So I whipped through Kim Echlin's The Disappeared in one day/evening. It was a small book that could have been even smaller since so much of it was aching love for the disappeared. I was not disappointed with it, but not thrilled either. I get it, I get it... he was wrongly ripped from you and you love him with the aching love of a 16 year old even though you are 27ish and also 50ish looking back. Not sure if I would have read it if it hadn't been on the Giller List. I also noticed a similarity in the 'Canadian Literature' style of writing between this one and The Bishop's Man. Tangled memories, emotive writing, a mystery, blah, blah, blah... Okay. So I wouldn't say either was bad, I thought The Bishop's Man was better, but I am curious to see if I notice the same 'tricks' in the other 3 nominees...
I think my real challenge with The Disappeared was that I really didn't like the main character. I think it is stupid and selfish what she did in the book and I didn't think that an adolescent love affair should be the basis for the extremity of her choices. If I knew that person I would slap them and say 'get over it', 'do something productive, like Will or even like Serey!'. She was just a whiner who put herself and others at risk.
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