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Ways to Disappear
Deep in gambling debt, the celebrated Brazilian writer Beatriz Yagoda is last seen holding a suitcase and a cigar and climbing into an almond tree. She abruptly vanishes.
In snowy Pittsburgh, her American translator Emma hears the news and, against the wishes of her boyfriend and Beatriz's two grown children, flies immediately to Brazil. There, in the sticky, sugary heat of Rio, Emma and her author's children conspire to solve the mystery of Yagoda's curious disappearance and staunch the colorful demands of her various outstanding affairs: the rapacious loan shark with a zeal for severing body parts, and the washed-up and disillusioned editor who launched Yagoda's career years earlier.
In snowy Pittsburgh, her American translator Emma hears the news and, against the wishes of her boyfriend and Beatriz's two grown children, flies immediately to Brazil. There, in the sticky, sugary heat of Rio, Emma and her author's children conspire to solve the mystery of Yagoda's curious disappearance and staunch the colorful demands of her various outstanding affairs: the rapacious loan shark with a zeal for severing body parts, and the washed-up and disillusioned editor who launched Yagoda's career years earlier.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published February 9, 2016
206 people are currently reading
9,850 people want to read
About the author
Idra Novey
19books374followersIdra Novey is the author of TAKE WHAT YOU NEED, a New York Times Notable Book of 2023 and one of The New Yorker's Best Books of the Year. The novel is set in the Allegheny Highlands of Appalachia where parts of her family have lived for over a century.
Her earlier novels include THOSE WHO KNEW and WAYS TO DISAPPEAR, a finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize for First Fiction. She's written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, and The Guardian. Her fiction and poetry have been translated into a dozen languages. Her new book of poems, SOON AND WHOLLY, will be published in 2024.
Her earlier novels include THOSE WHO KNEW and WAYS TO DISAPPEAR, a finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize for First Fiction. She's written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, and The Guardian. Her fiction and poetry have been translated into a dozen languages. Her new book of poems, SOON AND WHOLLY, will be published in 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 731 reviews
March 19, 2017
Since finishing this story in mid-February, it has haunted me: more my rating and feelings of ambivalence about something so beautiful and unique (but also confusing and odd), than the story itself. This is a story that I found to be oxymoronic: at times shockingly beautiful sentences combined to form a silly story that seemed forgettable...except that I keep thinking about it. I'm thinking about what I missed more than the actual story though. I practically re-read this a few weeks ago searching for evidence of something that had eluded me. The tremendously short chapters are too easy to plow through. There is so much to be missed. There was a lot that didn't seem believable to me in the way it was presented and some things I didn't understand well or connect, but upon second "reading" the clues were everywhere, hidden in plain sight. Some were brilliant but easily overlooked.
Part love story about translation, a painstaking art that requires a commitment of the soul, I'm not sure someone who isn't a translator or at the very least a foreign language student or speaker would have picked up on this. In translation as in reading as in life, it is too easy to misinterpret meaning, to misunderstand, to simply miss things that are right there begging to be noticed, to be seen. There is a message in all of this about paying attention to every word (and choosing those words carefully and lovingly). That may have been the underlying beauty in this quirky little tale but it also felt madcap, as if certain events weren't given the levity they demanded. In among gorgeous sentences were underdeveloped characters and kooky circumstances that felt touched with magical realism. If I'm honest, it didn't all work for me.
So, see what you think of it. It is definitely different. The structure is fresh. The writing is mottled with stunning, poetic sentences. The last sentence being the most poetic of all. But for me it was sadly 3.5 stars, no matter how much I try to see it as more.
Part love story about translation, a painstaking art that requires a commitment of the soul, I'm not sure someone who isn't a translator or at the very least a foreign language student or speaker would have picked up on this. In translation as in reading as in life, it is too easy to misinterpret meaning, to misunderstand, to simply miss things that are right there begging to be noticed, to be seen. There is a message in all of this about paying attention to every word (and choosing those words carefully and lovingly). That may have been the underlying beauty in this quirky little tale but it also felt madcap, as if certain events weren't given the levity they demanded. In among gorgeous sentences were underdeveloped characters and kooky circumstances that felt touched with magical realism. If I'm honest, it didn't all work for me.
So, see what you think of it. It is definitely different. The structure is fresh. The writing is mottled with stunning, poetic sentences. The last sentence being the most poetic of all. But for me it was sadly 3.5 stars, no matter how much I try to see it as more.
December 27, 2015
3.5 stars
Idra Novey is a poet, and this is her debut novel. It's no surprise that it's beautifully written, filled with stark images and lyrical prose. The story itself is quite fast-paced, starting with the disappearance of a writer and following her translator as she ventures to South America to search for the missing author with the help of the author's children.
Emma is a divisive protagonist. She is literally divided between two worlds, between lovers and between languages. I find it more interesting that I read this following Mitchell's The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet which discusses similar topics with a comparable protagonist, but it approaches these matters in drastically different ways.
What's nice about this story is it's simplicity. It provides ample twists and turns but delivers them in a direct manner. Novey plays with language, sentence structure and story-telling in unique ways, but ultimately tells a story that doesn't go beyond what you may be expecting. I'm a bit torn between really loving this and feeling like it does something a bit too simple, but quite nicely.
I think it'll do pretty well when it comes out in February 2016. I would recommend this to people who haven't read a lot of literary fiction, and I'm definitely interested in what Novey does with her next novel--if she writes one.
Idra Novey is a poet, and this is her debut novel. It's no surprise that it's beautifully written, filled with stark images and lyrical prose. The story itself is quite fast-paced, starting with the disappearance of a writer and following her translator as she ventures to South America to search for the missing author with the help of the author's children.
Emma is a divisive protagonist. She is literally divided between two worlds, between lovers and between languages. I find it more interesting that I read this following Mitchell's The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet which discusses similar topics with a comparable protagonist, but it approaches these matters in drastically different ways.
What's nice about this story is it's simplicity. It provides ample twists and turns but delivers them in a direct manner. Novey plays with language, sentence structure and story-telling in unique ways, but ultimately tells a story that doesn't go beyond what you may be expecting. I'm a bit torn between really loving this and feeling like it does something a bit too simple, but quite nicely.
I think it'll do pretty well when it comes out in February 2016. I would recommend this to people who haven't read a lot of literary fiction, and I'm definitely interested in what Novey does with her next novel--if she writes one.
March 4, 2016
“Ways to Disappear is a humorous mystery novel whose protagonist is an American woman in Brazil, searching for the woman whose novels she translates into English. The author utilizes hilarity, magical realism, stories within stories, imagery, and subtleties of word meaning to create her lovable, lyrical, beautiful novel.
Emma, the protagonist, feels very close to her author, Beatriz Yagoda, through her works as well as her yearly visits with her. Once she hears that Beatriz has disappeared, seeming into a tree with her suitcase and cigar, she immediately packs her bag and heads to Brazil, much to the chagrin of her boyfriend. Brazil, and the exciting search for Beatriz, seem a separate and freer world for Emma, one where she is happier and more herself.
The events that ensue are hilarious. The characters are interesting and perfectly described. I thought the subtext about the difference between American and Brazilian ways of life very accurate and entertaining.
