The Vanishing Moment

In The Vanishing Moment, Margaret Wild introduces us to two young women, both of whom have experienced major trauma and sadness. Arrow witnessed a terrible tragedy when she was just a small child and Marika has been living in a nightmare since her family was torn apart. The two girls meet in a small coastal town where they each attempt to make sense of their situations. They also meet Bob, a strange and troubled magician with an amazing memory, who may hold the key that would enable the girls to escape from their personal hell.

With a hat-tip to Jorge Luis Borges’ The Garden of Forking Paths, this book explores the possibility of alternate realities and the pitfalls of running from your problems. The Vanishing Moment is an eerie, mysterious novel for teenagers, richly textured with vivid, memorable scenes and cleverly painted details.

Kim Gruschow