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There are currently 30 member reviews
for The Vanishing Place
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Melinda J. (East Hampton, CT)
New Zealand thriller
The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin is a thriller almost horror story in the bush country of New Zealand. Effie is the oldest of four children and is often left in charge of her siblings as her father disappears for weeks at a time. Her mother has died in childbirth and this last child is named Four.
The story goes back and forth in time which might be confusing to some, but doesn't bother me. Effie managed to get away from the family and is a police woman in Scotland. A child appears from the bush who looks like the young Effie and she returns to solve the mystery of where she is from. There is a double murder that creates questions from the past.
The mystery in my mind was always about the father. What made him leave the family so often? Was he an abuser? Did he have another family? The twists and turns kept me reading. New Zealand is an unknown country and I was glad to be reading an ebook so I could check tree and plant name. Thanks to Bookbrowse for this advance reader copy and look forward to discussing with friends.
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Peggy H. (Erie, PA)
A Slightly Unbelievable Trip to New Zealand
I wanted to read this book because I recently spent a month in New Zealand. My time there really enhanced the experience, as I could picture many of the locations, fauna and flora. It was perhaps easier to understand the isolation of the bush and the characters' attitudes.
This was an interesting but flawed novel, jumping back and forth in time periods. First, the main character's present time and childhood are explored, and later in the book, several other characters are introduced who are ultimately connected.
I am not sure that I totally bought into the motivations of the characters; the religious fervor seemed a stretch. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much as I did if I hadn't felt a connection to the locale.
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Anne C. (Herndon, VA)
Unusual Thriller about a Strange Family
This is one of the most unusual books I've read this year. The experiences of the family living "off the grid" in New Zealand are horrifying and grip the reader immediately. The novel is arranged in mostly alternating chapters between the present day of 2025 and a period about twenty years in the past. The descriptions of the "bush" and the events that happen there are masterfully written.
Effie, the oldest child of the family, is the main character and has become a policewoman in Scotland when she is called back to New Zealand to investigate a murder that seemingly involves her family. This brings back many difficult memories since she had moved away years before to escape the trauma of her childhood.
The book has many characters, and switching between the different time periods and viewpoints gets a bit confusing. I really enjoyed the first three-fourths of the book, but the last fourth was difficult to read through. The alternating chapters became very short, and then a much earlier time period with a different set of characters appeared. I kept thinking the book was ending, but then it kept going. The author must have been determined to include the extra plot points as well as complicated feelings emerging between Effie and an old friend. I think the book would have been better if the book left the reader less weary at the end.
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Laura K. (GOLDEN, CO)
A thriller in the bush of New Zealand
I loved the writing style of this novel, with it's short chapters and multiple timelines. The book starts with a situation that introduces us to Effie and also lets the reader know that there will be surprises and scares! As we delve into Effie's life, a child appears, in apparent distress. The book then continues to solve the mystery around this child. There are several plot twists that were completely a surprise to me. There were a couple that I started to figure out, but was never fully correct. There was one character that puzzled me throughout...what was her real role in the mystery? However, the author finally answered that question at the conclusion when this thrilling, scary and violent story came to an end. This was an enjoyable page turner!
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Ashe
Spellbinding read
This beautifully written novel unfolds through dual timelines, telling a haunting tale of a young girl who emerges from the New Zealand bush, starving and bloodied. Who is she? Where did she come from? Why does she bear such a strong resemblance to another girl who stumbled out of the same bush under similar circumstances 17 years ago? The story captured my attention from the very first pages and held it throughout.
My only complaint is that the author seems to have started down one path but then shifted direction. As a result, there are several loose ends and unresolved issues that definitely need clarification.
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Vivian H. (Winchester, VA)
Great Potential But Disappointing
The Vanishing Place began with a strong premise; however, I found myself skimming the chapters from the past loving the chapters that take place in 2025. Effie and Anya are compelling characters, which redeemed the book for me. The psychological dynamics involving the damaged child Anya are realistic and heartbreaking. The fact that Effie escaped from the bush is a story of resilience. However, I just found the backstory of the life in their bush depressing to the point I couldn't muddle through.
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Sonya M. (Takoma Park, MD)
Mystery in the Bush of New Zealand
Set in the bush of the South Island New Zealand. A woman returns to help solve the mystery of the sudden appearance of a child in her remote village; and to find the family she ran from when she was 16. Moving back and forth in time, you find why this family lived isolated. The timeline gets confusing moving back and forth and with a sudden addition of new characters in the last quarter of the book, that really enhances the confusion. While a quick read, the mystery unfolds slowly and could have stood with some background filler on the location.
