I had high hopes going into Disappearing Earth as I had heard so many great things about it. But it pretty much disappointed me from beginning to end. I think this is a case of mismatched expectations. Everything that others loved about this book are all the same reasons I don't.
The premise of this book is interesting enough: two young girls disappear from a Russian town, which sends the the townspeople reeling over the next few months as the investigation turns up nothing. Except what I got isn't what I expected.
First, there was no investigation depicted in this book. It was mostly a bunch of hearsay on the part of gossipy townspeople and inaction/incompetence on the part of the police. So to go into this book thinking it is a mystery of any sort would be mistaken. Unfortunately, that is the part I was most looking forward to.
The writing is somewhat stilted and awkward. There are sentences where the meaning is unclear, so I have to read it multiple times to understand. There are ambiguous pronouns. There are odd dialogues where it sounds like someone is making a joke, but it's not clear why it's funny or who said what. All this made the book hard to read.
The theme doesn't tie together either. This book is written so that each chapter is a month from the perspective of a different woman in town. Unfortunately, with one exception, their stories don't have anything to do with each other, so you are essentially reading standalone stories that all just happen to take place in the same town.
Also, none of the characters are likable or memorable. Most of them are narrow-minded, prejudiced, and quick to judge others. When faced with choices, they inevitability make the wrong ones. But instead of learning from their mistakes, they choose to suffer and look down their noses at others trying have a little joy in their life. It's an odd culture that permeates this town and this book.
I almost abandoned it many times, but I thought it would get better if I toughed on. The only parts of the book I found interesting are the ones related to the crime itself, which are just the beginning and the end. The rest is a meandering journey with unlikable characters making the worst of circumstances and feeling bad for themselves. I'm sorry to say that that isn't for me.
Readaroo Rating: 2 stars
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