I couldn’t help wondering while reading this novel if the author was a translator herself, which I realized at the end of reading, that she was. Now I wonder how much of the novel has a root of truth versus fantasy of her own.
This was an excellent read, such an enjoyable ride! I highly recommend it to everyone.
For map & discussion questions, please see .
Emma, the protagonist, feels very close to her author, Beatriz Yagoda, through her works as well as her yearly visits with her. Once she hears that Beatriz has disappeared, seeming into a tree with her suitcase and cigar, she immediately packs her bag and heads to Brazil, much to the chagrin of her boyfriend. Brazil, and the exciting search for Beatriz, seem a separate and freer world for Emma, one where she is happier and more herself.
The events that ensue are hilarious. The characters are interesting and perfectly described. I thought the subtext about the difference between American and Brazilian ways of life very accurate and entertaining.
I couldn’t help wondering while reading this novel if the author was a translator herself, which I realized at the end of reading, that she was. Now I wonder how much of the novel has a root of truth versus fantasy of her own.
This was an excellent read, such an enjoyable ride! I highly recommend it to everyone.
For map & discussion questions, please see .
August 28, 2021
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Ways to Disappear tries hard to evoke the absurd and surreal atmosphere that is often associated with Latin American magical realism, the end result makes for a rather dismal homage. The lack of quotations marks and the inclusion of word definitions hardly make Ways to Disappear innovative. A nondescript American translator flies to Brazil after Beatriz Yagoda, a 'brilliant' writer, disappears having been last spotted climbing into a tree. The translator's relationship to Beatriz is opaque at best. Their relationship was clearly no ordinary author/translator relationship but I never got an impression that Emma (aka the American) was concerned for Beatriz. She wants a reason to leave her unmemorable fiancée. In Brazil ruffles the feathers of Beatriz's daughter (who quite rightfully wonders why Emma has inserted herself in her mother's life) and predictably ends up entangled with the author's 'sexy' son (his one defining quality is that he is 'smooth', a 'lover'....which is kind of stereotypical). The plot goes nowhere, the characters fight amongst themselves, and make skin-deep realisations.
The only redeeming quality of this novel is its short length. Other than that...it offers little (if anything): the characters are unfunny caricatures, Brazil is simplistically painted as being hot and corrupt, and the story, if we can call it such, was a combination of meaningless and slapdash.
Ways to Disappear tries hard to evoke the absurd and surreal atmosphere that is often associated with Latin American magical realism, the end result makes for a rather dismal homage. The lack of quotations marks and the inclusion of word definitions hardly make Ways to Disappear innovative. A nondescript American translator flies to Brazil after Beatriz Yagoda, a 'brilliant' writer, disappears having been last spotted climbing into a tree. The translator's relationship to Beatriz is opaque at best. Their relationship was clearly no ordinary author/translator relationship but I never got an impression that Emma (aka the American) was concerned for Beatriz. She wants a reason to leave her unmemorable fiancée. In Brazil ruffles the feathers of Beatriz's daughter (who quite rightfully wonders why Emma has inserted herself in her mother's life) and predictably ends up entangled with the author's 'sexy' son (his one defining quality is that he is 'smooth', a 'lover'....which is kind of stereotypical). The plot goes nowhere, the characters fight amongst themselves, and make skin-deep realisations.
The only redeeming quality of this novel is its short length. Other than that...it offers little (if anything): the characters are unfunny caricatures, Brazil is simplistically painted as being hot and corrupt, and the story, if we can call it such, was a combination of meaningless and slapdash.
January 30, 2019
I read this novel for the second time this weekend, and found it to be even more a pleasure than the first time I read it. The novel is propelled forward by a story that has the momentum of a thriller, but even so, interstitially, almost magically within this rapid-fire plot, Novey finds a way to explore many aspects of how great fiction happens: the role an author's life plays in her fictions; the relationship between author and editor; the gap between what is on the page and what the author meant to write; the need for privacy vs. the need for publicity; and the role of translation--both the literal act of translating one language to another, and also, the way readers translate marks on the page into meanings, through the act of reading them. The novel beautifully answers the question: why read?
December 16, 2016
This book was weird. Though it could read as a mystery, it isn't a typical whodunit or cozy or whatever the right term is for a mysterious disappearance of a famed and respected Brazilian author and the subsequent search for her. The story author, Beatriz Yagoda, has written a number of highly regarded books, has two grown children, and a long term working relationship with the translator Emma, living in Pittsburgh.
The book's author, Idra Novey, has written a beautiful, poetic, dream-like at times, story of Emma's snap decision to rush to Brazil and search for Beatriz, based on Emma's detailed knowledge of Beatriz's works. Emma's arrival in Rio de Janeiro is received with anger by Beatriz's daughter, and equanimity by Beatriz's son. Complications soon arise with the appearance and threats of a loanshark.
I enjoyed this book more for the writing than for the solving of the mystery. For example:
By noon, Beatriz had written in her first novel, the heat in Brazil was an animal's mouth. It would swallow anything to feed itself.
...when the entire building filled with bathwater and pinkish suds spilled over the windowsills and her voice began to crack and her wrists began to wilt from holding up the book...
They were in their midthirties now and, as at any age, there were jaguars.
The book's author, Idra Novey, has written a beautiful, poetic, dream-like at times, story of Emma's snap decision to rush to Brazil and search for Beatriz, based on Emma's detailed knowledge of Beatriz's works. Emma's arrival in Rio de Janeiro is received with anger by Beatriz's daughter, and equanimity by Beatriz's son. Complications soon arise with the appearance and threats of a loanshark.
I enjoyed this book more for the writing than for the solving of the mystery. For example:
By noon, Beatriz had written in her first novel, the heat in Brazil was an animal's mouth. It would swallow anything to feed itself.
...when the entire building filled with bathwater and pinkish suds spilled over the windowsills and her voice began to crack and her wrists began to wilt from holding up the book...
They were in their midthirties now and, as at any age, there were jaguars.
February 12, 2016
I attended a launch party for this book earlier this week and came out of it full of good will towards the author. Alas, I see no merit in this slim story that goes nowhere. A Brazilian writer goes missing, after last being seen smoking a cigar up a tree. Her young American translator immediately flies to Rio to help in the search, promptly goes to bed with the writer's son and fights with her daughter. It becomes clear very quickly that Beatriz had huge gambling debts and the hapless trio is going to run into trouble. Novey drops all kind of tantalizing hints and clues, but at the end of the day all that emerges to justify Beatriz's choice to abscond is the trauma of an old rape and the unexplained addiction to online gambling. As in many novels about fictional geniuses (Jonathan Galassi's "The Muse" for instance) the snippets of prose or poetry attributed to the fictional author fail to convince me that he or she was the most brilliant writer ever. A further irritant was the smattering of pseudo-irreverant dictionary entries for words such as "hesitation" or "permission" between chapters. I found those very coy and totally useless. Since Novey has lived in Brazil, it's a shame all she has to say about it is that it is a very hot and corrupt country where people drink caipirinha. How's that for a cliché?
