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The Vanishing Season is Joanna Schaffhausen’s debut novel, published December 5th, by HarperCollins. The novel recounts the story of Ellery Hathaway, a police officer in a sleepy town that is jolted to life. For the past three years, peculiarly on the same day, someone from the town disappears. This day is not only Ellery’s birthday, but the day that she too disappears, and she is forced to confront the life she thought she had escaped from. Ellery goes to the officer, Reed Markham, who saved her from the notorious serial killer many years ago, for help. Ellery must finally face the trauma she has ignored since the attack, but also act partisan in a case which is utterly familiar.
As a crime novel, this is certainly an intriguing read and has no lack of lure. No one can dispute the popularity of the genre or the fact that, as a society, we are obsessed with the suspense of murder. However, the novel does fall into the many pitfalls of its genre. Ellery’s worry about another character’s safety ultimately leads to an officer bursting through the door to tell her of that very character’s disappearance, which made the plot a bit stale. A lot of the other officers’ actions make little sense, which in turn portray Ellery as a shaky heroic figure. Additionally, a lot of characters are two-dimensional, as they are merely plot devices. However, this novel still has the suspenseful aspect which is distinct to its genre and creates its charm.
The novel adds a unique twist that makes it stand out. It explores our apparent obsession with murder and death, and the popular rise in crime fiction may go to show this. As “the one who lived”, Ellery is faced with the brunt of her community’s fascination with true crime. Yet Reed is the one to truly gain from her experience through his bestselling novel, but he never stops to think if Ellery is “truly saved”. This reminds us that for all the heinous true stories we have heard, they aren’t just stories but are people’s lives. Once the articles detailing their attack in the newspaper dwindle, the survivors’ lives continue. This novel explores the very reason why many readers will pick up the book, which makes one question why we are so fascinated by the suffering of others.
