Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips unfolds in a remote Russian peninsula, where the mysterious disappearance of two sisters sends ripples through their coastal community. As the chilling narrative progresses, we delve into the lives of various women, each connected to the sisters’ fate, illuminating the hidden depths of their struggles and desires. The haunting backdrop of the stark landscape amplifies the emotional turmoil and cultural fabric of the region, weaving a tale that is both intimate and expansive. Phillips masterfully navigates themes of loss, resilience, and the complexity of human connections, leaving readers questioning what truly binds us. Will the truth of the sisters' disappearance ever come to light, or will it dissolve like the fleeting beauty of the land?
By Julia Phillips
Published: 2020
""In the face of loss, the stories we tell ourselves are the only anchors we have to the world we once knew.""
ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST Finalist for The New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award One August afternoon, two sisters—Sophia, eight, and Alyona, eleven—go missing from a beach on the far-flung Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia. Taking us through the year that follows, Disappearing Earth enters the lives of women and girls in this tightly knit community who are connected by the crime: a witness, a neighbor, a detective, a mother. We are transported to vistas of rugged beauty—open expanses of tundra, soaring volcanoes, dense forests, the glassy seas that border Japan and Alaska—and into a region as complex as it is alluring, where social and ethnic tensions have long simmered, and where outsiders are often the first to be accused. In a story as propulsive as it is emotionally engaging, Julia Phillips's powerful novel brings us to a new understanding of the intricate bonds of family and community, in a Russia unlike any we have seen before.
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“"In the face of loss, the stories we tell ourselves are the only anchors we have to the world we once knew."”
Disappearing Earth
By Julia Phillips
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Julia Phillips is a critically acclaimed author known for her debut novel, "Disappearing Earth," which was a finalist for the National Book Award and won the 2020 New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award. Her writing is characterized by lyrical prose and a keen psychological insight into the lives of her characters, often exploring themes of loss and the complexities of human relationships. Phillips has also written essays that reflect her deep engagement with issues of identity and culture, further establishing her voice in contemporary literature.
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