March 29, 2016
“Reality doesn't impress me. I only believe in intoxication, in ecstasy, and when ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another. No more walls.�
----Anaïs Nin
Idra Novey, an American author, pens her debut entertaining literary fiction, Ways to Disappear which is part mystery and part family drama where the main story is centered upon a famous Brazilian author who goes missing under strange circumstances, and due to her disappearance, her American translator travels to Rio to find her author and in that process she gets to meet the family and gets to know the author who was hiding a lot about herself.
Synopsis:
Deep in gambling debt, the celebrated Brazilian writer Beatriz Yagoda is last seen holding a suitcase and a cigar and climbing into an almond tree. She abruptly vanishes.
In snowy Pittsburgh, her American translator Emma hears the news and, against the wishes of her boyfriend and Beatriz's two grown children, flies immediately to Brazil. There, in the sticky, sugary heat of Rio, Emma and her author's children conspire to solve the mystery of Yagoda's curious disappearance and staunch the colorful demands of her various outstanding affairs: the rapacious loan shark with a zeal for severing body parts, and the washed-up and disillusioned editor who launched Yagoda's career years earlier.
The famous Brazilian writer Beatriz Yagoda goes missing when she climbed a tree with a suitcase and a cigar. Hearing the news of disappearance, Yagoda's American translator, Emma, soon rushes to Rio despite of her boyfriend as well as her parents' reluctance. Emma meets the Yagoda siblings in Rio where she takes refugee after hearing threats to her life as well as on the author's life from a loan shark. Little investigation on to the author's finances, reveals that she is neck deep with debts, and if they do not make haste, that loan shark might take revenge by severing the body parts of the siblings. Fearless Emma takes a trip with the son towards the end of the island and to various parts of the country to find the author, which is when she gets to know about the author's long-time-ago editor. What happens next is for you to find out? Grab a copy of the book now to read the incredible yet unusual story about this author's life.
The author's writing style bowled me over as it is flawless and laced with humorous anecdotes and emotions. The narrative is equally engaging and witty. The pacing of the book is really fast as the chapters are short and crisp with detailed descriptions about each and everything thus making it feel like the scenes are unfolding right in front of the eyes of the readers. The story is quite engrossing that it will keep the readers turning the pages till the very end. The author's weird life and secrets will make the readers glued to the heart of the story and as the story progresses so are the twists and suspense gets deeper and complicated which will make the readers anticipate till the very last page.
Although the climax is bit unusual and unpredictable, which put me off for a bit. As I was expecting things to turn differently. The mystery and the suspense around the disappearance and the continuous disappearances of other celebrated Brazilian authors made the story quite intriguing and compelling to read on.
The background of Rio is vividly captured in the canvas of this story and it definitely made me feel like I was standing under the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio and feeling the humidity under my skin. The author has arrested the details of Brazil quite minutely from the weather to the streets to the culture to the food to the people to the linguistic differences, except the fact that Rio is filled with criminals and everyone carries a gun with them, which I found very untrue and inappropriate in this story.
The characters are a gem of this novel. Each and every character is laced with humor, strangeness in their demeanor, longing-ness and are kept down to very simple. The main character, Emma is brave and is upfront and who stand up for her heart's wishes. I liked her attitude of handling difficult situations and talking sense into the heads of the weird siblings. The supporting cast is equally well-developed.
There is also bit of romance which the author has captured with lots of passion and heat. Overall, this is an entertaining family drama-cum-mystery novel, that not only moved me but also tantalized me.
Verdict: if you like to read about Brazil, and about how the best-selling authors and their relationships turn out to be, then definitely grab a copy of this book for sure.
Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Idra Novey's publicist, for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
----Anaïs Nin
Idra Novey, an American author, pens her debut entertaining literary fiction, Ways to Disappear which is part mystery and part family drama where the main story is centered upon a famous Brazilian author who goes missing under strange circumstances, and due to her disappearance, her American translator travels to Rio to find her author and in that process she gets to meet the family and gets to know the author who was hiding a lot about herself.
Synopsis:
Deep in gambling debt, the celebrated Brazilian writer Beatriz Yagoda is last seen holding a suitcase and a cigar and climbing into an almond tree. She abruptly vanishes.
In snowy Pittsburgh, her American translator Emma hears the news and, against the wishes of her boyfriend and Beatriz's two grown children, flies immediately to Brazil. There, in the sticky, sugary heat of Rio, Emma and her author's children conspire to solve the mystery of Yagoda's curious disappearance and staunch the colorful demands of her various outstanding affairs: the rapacious loan shark with a zeal for severing body parts, and the washed-up and disillusioned editor who launched Yagoda's career years earlier.
The famous Brazilian writer Beatriz Yagoda goes missing when she climbed a tree with a suitcase and a cigar. Hearing the news of disappearance, Yagoda's American translator, Emma, soon rushes to Rio despite of her boyfriend as well as her parents' reluctance. Emma meets the Yagoda siblings in Rio where she takes refugee after hearing threats to her life as well as on the author's life from a loan shark. Little investigation on to the author's finances, reveals that she is neck deep with debts, and if they do not make haste, that loan shark might take revenge by severing the body parts of the siblings. Fearless Emma takes a trip with the son towards the end of the island and to various parts of the country to find the author, which is when she gets to know about the author's long-time-ago editor. What happens next is for you to find out? Grab a copy of the book now to read the incredible yet unusual story about this author's life.
The author's writing style bowled me over as it is flawless and laced with humorous anecdotes and emotions. The narrative is equally engaging and witty. The pacing of the book is really fast as the chapters are short and crisp with detailed descriptions about each and everything thus making it feel like the scenes are unfolding right in front of the eyes of the readers. The story is quite engrossing that it will keep the readers turning the pages till the very end. The author's weird life and secrets will make the readers glued to the heart of the story and as the story progresses so are the twists and suspense gets deeper and complicated which will make the readers anticipate till the very last page.
Although the climax is bit unusual and unpredictable, which put me off for a bit. As I was expecting things to turn differently. The mystery and the suspense around the disappearance and the continuous disappearances of other celebrated Brazilian authors made the story quite intriguing and compelling to read on.
The background of Rio is vividly captured in the canvas of this story and it definitely made me feel like I was standing under the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio and feeling the humidity under my skin. The author has arrested the details of Brazil quite minutely from the weather to the streets to the culture to the food to the people to the linguistic differences, except the fact that Rio is filled with criminals and everyone carries a gun with them, which I found very untrue and inappropriate in this story.
The characters are a gem of this novel. Each and every character is laced with humor, strangeness in their demeanor, longing-ness and are kept down to very simple. The main character, Emma is brave and is upfront and who stand up for her heart's wishes. I liked her attitude of handling difficult situations and talking sense into the heads of the weird siblings. The supporting cast is equally well-developed.
There is also bit of romance which the author has captured with lots of passion and heat. Overall, this is an entertaining family drama-cum-mystery novel, that not only moved me but also tantalized me.
Verdict: if you like to read about Brazil, and about how the best-selling authors and their relationships turn out to be, then definitely grab a copy of this book for sure.
Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Idra Novey's publicist, for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
June 16, 2018
This is a strange, gripping, and beautiful novel. I am a Clarice person, and so, found it particularly of interest, as it is a highly fictionalized exploration of Lispector's life. Or, I'm saying that wrong. This is a book of fiction that explores, from certain angles, Lispector's mystique. There are questions in here that revolve around her particular mannerisms.
