The Slow Disappearing is a deftly crafted plot about a family, both frozen in time and careening into an uncertain future. A mother in the throes of dementia, fears the loss of words over the loss of life. The protagonist, trapped in her new role as the reluctant caregiver. A rebel sister who unearths a secret and is forced to close the distance on her past. A son, reeling from abandonment, scrambles for a foothold. With the heart of a poet and the clear eye of a historian, P. A. Chawla takes us on a singular journey recording the travels and travails of a family flung across three countries.

The Slow Disappearing is a poignant memoir-cum-fiction about the crumbling relationships among members of a family. While familial estrangement is experienced by most individuals, the ordeal can be especially harsh for expatriates and the loved ones they leave behind. The book is a reminder to let go of perceived injustices and rebuild broken ties.

In her novel, Chawla successfully creates a sense of movement by constantly rotating perspectives, settings, and time frames. Backstories reveal themselves through characters’ recollections, juxtaposed against current events. The most poignant chapters feature Ma and Annika as they stumble resentfully through their painful relationship; beautifully articulated prose captures Ma’s heartbreaking desperation and Annika’s frustration in her attempts to provide comfort to herself and others. A sensitive and delicately nuanced story of care-giving for a woman with fading memory on your ‘must-read’ list. The book will leave you moved and imperceptibly changed.

Immigrant Dreams Caregiving Theme Relationships Fiction Cultural India Asian Literature Sandwich Generation Psychology Graphic Part-Memoir