clues

Bulletin

…Murphy’s debut is no doubt ambitious… 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

Booklist

The Disappearances is a book of wonder and mystery by first time novelist, Emily Bain Murphy. It is well crafted and the plot is memorable and complex. Shakespeare’s words help solve the mystery, leaving the reader with a sense of hope as well as awe. This book should appeal to young adults and adults. The eloquent writing style and the well-researched inclusion of historical details make it memorable. Aila and Miles often use one word to summarize an experience, calling it a finishing word. My finishing word after reading The Disappearances is sublime

Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the NCTE, an ALAN pick Nov/Dec 2016

The Disappearances is a delicious mix of mystery, fantasy and romance

Bookpage

At its heart, The Disappearances is a carousel of sentimental acts, of regret, the many kinds of love, the people we love, and the ways people, places, and things never truly leave us even if they’ve been taken. The adventure to unravel the riddle of The Disappearances made my heart race

Ravenous for Reads

How do we find the words to emphasize just how much we loved and enjoyed this novel? The Disappearances had us captivated within its spell from the very first page… was just beautiful, heartbreaking and irresistible… We definitely recommend this read and we are warning you, remember the name Emily Bain Murphy as she is a rising author who will just leave you in awe, page after page!

Pocket Full of Pages