In some ways this is a book built entirely of the raw material of questions.
What does it mean to be an author? A translator? What does the relationship between an author and translator mean? Where does the authentic text lie and is a translator a craft-person, a mimic, a midwife, an author, an escape artist? Is the act of translation a conversation? An interview? A way of listening for the music of a word or phrase? A terrible responsibility?...
Can an author's life be translated into and out of their novelistic excursions? To read an author's work, is this to know them at all, or to escape into their excursions away from the self? Can a writer write anything but their own story? Is all writing fantasy?
Does one know someone better by knowing how they avoid reality in their writing, or how they go about their daily lives? Is there such a thing as "daily life" at all, or is it a false distinction? Can a writer be so immersed in their fiction, their commentary, in the crafting of sly and fantastical metaphors, that they forget that their words, however magical, do not free them from the consequences of their actions? Can relationships be made up almost entirely of evasions? (The intricate architectures built up around them that keep two people connected?)
Now is a particularly fascinating and terrifying time to consider the relationship between a person's actions and the way they try to create or diminish themselves and/or their actions with words.
But I digress.
Here is a book that creates a fictional Lispector who is, I think, a wonderful fictional Lispector. I love, particularly, the scenes of her in her trench coat, how her withdraw draws people to fictionalize her. Turn her into myth or fable. How she holds herself in a way that compels people to tell stories about her. To see her as a character in one of her own stories, even if they don't know what those stories are. She turns everyone around her into mystical storytellers, and this is one of the gifts that she gives. An offering. And she manages to somehow sidestep the mundane without ever leaving the terrestrial confines of her emotional woundedness. She is, in so many ways, a wounded animal whose esoteric brilliance lies in simplicity.
Things I took issue with in this book. 1) Sometimes the structure was a bit cluttered and/or jarring. 2) I find it hard to believe Rocha doesn't glean, from the author's letter to him, that she intends to end her life. 3) That Novey takes note of Lispector's connection to Kafka, with hazy existential courtroom scenes, and brings the problem of translation into the mix. But, the courtroom scenes remain extraneous and, to be frank, I'm not even sure why they are in here except to say, "Kafka and Lispector had this in common"-- existential comedy at its most harrowing, mystical, and mundanely surreal. It feels like an extra ingredient thrown in because it's been sitting in the cupboard.
But, over all this book was a delight to read.
One goodreads reviewer asks an intriguing question. Is this a Jewish book? A particularly meaningful question as Ways to Disappear won the 2017 Sami Rohr prize for Jewish fiction, though there is almost no Jewish content in it.
Another interesting question--was Lispector herself a Jewish writer? And if so, why?
These are questions that have no simple answer. What makes a book a Jewish book? What makes a writer a Jewish writer? Is it enough for a writer to be Jewish? Does that make all their writing Jewish writing? Is it enough for a book to have a Jewish protagonist, even if Jewishness plays no apparent part in their life?
I loved this book, and I consider Lispector to be a Jewish writer, and am aware that there are important characters in this book who are Jewish, and yet I did not experience this as a Jewish book. Because Jewishness is only mentioned in passing and it plays no apparent role in the text. But, perhaps as I continue to think about the book and read other people's thoughts on it, I will reconsider.
In some ways this is a book built entirely of the raw material of questions.
What does it mean to be an author? A translator? What does the relationship between an author and translator mean? Where does the authentic text lie and is a translator a craft-person, a mimic, a midwife, an author, an escape artist? Is the act of translation a conversation? An interview? A way of listening for the music of a word or phrase? A terrible responsibility?...
Can an author's life be translated into and out of their novelistic excursions? To read an author's work, is this to know them at all, or to escape into their excursions away from the self? Can a writer write anything but their own story? Is all writing fantasy?
Does one know someone better by knowing how they avoid reality in their writing, or how they go about their daily lives? Is there such a thing as "daily life" at all, or is it a false distinction? Can a writer be so immersed in their fiction, their commentary, in the crafting of sly and fantastical metaphors, that they forget that their words, however magical, do not free them from the consequences of their actions? Can relationships be made up almost entirely of evasions? (The intricate architectures built up around them that keep two people connected?)
Now is a particularly fascinating and terrifying time to consider the relationship between a person's actions and the way they try to create or diminish themselves and/or their actions with words.
But I digress.
Here is a book that creates a fictional Lispector who is, I think, a wonderful fictional Lispector. I love, particularly, the scenes of her in her trench coat, how her withdraw draws people to fictionalize her. Turn her into myth or fable. How she holds herself in a way that compels people to tell stories about her. To see her as a character in one of her own stories, even if they don't know what those stories are. She turns everyone around her into mystical storytellers, and this is one of the gifts that she gives. An offering. And she manages to somehow sidestep the mundane without ever leaving the terrestrial confines of her emotional woundedness. She is, in so many ways, a wounded animal whose esoteric brilliance lies in simplicity.
Things I took issue with in this book. 1) Sometimes the structure was a bit cluttered and/or jarring. 2) I find it hard to believe Rocha doesn't glean, from the author's letter to him, that she intends to end her life. 3) That Novey takes note of Lispector's connection to Kafka, with hazy existential courtroom scenes, and brings the problem of translation into the mix. But, the courtroom scenes remain extraneous and, to be frank, I'm not even sure why they are in here except to say, "Kafka and Lispector had this in common"-- existential comedy at its most harrowing, mystical, and mundanely surreal. It feels like an extra ingredient thrown in because it's been sitting in the cupboard.
But, over all this book was a delight to read.
One goodreads reviewer asks an intriguing question. Is this a Jewish book? A particularly meaningful question as Ways to Disappear won the 2017 Sami Rohr prize for Jewish fiction, though there is almost no Jewish content in it.
Another interesting question--was Lispector herself a Jewish writer? And if so, why?
These are questions that have no simple answer. What makes a book a Jewish book? What makes a writer a Jewish writer? Is it enough for a writer to be Jewish? Does that make all their writing Jewish writing? Is it enough for a book to have a Jewish protagonist, even if Jewishness plays no apparent part in their life?
I loved this book, and I consider Lispector to be a Jewish writer, and am aware that there are important characters in this book who are Jewish, and yet I did not experience this as a Jewish book. Because Jewishness is only mentioned in passing and it plays no apparent role in the text. But, perhaps as I continue to think about the book and read other people's thoughts on it, I will reconsider.
September 18, 2017
"She wasn't visible anymore, or not until she disappeared"
Novey is an established poet and translator, and this is her first published work of fiction. I found Ways to Disappear a pure delight, but warning: this book is not for everyone (reading the reviews, they seem to fall into roughly two categories: those who loved, or at least appreciated, Novey's poeticism and satirical, magical realist vision; and those who felt this book was a waste of time.
Ways to Disappear is kind of about something, in fact so much so that the pacing is akin to a 500m dash (I finished this book in one day). Yet, whatever it's about, is kind of besides the point, or barely incidental to the actual point, which is to highlight the strangeness of the mundane by awakening the reader out of her/his pre-conceived notions - about novels, stories, words, structure. Partially, Novey achieves this through acutely perceptive observations - such as by describing the felt reality of being in Rio, and concluding that "to arrive in Rio was to remember that one had a body and brought it everywhere". Partially, Novey disrupts our expectations through the quirky structure of Ways to Disappear- which switches point of view without warnings, interrupts with radio broadcasts, emails, and 'definitions' of key terms, as well as, later on, breaking out in straight-up poetry.
