A review by mschwa1118
Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach

emotional reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Notes On Your Sudden Disappearance was unlike anything I have read before. While a fictional story, it was a very raw depiction of grief and it’s impact. Content warnings include a serious car accident, grief of a child/sibling/SO, and suicide attempts. This book is written in the voice of Sally, who is directly speaking to her deceased sister Kathy throughout. Sally’s grief is prominently discussed, as is her mom’s, her dad’s, and the character Billy, who was Kathy’s high school boyfriend at the time of her death. Sally also very specifically details the kind of rapport she had with her sister prior to her death, and the experiences the had together. This gave a really interesting viewpoint of grief, and how the grief of others can really impede your own; even if unintentional. My only major issue with the book was that the last 50 pages felt like a detachment from the story, a really different and dragged out tone. And there were some parts that I didn’t feel added to the story. All and all, this was a great read 
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