A review by kerasalwaysreading
A Place for Vanishing by Ann Fraistat
4.0
After a recent bipolar disorder diagnosis and a major fatal scare, Libby is reeling. Longing for a new start, her mother moved Libby and Libby’s younger sister Vivi to her childhood home, a sprawling historical landmark.
It starts with an uneasy feeling, the strange masks adorning each of the rooms, and the copious amounts of insects infesting the home, but it’s the way that everyone in town, including handsome Flynn, seems to know about the lore of the house and its long run with people disappearing from it that truly starts to scare Libby.
There is something in this house that wants to be seen, wants to be released and Libby, Vivi and their mom could be in real danger.
I really liked the mental health portrayal in this book. I read an early copy and acknowledgments weren’t included, so I’m unsure what references or experiences the author pulled from. It was done with care and honesty, though. There is a lot of talk about how the family copes with a mental illness, good and bad. There is a lot of grief and healing done throughout the book, alongside this other really sinister storyline and they worked well together. I didn’t like every decision made, especially by Libby’s mother, but it is explained in a way that ultimately satisfied me.
It starts with an uneasy feeling, the strange masks adorning each of the rooms, and the copious amounts of insects infesting the home, but it’s the way that everyone in town, including handsome Flynn, seems to know about the lore of the house and its long run with people disappearing from it that truly starts to scare Libby.
There is something in this house that wants to be seen, wants to be released and Libby, Vivi and their mom could be in real danger.
I really liked the mental health portrayal in this book. I read an early copy and acknowledgments weren’t included, so I’m unsure what references or experiences the author pulled from. It was done with care and honesty, though. There is a lot of talk about how the family copes with a mental illness, good and bad. There is a lot of grief and healing done throughout the book, alongside this other really sinister storyline and they worked well together. I didn’t like every decision made, especially by Libby’s mother, but it is explained in a way that ultimately satisfied me.