And partially, Novey forces the reader to stop thinking and to experience the story, by forcing the reader to perhaps think too much at first (but, this latter pursuit immediately becomes futile, because this book is not about cognitively 'getting' something, it's about trusting and fostering intuition). I do believe this is where the paths diverge between those who love this book (and who allow themselves to get lost in it) and those who simply detest it (because one cannot 'grasp' it by intellectually analyzing it). Basically, Ways to Disappear is poetry - in novelistic form- but still, poetry.
I especially loved this work because it echoed some of my favorite Latin American poets like Robert Bolano - the voice is casually intellectual, incisive in a felt/embodied way, and brilliantly dead-pan hilarious ("She'd call Miles... they'd lived together this long, knew which mug the other preferred for coffee and which for tea... She could be grateful for Miles and for his steadiness. They would delight in exercise and recycling." --> *insert laughing crying emoji* - this is for example how Novey describes the inanity of a relationship grounded in familiarity).
Highly recommend this, or not at all, depending on how you felt reading this review.
Novey is an established poet and translator, and this is her first published work of fiction. I found Ways to Disappear a pure delight, but warning: this book is not for everyone (reading the reviews, they seem to fall into roughly two categories: those who loved, or at least appreciated, Novey's poeticism and satirical, magical realist vision; and those who felt this book was a waste of time.
Ways to Disappear is kind of about something, in fact so much so that the pacing is akin to a 500m dash (I finished this book in one day). Yet, whatever it's about, is kind of besides the point, or barely incidental to the actual point, which is to highlight the strangeness of the mundane by awakening the reader out of her/his pre-conceived notions - about novels, stories, words, structure. Partially, Novey achieves this through acutely perceptive observations - such as by describing the felt reality of being in Rio, and concluding that "to arrive in Rio was to remember that one had a body and brought it everywhere". Partially, Novey disrupts our expectations through the quirky structure of Ways to Disappear- which switches point of view without warnings, interrupts with radio broadcasts, emails, and 'definitions' of key terms, as well as, later on, breaking out in straight-up poetry.
And partially, Novey forces the reader to stop thinking and to experience the story, by forcing the reader to perhaps think too much at first (but, this latter pursuit immediately becomes futile, because this book is not about cognitively 'getting' something, it's about trusting and fostering intuition). I do believe this is where the paths diverge between those who love this book (and who allow themselves to get lost in it) and those who simply detest it (because one cannot 'grasp' it by intellectually analyzing it). Basically, Ways to Disappear is poetry - in novelistic form- but still, poetry.
I especially loved this work because it echoed some of my favorite Latin American poets like Robert Bolano - the voice is casually intellectual, incisive in a felt/embodied way, and brilliantly dead-pan hilarious ("She'd call Miles... they'd lived together this long, knew which mug the other preferred for coffee and which for tea... She could be grateful for Miles and for his steadiness. They would delight in exercise and recycling." --> *insert laughing crying emoji* - this is for example how Novey describes the inanity of a relationship grounded in familiarity).
Highly recommend this, or not at all, depending on how you felt reading this review.
December 15, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, often w pencil in hand as I noticed puzzles and patterns. A review will follow.
November 11, 2018
I loved everything about this novel. I've wanted to read it since it came out--the reviews were very intriguing. But I was unprepared for how beautiful it is as well as fascinating.
Emma is a translator of Beatriz Yagoda's work. When Beatriz climbs into a tree and disappears, Emma travels from her home and dull relationship to Brazil where she meets up with Beatriz's hostile daughter, Beatriz's gorgeous son, and a gangster who is searching for Beatriz as well--because she owes him a fortune. Hence the disappearance.
The novel is written in short chapters. I enjoyed the plot and characters (although I wish there had been more time spent with Beatriz, I would have liked to have gotten to know her better), as well as the musings on what it means to be a translator, the relationship of translation to literature (a topic in which, for some unknown reason, I'm very intrigued by). The story, despite it's threat and occasional enactment of violence, was very funny. The characters are fun but not deep or deeply drawn. But despite its humor and light tone, the writing was exquisite which is what earned it 4 stars from me.
It was a quick read: I couldn't put it down and it's not dense which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5; it was a bit too "easy" reading with not enough depth to rate a 5, at least in my opinion. For me, 5 star books have it all: lots to think about afterwards, haunting stories and/or characters, great writing, something I'd want to read again, need to read again to really understand and appreciate it. (Great plot is a plus but not absolutely necessary for me--unless, of course, it's a mystery novel, which this is and the plot is fine.)
But I completely enjoyed the time I spent with this book. It was like spending time with a friend and perfect for how I'm feeling at the moment--overwhelmed with work and not a lot of time to read, I needed a book that provided immediate gratification without a lot of demands on me as a read. This book was a delight and very satisfying. I look forward to reading more from this author and will certainly seek out her poetry.
Emma is a translator of Beatriz Yagoda's work. When Beatriz climbs into a tree and disappears, Emma travels from her home and dull relationship to Brazil where she meets up with Beatriz's hostile daughter, Beatriz's gorgeous son, and a gangster who is searching for Beatriz as well--because she owes him a fortune. Hence the disappearance.
The novel is written in short chapters. I enjoyed the plot and characters (although I wish there had been more time spent with Beatriz, I would have liked to have gotten to know her better), as well as the musings on what it means to be a translator, the relationship of translation to literature (a topic in which, for some unknown reason, I'm very intrigued by). The story, despite it's threat and occasional enactment of violence, was very funny. The characters are fun but not deep or deeply drawn. But despite its humor and light tone, the writing was exquisite which is what earned it 4 stars from me.
It was a quick read: I couldn't put it down and it's not dense which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5; it was a bit too "easy" reading with not enough depth to rate a 5, at least in my opinion. For me, 5 star books have it all: lots to think about afterwards, haunting stories and/or characters, great writing, something I'd want to read again, need to read again to really understand and appreciate it. (Great plot is a plus but not absolutely necessary for me--unless, of course, it's a mystery novel, which this is and the plot is fine.)
But I completely enjoyed the time I spent with this book. It was like spending time with a friend and perfect for how I'm feeling at the moment--overwhelmed with work and not a lot of time to read, I needed a book that provided immediate gratification without a lot of demands on me as a read. This book was a delight and very satisfying. I look forward to reading more from this author and will certainly seek out her poetry.
April 15, 2017
Idra Novey is a fantastic writer, and I'd maybe be up for trying another very different novel by her down the road. But I quit this one in disgust at the 60% mark: it was relying increasingly on mystery novel conventions, which I loath more than just about anything in my reading life. Hate hate hated where this book was going. I feel ill from those last few pages, and am so glad to have bailed.
August 7, 2017
This little novel was a pleasant surprise. I read it because Idra Novey is a translator of books from Spanish and Portuguese into English and I had read that the story involves a translator. That turns out to be Emma, the main character.
The tale opens with the disappearance of Emma's Brazilian author, Beatriz Yogoda. This author wrote stunning novels but was a bad mother, addicted to gambling. Her debts have caught up with her and an unsavory moneylender is after her.
