The Disappearances by Gemma Malley
The Disappearances opens a year after Evie and Raffy escaped from the City. They have begun a new life in the Settlement - Raffy farms and Evie sews and this kibbutz-like living is like balm in comparison to the ultra-controlled, denunciation environment they left behind. But Raffy's jealousy won't leave him and it's threatening to ruin the couple's precious, new-found peace. Back in the City, Lucas is finding that switching off the System hasn't been the panacea he thought it would be. His people are lost without the rigid controls they had lived under for so long. And to make matters worse, the City's young people are disappearing.
| The Disappearances by Gemma Malley | |
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| Category: Teens | |
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Reviewer: Jill Murphy
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| Summary: Best middle book in a trilogy that we've read for ages! Everything in this dystopian series turns in a completely unexpected direction. And that's all we're saying! Don't miss it. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 432 | Date: March 2013 |
| Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: B00A4YZWJ6 | |
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Who is behind the disappearances? And what do they want? More worryingly, what are their links to the Horrors, the disastrous wars that gave rise to the collapse of society and creation of the City?
Ooh! How exciting! I can't remember the last time the second book in a series I was reading went off in such an unexpected direction. I really didn't see it coming. It's difficult to explain why without spoiling it all for you, so I shall simply tell you to pay attention to Thomas. He doesn't appear in The Killables but he is very important to this story. In Thomas, Malley introduces a whole new theme to this trilogy and it's one she hasn't really explored before, so I'll be tremendously interested to see where she goes with it in book three. And that's all you're getting!
On a more general note, The Disappearances is vintage Malley. Its clear, elegant, flowing prose is easy to read and deceptively intelligent. The narrative concentrates equally on its wider themes - freedom, control, self-expression - and on its characters. There's a large cast and you couldn't pick one character as more interesting than another. And quite how Malley manages to include a rather beautiful love story amongst everything else here is quite beyond me. But I love it that she does.
I know, I know, I know. I'm a Gemma Malley fangirl and I never do anything but gush when I'm reviewing one of her books. But I defy you to find anything wrong with The Disappearances. It's wonderful stuff. Don't miss it.
You might also enjoy The Restoration Game by Ken MacLeod. Or perhaps What's Left Of Me by Kat Zhang.
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