The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

Ik probeer het lijstje “favoriete schrijvers” niet te lang te maken, maar O'Farrell komt inmiddels toch wel erg dicht in de buurt...

“‘My daughter's coming,' the pirate woman says, and clutches her arm. ‘She's driving here. In her car. Who's coming for you?' Esme looks down at her tray of food. The stew. The grease circles. The bread. She has to think. Quick. She has to say something. ‘My parents,' she hazards. One of the kitchen women squeezing tea out of the urn laughs and Esme thinks of the cawing of crows in high trees. ‘Don't be stupid,' the woman says, pushing her face up to Esme's. ‘Your parents are dead.' Esme thinks for a moment. ‘I knew that,' she says. ‘Yeah, right,' the woman mutters, as she bangs down a teacup.“

Sterke vrouwen, die blijven terugkomen in haar boeken. In deze is dat Esme Lennox, die al jaren in een “gesticht” zit opgesloten. Waarom wordt heel langzaam duidelijk, terwijl het boek tussen drie gezichtspunten wisselt.

Eentje is in het nu, waar Iris probeert om te gaan met haar stiefbroer en een getrouwde scharrel terwijl ze ondertussen gebeld wordt of ze beschikbaar is om haar oudtante Esme in huis te nemen, want het gesticht wordt wegbezuinigd. Dingetje is alleen dat niemand in haar familie (en haar oma al helemaal niet) het ooit over de zus van oma gehad heeft...

“Peter Lasdun has been painstakingly outlining for Iris what he refers to as Routine Policies. These include Care Plans, Community Care Assessments, Rehabilitation Programmes, Release Schedules. He seems to talk permanently in capital letters. Iris has managed to offend the social worker—or Key Worker, as Lasdun calls her—by mistaking her for a nurse, causing her to start reeling off her social-work qualifications and university degrees.“

Een andere zijn de gedachtenflarden van de oma van Iris (Kathleen), die behoorlijk dementerend in een verzorgingshuis woont.

De laatste zijn de gedachten van Esme, die terugdenkt aan vroeger.

“They are girls who have spent their lives in nothing more than a cotton dress, and here are liberty bodices, vests, stockings, socks, skirts, underskirts, kilts, Fair Isle sweaters, blouses, hats, scarves, coats, gaberdines, all, seemingly, intended to be worn at once. Esme picks up woollen combinations and asks where they go in the baffling order of things. The shopgirl looks at their grandmother who shakes her head. ‘They are from the colonies,' she says.“

Langzaamaan worden de lijntjes steeds verder ingekleurd, totdat duidelijk wordt hoe haar “vanishing” in elkaar steekt. (Een vrolijk verhaal is het niet, ik ga er maar vanuit dat grote delen gebaseerd zijn op hoe dingen vroeger heel anders gingen...)

Such an amazing read from beginning to end with so many plot twists and turns. The book had me at a chokehold from the first page. Slightly dissatisfied with the ending, it was like jumping of the cliff but not hitting the ground I just needed to know more. Would recommend this book to anyone. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Rather predictable. A smidge of a surprise at the end. There were some secrets kept between the audience and Esme. I didn't like that part. I also thought Iris was rather unlikable.