Beatriz climbed into an almond tree carrying a suitcase, smoking a cigar, and vanished. I loved her already. This makes two books in a row about a vanished, missing person and Emma's quest to find her requires courage she doesn't have, just as Meg's search for her father did in A Wrinkle in Time.
Emma lives in Pittsburgh with a boring boyfriend who wants to marry her. In truth, she is rather spiritually married to the eccentric and imaginative Beatriz, whose novels she has been translating for a few years. Nor does Emma have any supernatural beings to help her though there is Beatriz's washed up editor, a man with deep pockets and deep regrets that his publishing house must put out only bestseller trash to remain solvent.
For the sexy parts, we have Beatriz's hot and sensual son who seduces Emma as he helps her look for the vanished author in hot steamy Rio de Janeiro. The story reads like a noir thriller but has those insider publishing/translating sections. It is also hilarious despite all the danger surrounding Emma's desperate search. The writing is brilliant. The ending is perfect.
The tale opens with the disappearance of Emma's Brazilian author, Beatriz Yogoda. This author wrote stunning novels but was a bad mother, addicted to gambling. Her debts have caught up with her and an unsavory moneylender is after her.
Beatriz climbed into an almond tree carrying a suitcase, smoking a cigar, and vanished. I loved her already. This makes two books in a row about a vanished, missing person and Emma's quest to find her requires courage she doesn't have, just as Meg's search for her father did in A Wrinkle in Time.
Emma lives in Pittsburgh with a boring boyfriend who wants to marry her. In truth, she is rather spiritually married to the eccentric and imaginative Beatriz, whose novels she has been translating for a few years. Nor does Emma have any supernatural beings to help her though there is Beatriz's washed up editor, a man with deep pockets and deep regrets that his publishing house must put out only bestseller trash to remain solvent.
For the sexy parts, we have Beatriz's hot and sensual son who seduces Emma as he helps her look for the vanished author in hot steamy Rio de Janeiro. The story reads like a noir thriller but has those insider publishing/translating sections. It is also hilarious despite all the danger surrounding Emma's desperate search. The writing is brilliant. The ending is perfect.
October 14, 2017
Beautiful. Magical. Enchanting. Unique. Stunning writing. Loved it.
January 3, 2018
Absurd, amusing, dreamy, and sometimes quite beautiful. 3.5 stars.
For so long, she'd willfully sought the in-between. She'd thought of herself as fated to live suspended, floating between two countries, in the vapor between languages. But too much vaporous freedom brought its own constraints. She now felt as confined by her floating state as other, more wholesome people were to the towns where they were born.
For so long, she'd willfully sought the in-between. She'd thought of herself as fated to live suspended, floating between two countries, in the vapor between languages. But too much vaporous freedom brought its own constraints. She now felt as confined by her floating state as other, more wholesome people were to the towns where they were born.
September 16, 2015
Finished this novel in just two sittings - a wonderfully fast-paced mystery / a love story / a detective novel almost / and a meditation on writing fiction and the equally important work of translation. The ending is haunting, magical. The writing is spare, the images precise; you feel you're in good hands with a poet, a prose poet this time. A gorgeous first novel.
June 8, 2017
This was not a typical read for me. I admire experimental writing, but usually don’t take to it easily, and I’ve never cared for mysteries. But Novey won me over with her imaginative digressions, playful structure, and the yearning she infused in each of her characters. And behind the story is an exploration of writing and translating, full of surprising and poetic insights:
“For so long, she’d willfully sought the in-between. She’d thought of herself as fated to live suspended, floating between two countries, in the vapor between languages.�
I have a feeling these insights, along with her unique images (purple-feathered hats, pigeon dreams, darkening butterflies) will be bouncing around in my head for some time.
“For so long, she’d willfully sought the in-between. She’d thought of herself as fated to live suspended, floating between two countries, in the vapor between languages.�
I have a feeling these insights, along with her unique images (purple-feathered hats, pigeon dreams, darkening butterflies) will be bouncing around in my head for some time.
October 12, 2017
I'd reccomend this to those who love , and 's writing.
The writing is so vibrant. It was wonderously difficult to infer what the characters would say or do next. I was delightfully surprised by this colorful narrative set in Brazil. While the events that occurred seem rather unlikely, the characters highlight realistic issues in the family, within one's personal life and within our social interactions. The novel's peculiarities makes these realities more vivid and help keep the reader engaged. I wish I had someone to talk to about all this. I believe it'd invoke an interesting discussion.
One of the many things I absolutely adored is that this is one of those rare books where a character(s) is a reader / writer / lover of literature yet that passion doesn't feel forced on you (likely also a lover of books). You don't feel forced to relate to the characters via that shared interest, and yet you're still drawn to the characters any way because of the gripping writing style and enthralling storyline.
The writing is so vibrant. It was wonderously difficult to infer what the characters would say or do next. I was delightfully surprised by this colorful narrative set in Brazil. While the events that occurred seem rather unlikely, the characters highlight realistic issues in the family, within one's personal life and within our social interactions. The novel's peculiarities makes these realities more vivid and help keep the reader engaged. I wish I had someone to talk to about all this. I believe it'd invoke an interesting discussion.
One of the many things I absolutely adored is that this is one of those rare books where a character(s) is a reader / writer / lover of literature yet that passion doesn't feel forced on you (likely also a lover of books). You don't feel forced to relate to the characters via that shared interest, and yet you're still drawn to the characters any way because of the gripping writing style and enthralling storyline.
June 16, 2016
Great book. It is a quick read, with very short chapters and some clever asides. It is the story of a translator who goes down to Brazil to find out what happened to the novelist that she has been translating for years. While down there she becomes embroiled with bad guys who are owed a lot of money due to the author's compulsive online gambling. The translator teams up with the son and daughter of the author to try to find their mother and to find some way to pay her debt. Along the way she reassesses her life and attempts to discover who she really is and what she wants from life.
Though there are some wonderfully expressed thoughts on what it means to be a translator and their subsequent place in the literary world, this isn't a particularly deep book. It is very amusing, laugh out loud funny at times. It moves at a brisk pace, with a pulp novel mentality at times. Idra Novey is herself a translator and a poet. Both of these really show in her writing of this book. It was a very, very enjoyable read.
Though there are some wonderfully expressed thoughts on what it means to be a translator and their subsequent place in the literary world, this isn't a particularly deep book. It is very amusing, laugh out loud funny at times. It moves at a brisk pace, with a pulp novel mentality at times. Idra Novey is herself a translator and a poet. Both of these really show in her writing of this book. It was a very, very enjoyable read.
February 11, 2016
[3.5 stars]
Feeling slumpy? Need a quick, can’t-turn-the-pages-fast-enough read? Look no further! Poet, turned novelist, Idra Novey’s latest will save the day. (My next career will obviously be scripting infomercials).
For real though, Novey takes a plot we’ve all seen before (i.e. missing mother), and twists it around into something completely new. Author and mother of two, Beatriz is last seen smoking a cigar and climbing into a tree, following which she mysteriously disappears. Upon hearing this news Emma, her American translator, abruptly up and leaves her life and jets off to Brazil to try and track Beatriz down.
