The Vanishing of Margaret Small, a review by Di

posted in: 5 star read, Di | 1

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THE VANISHING OF MARGARET SMALL
Neil Alexander

Embla Books
November 16, 2022
325 pages

Goodreads | Amazon

What a unique story this is! Debut novel from this author. As the title says, it is the story of Margaret. “Vanishing” is Margaret’s word for the fact that she vanished from her grandmother’s home at a young age and was sent to an institution (hospital?) for problem and slow children.

Margaret tells us her story. She uses the present (2015) and the past (1947-1970) alternately. The past is very interesting, learning how she grew up. Margaret leads a hard life. But throughout it all, there are many moments of joy for her and she accepts her lot in life. She learns to live her life around her disabilities, always forging her way forward. She is so loveable for the fact that she is naive and vulnerable. But, the opportunity to make her own choices is not available to her, which affects her for the rest of her life.

It is written in the same language and style that I imagine her talking in. Bad grammar and all. This makes the story feel authentic. I imagine the audible version would be good. There are a few characters that are a bit clichéd at the home where she grew up. But there are lots of interesting secondary characters.

There is a twist towards the end of the book, it did not come as a surprise to me. I was pretty sure I had figured it out along the way. But that did not detract from the story at all. Throughout, I only wanted the best for Margaret. But, then, I found out that I had not figured it out. What a lovely surprise! The real twist was way better than what I had in mind.

My favorite quote in the book is: “Don’t judge yourself the way others judged you in the past.” It can apply to many of us in many situations. This comes from Wayne, who is Margaret’s support worker. He lives up to his role.

Close to the end, we were told Margaret’s birth date. I’d like to think this is why I felt that she was so special to me. My own daughter was born on Margaret’s birthday.

In the end, it is all about family.

I loved the author’s note at the end, telling how the book and Margaret’s character came about. Very touching!

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