This novel starts with bang, is a lightning quick read with short chapters of no more than a few pages, various alternating perspectives, and will have you turning the pages at a feverish rate. Emma’s character delighted me, as she is a bit of an odd duck, and I most enjoyed the chapters from her point of view. She also reflected quite a bit on what it means to be a translator, which I found incredibly interesting, and brought to the forefront many ideas I’d never previously considered.
Two things, however, kept me from flat out loving this book: 1) The plot bends towards the unbelievable, which I don’t necessarily feel is the author’s intention. I enjoyed the story, but didn’t totally buy it� if that makes sense. 2) Given the short chapters and multiple perspectives (which I liked!), most of the characters felt a bit underdeveloped and one-note, resulting in my lack of fully grasping where each one was coming from in terms of decisions made and feelings felt.
This was a great read for me, although it likely won’t leave a permanent tattoo on my brain� more like one of those cereal box tattoos you lick and stick on your arm, which are gone a week or so later. I’m pleased to have devoured this one, and think you should read it too if you’re looking for nothing else than a few hours of enjoyment.
For more, visit
Feeling slumpy? Need a quick, can’t-turn-the-pages-fast-enough read? Look no further! Poet, turned novelist, Idra Novey’s latest will save the day. (My next career will obviously be scripting infomercials).
For real though, Novey takes a plot we’ve all seen before (i.e. missing mother), and twists it around into something completely new. Author and mother of two, Beatriz is last seen smoking a cigar and climbing into a tree, following which she mysteriously disappears. Upon hearing this news Emma, her American translator, abruptly up and leaves her life and jets off to Brazil to try and track Beatriz down.
This novel starts with bang, is a lightning quick read with short chapters of no more than a few pages, various alternating perspectives, and will have you turning the pages at a feverish rate. Emma’s character delighted me, as she is a bit of an odd duck, and I most enjoyed the chapters from her point of view. She also reflected quite a bit on what it means to be a translator, which I found incredibly interesting, and brought to the forefront many ideas I’d never previously considered.
Two things, however, kept me from flat out loving this book: 1) The plot bends towards the unbelievable, which I don’t necessarily feel is the author’s intention. I enjoyed the story, but didn’t totally buy it� if that makes sense. 2) Given the short chapters and multiple perspectives (which I liked!), most of the characters felt a bit underdeveloped and one-note, resulting in my lack of fully grasping where each one was coming from in terms of decisions made and feelings felt.
This was a great read for me, although it likely won’t leave a permanent tattoo on my brain� more like one of those cereal box tattoos you lick and stick on your arm, which are gone a week or so later. I’m pleased to have devoured this one, and think you should read it too if you’re looking for nothing else than a few hours of enjoyment.
For more, visit
May 10, 2021
****4.0****
Brazil's famous Author Beatriz Yagoda has disappeared. She was last seen climbing up a tree with her suitcase and cigar. Emma, Beatriz's English translator rushes to Brazil when she hears the news of her Author Beatriz Yagoda's disappearance. Emma has spent years translating Beatriz's work and have also stayed in Beatriz's house in several occasions. She feels more connected to Beatriz and Brazil than her own country and family/boyfriend.
Once Emma is in Brazil, she along with Beatriz's daughter and son, sets out in search of Beatriz. Each one inspecting and interpreting disappeared author's last actions. Emma on the other hand starts feeling happier in Brazil.
The climax was a bit unpredictable for me. It is more of strong characters than a plot. Laced with humor, drama and mystery, it was a different book. I liked it very much with brilliant characters and writing.
Happy Reading!!
Brazil's famous Author Beatriz Yagoda has disappeared. She was last seen climbing up a tree with her suitcase and cigar. Emma, Beatriz's English translator rushes to Brazil when she hears the news of her Author Beatriz Yagoda's disappearance. Emma has spent years translating Beatriz's work and have also stayed in Beatriz's house in several occasions. She feels more connected to Beatriz and Brazil than her own country and family/boyfriend.
Once Emma is in Brazil, she along with Beatriz's daughter and son, sets out in search of Beatriz. Each one inspecting and interpreting disappeared author's last actions. Emma on the other hand starts feeling happier in Brazil.
The climax was a bit unpredictable for me. It is more of strong characters than a plot. Laced with humor, drama and mystery, it was a different book. I liked it very much with brilliant characters and writing.
Happy Reading!!
May 17, 2016
From my blog: I loved Idra Novey’s Ways to Disappear. She had me with her first sentence: “In a crumbling park in the crumbling back end of Copacabana, a woman stopped under an almond tree with a suitcase and a cigar.� Whether it was the repetition of “crumbling,� the combination of the suitcase and the cigar, or the thought of almonds, which I enjoy eating on just about anything, yes, dear reader, I bought the book. In hardcover. I had to find out what happens when American translator Emma Neufeld goes from snowy Pittsburg to blazing-hot Brazil in search of the almond tree woman, Beatriz Yagoda, who happens to be Emma’s author. Beatriz has gone missing because of gambling debts and Emma goes missing on her lets-go-running-and-lets-get-married boyfriend because, well, our authors are part of us in some mysterious way. Has Novey ever used the hairbrush of one of her authors? I don’t know and I don’t need to know but I will say that I, personally, have never used a hairbrush (or comb or other grooming device) belonging to any of my authors but oh my, what a wonderful, fitting metaphor. On the same page (23, if anyone’s looking), there’s a mention of Emma’s (earlier, of course) confession to Beatriz that she “hadn’t been quite as dutiful in her last translation as in Beatriz’s earlier books, and Beatriz had replied that duty was for clergy. For translation to be an art, she told Emma, you have to make the uncomfortable but necessary transgressions that an artist makes.� Yes, yes, and yes. I couldn’t wait to buy the book because Novey mentions “the risk-taking, the reckless joys of translation� in an LA Times interview that my cousin clipped and sent to me� Risks and joys are what make translation so exhilarating and I feel lots of reckless joy and risk-taking in Ways to Disappear, too, and all of it works and pays off for Novey.
April 11, 2016
Poet Idra Novey delivers a debut novel that is part mystery, part romance sprinkled with some humor. The story begins with the disappearance of a famous Brazilian author, Beatriz Yagoda, who is last seen in an almond tree with a suitcase and a cigar. I immediately thought I'm not going to finish this book. However, I was pleasantly surprised that Novey lured me in with her words and I kept devouring the story. Ultimately the search for Beatriz turns into the search of self discovery, love and growth for her American translator Emma, and her children Marcus and Raquel.
If you're looking for a highly climatic complex story full of complicated plot twists this is not the novel for you. This book is like a lazy river with gentle ripples and a few rough under currents. I enjoyed the simplicity of this novel, the format (short chapters) and poetic beauty of the author's words. The book cover (suitcase) and title are mysterious. It can mislead the reader to think of disappearing in only a physical sense. As you delve more into the story you discover the many ways one can disappear -- via their soul, mind, spirit or emotionally. Novey also reveals factors and circumstances in each character that makes them disappear. The use of the butterfly (transformation) was symbolic throughout this story.
I had an overwhelming feeling that I missed something when I finished. I'm definitely planning to read this book again. With so much imagery and stories within stories, I'm sure to pick up something I missed the first time around.
If you're looking for a highly climatic complex story full of complicated plot twists this is not the novel for you. This book is like a lazy river with gentle ripples and a few rough under currents. I enjoyed the simplicity of this novel, the format (short chapters) and poetic beauty of the author's words. The book cover (suitcase) and title are mysterious. It can mislead the reader to think of disappearing in only a physical sense. As you delve more into the story you discover the many ways one can disappear -- via their soul, mind, spirit or emotionally. Novey also reveals factors and circumstances in each character that makes them disappear. The use of the butterfly (transformation) was symbolic throughout this story.
I had an overwhelming feeling that I missed something when I finished. I'm definitely planning to read this book again. With so much imagery and stories within stories, I'm sure to pick up something I missed the first time around.
January 11, 2018
The language of this book completely charmed me - deft and playful without being coy or artful.
Some samples:
�...she rolled down the window to take in the breeze. She could taste the ocean in it the way it was blowing tonight, rinsing away the stink Thiago liked to call the sweaty ass of Rio.�
More on the hot summers: "...the heat in Brazil was an animal’s mouth. It would swallow anything to feed itself.�
A character anxiously awaiting an email: “The seconds it took to reach Raquel felt like each one had a century folded inside it."
Other charms of this book: the characters; the perfect pacing - the plot is helped along by the physical layout of the book - many small sections, with nearly as much blank space as printed space; a love of language, as seen through the thoughts of the main character who is an American translator of Brazilian fiction into English.
Some samples:
�...she rolled down the window to take in the breeze. She could taste the ocean in it the way it was blowing tonight, rinsing away the stink Thiago liked to call the sweaty ass of Rio.�
More on the hot summers: "...the heat in Brazil was an animal’s mouth. It would swallow anything to feed itself.�
A character anxiously awaiting an email: “The seconds it took to reach Raquel felt like each one had a century folded inside it."
Other charms of this book: the characters; the perfect pacing - the plot is helped along by the physical layout of the book - many small sections, with nearly as much blank space as printed space; a love of language, as seen through the thoughts of the main character who is an American translator of Brazilian fiction into English.
November 18, 2023
Yes, there are several insights about translation. Pretty much the only reason I liked it. Disliked the plot, though; the pseudo-romance was so out of place and cliche.
The whole book seems to be about how difficult it is to speak; we don't even get started on how difficult it is, once you do speak, to be understood.
But it falls pretty heavily down the pitfall of writing about a genius writer while not being one. You do have to quote those white-hot sentences that change people's lives, but you've got to create them yourself. Sadly, I didn't feel that Novey was up to the task.
The whole book seems to be about how difficult it is to speak; we don't even get started on how difficult it is, once you do speak, to be understood.
But it falls pretty heavily down the pitfall of writing about a genius writer while not being one. You do have to quote those white-hot sentences that change people's lives, but you've got to create them yourself. Sadly, I didn't feel that Novey was up to the task.
October 31, 2017
Earnest and hilarious, the multi-talented IN gives us a book that is fun to read and thoughtful in equal measures. I only wish I could have got to know the elusive heroine who disappears into the trees before we have the chance.
January 4, 2016
This is a wonderful first novel by Idra Novey. Strange and fast paced, this was a book I couldn't put down!
February 3, 2018
4.5 stars.
“And wasn’t the splendor of translation this very thing - to discover sentences this beautiful and then have the chance to make someone else hear their beauty who had yet to hear it? To arrive, at least once, at a moment this intimate and singular, which would not be possible without these words arranged in this order on this page?�
I adored this beautiful and clever novel. What poetic prose, and just so well done. The story at first reminded me of Where’d You Go, Bernadette? A famous Brazilian author disappears up an almond tree before seemingly disappearing off the face of the earth. Her works are strange and many, and have been translated into English by a young woman named Emma, through a tiny independent American press. When Beatriz goes missing, Emma feels compelled to look for her. She feels like she knows Beatriz so intimately through her words and stories, and the time they had spent together. Along with Beatriz’s son and daughter, they comb through Brazil in hopes of finding her.
I don’t even really know how to explain why I liked this novel so much. It’s one of those I couldn’t believe was a debut, but of course it almost isn't really. Idra Novey has worked as a translator, and in spending so much time with an author’s words, perhaps somewhere along the way you are also writing it? She has translated works by Clarice Lispector, and the fictional author Beatriz Yagoda bears some resemblance to Clarice Lispector and her stories. (One wonders at the parallels.)
That’s a lot of what this novel had to discuss, how it feels to be a translator and the works of small press. I also loved how it was so anchored in Brazilian life, her words conjuring the balmy heat and sticky climate, the plot reminding us of the corruption and violence rife within the country. I loved how the entire book felt like a work in translation, with the names of local foods and local phrases retained in italics. I also really loved reading the subplots of Beatriz’s stories interspersed through the entirety of the book, reflecting her life through fantastical themes and touches of magical realism that are often associated with Latin American fiction. I loved it as I read it, and the more I read it, the more I appreciated it. And now I’m done and just wowed. I look forward to exploring Idra Novey’s translations and any future novels �
#readharder2018 Task 5: A Book set in or about one of the BRICS countries
“And wasn’t the splendor of translation this very thing - to discover sentences this beautiful and then have the chance to make someone else hear their beauty who had yet to hear it? To arrive, at least once, at a moment this intimate and singular, which would not be possible without these words arranged in this order on this page?�
I adored this beautiful and clever novel. What poetic prose, and just so well done. The story at first reminded me of Where’d You Go, Bernadette? A famous Brazilian author disappears up an almond tree before seemingly disappearing off the face of the earth. Her works are strange and many, and have been translated into English by a young woman named Emma, through a tiny independent American press. When Beatriz goes missing, Emma feels compelled to look for her. She feels like she knows Beatriz so intimately through her words and stories, and the time they had spent together. Along with Beatriz’s son and daughter, they comb through Brazil in hopes of finding her.
I don’t even really know how to explain why I liked this novel so much. It’s one of those I couldn’t believe was a debut, but of course it almost isn't really. Idra Novey has worked as a translator, and in spending so much time with an author’s words, perhaps somewhere along the way you are also writing it? She has translated works by Clarice Lispector, and the fictional author Beatriz Yagoda bears some resemblance to Clarice Lispector and her stories. (One wonders at the parallels.)
That’s a lot of what this novel had to discuss, how it feels to be a translator and the works of small press. I also loved how it was so anchored in Brazilian life, her words conjuring the balmy heat and sticky climate, the plot reminding us of the corruption and violence rife within the country. I loved how the entire book felt like a work in translation, with the names of local foods and local phrases retained in italics. I also really loved reading the subplots of Beatriz’s stories interspersed through the entirety of the book, reflecting her life through fantastical themes and touches of magical realism that are often associated with Latin American fiction. I loved it as I read it, and the more I read it, the more I appreciated it. And now I’m done and just wowed. I look forward to exploring Idra Novey’s translations and any future novels �
#readharder2018 Task 5: A Book set in or about one of the BRICS countries
July 1, 2018
An excellent piece of summer reading that’s on the literary side, because it involves an American literary translator trying to help find her Brazilian author, who has disappeared. It’s breezy yet serious, superficial yet thought-provoking. A 3.5.
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