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The Vanishing Act

3.3 of 5 stars 3.30 · rating details · 630 ratings · 165 reviews

"The best stories change you. I am not the same after The Vanishing Act as I was before."—Erin Morgenstern, author of The Night Circus

On a small snow-covered island—so tiny that it can't be found on any map—lives twelve-year-old Minou, her philosopher Papa (a descendent of Descartes), Boxman the magician, and a clever dog called No-Name. A year earlier Minou's mother left...more

Paperback, 1st edition, 217 pages

Published June 27th 2011 by Text Publishing Company (first published September 10th 2010)

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Commonwealth Book Prize Shortlist 2012

11th out of 16 books — 6 voters

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Sep 11, 2012 Kirsty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: received-for-review, bookgeeks-and-nudge, read-2012, read-for-review, best-of-2012, treasures, treasured-characters

Short review: What an absolutely beautiful novel. I raced through this in one sitting and felt utterly unable to put it down. Minou is a wonderful protagonist and the story which Jakobsen has fashioned is both delightful and heartbreaking in equal measure. A masterful debut novel.

My Bookgeeks review of The Vanishing Act can be found here:
http://www.nudgemenow.com/article/the...

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Oct 02, 2012 Crazyjamie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It is relatively rare that my own view differs drastically from general public opinion, but I am thoroughly aware that this is one of those situations. The Vanishing Act has received rave reviews, and it is worth clarifying that I understand entirely why that is. I just disagree with the general consensus.

The Vanishing Act has received those rave reviews because it is short, charming book that stands out both for the strength of its prose and its originality. And it is true to say that it is, f...more It is relatively rare that my own view differs drastically from general public opinion, but I am thoroughly aware that this is one of those situations. The Vanishing Act has received rave reviews, and it is worth clarifying that I understand entirely why that is. I just disagree with the general consensus.

The Vanishing Act has received those rave reviews because it is short, charming book that stands out both for the strength of its prose and its originality. And it is true to say that it is, fundamentally, written very well.

However, for me there was one utterly fundamental problem with this book, and that is that for all of the fantastic writing, there isn't actually any plot. It's a book about a girl focusing on the disappearance of her mother, but in fact what happens is that the girl considers her mother's disappearance and assesses it, with more than a few references to basic philosophy and with the help of several one dimensional characters. But that is all. There is little in the way of character development once all the characters have been introduced, and even less in the way of plot progression. The one aspect of the plot that could be considered a twist is blindingly obvious (or at least it was to me) long before it is revealed, but without any sort of advancement in the rest of the plot it was difficult to care about that twist anyway.

I could talk more about other positives and negatives about the book, one negative being that the author has a disorientating habit of jumping into flashbacks without any sort of warning, and the clear positive being that, at times, it is very enjoyable to read. But the lack of a plot in the book is a killer blow for me.

It is a real shame, because the potential in this book is clear. But without answering any of the questions that the book poses, it's difficult for me to consider that as a novel there is much overarching merit to be awarded here. It may well be that the book would be a useful educational tool for school children to assess, but as a book in its own right it left me feeling distinctly underwhelmed.

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Nov 11, 2012 Blair rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-on-kindle, 2012-release

The Vanishing Act is the fairytale-like story of Minou, a young girl who lives on a tiny, remote island with her father, who considers himself a philosopher: her mother has disappeared and is believed by everyone else to be dead. The island is so small that it only has two other residents - a magician (and his dog) and a priest. The story opens with the frozen corpse of a boy washing up on the beach, and as Minou and her father wait for a boat from the mainland to retrieve the body, she examines...more The Vanishing Act is the fairytale-like story of Minou, a young girl who lives on a tiny, remote island with her father, who considers himself a philosopher: her mother has disappeared and is believed by everyone else to be dead. The island is so small that it only has two other residents - a magician (and his dog) and a priest. The story opens with the frozen corpse of a boy washing up on the beach, and as Minou and her father wait for a boat from the mainland to retrieve the body, she examines her memories of her mother and of her own life, questioning both her path in life and her conviction that her mother is still alive.

For the first time in a long time I find myself with absolutely no idea how to categorise a book. Is it magical realism? Perhaps, but nothing magical actually happens when you examine the story, even though it feels very far from any recognisable reality. Is it historical fiction? Possibly, as 'the war' is frequently referenced, and there's certainly no modern technology on the island, but there are no clues to where in the world the story is meant to be taking place, and the war is never directly identified. The most popular category chosen so far on Goodreads is 'fantasy', but it's not truly fantastical in any obvious way, though the book definitely has that feel about it. It could certainly be read by children but feels like it was written for adults, and as far as I know it is being marketed as adult fiction.

The whole story is whimsical and twee almost beyond belief, and I found its quirks really annoying, with the philosophical asides seeming very cursory. The more I think about this, actually, the more I think it would perhaps be better off as a book for children - seen through that lens, I suppose the characters might be considered amusing: I couldn't help but see them as bizarre and ridiculously unrealistic. With so few characters it is hardly difficult to work out what the solution to the 'mystery' is going to be, and I thought the 'twist' was supposed to be obvious from the beginning (again, a younger reader probably wouldn't pick up on this quite as easily). However, despite my reservations, I did want to keep reading - the story has a certain timeless charm.

The Vanishing Act has been praised by Erin Morgenstern, author of The Night Circus: it may also appeal to fans of The Snow Child and The Girl with Glass Feet - though all of those books are better than this one. It's reasonably good for a bit of enchanting escapism, but rather insubstantial and, if it is a fable, then I'm afraid it didn't teach me anything.(less)

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Feb 25, 2013 Latie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: general-audiance

As I was reading this book I initially found it interesting, unique, and written with a consistent atmosphere of magic. However when I made it to the final page of the book I found myself puzzled.

Jakobsen narrates the book from a 12 year olds point of view, Minou, who resides on a tiny island with a band of misfit characters: a philosopher, a priest, a magician, a dog and a dead boy.

I kept looking for connections, hidden meanings, or for Minou to explain things. No answers came. Despite this,...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Jane rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed

“You might not believe my story. You might read it as a fairytale, a fable straight out of my imagination.”

So says twelve year-old Minou. She lives on a small, remote, nameless island Minou with her Papa, who is a philosopher and a fisherman. The island has only just two more residents. Priest and Boxman. A holy man and a magician.

Why they are there, what happened in the past isn’t clear, isn’t clear. And there are other questions in the air.

What happened to Minou’s Mama?

She set out for a walk i...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Cleo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-books, review-copy

It was Erin Morgenstern's blurb (she's the author of The Night Circus, one of my favorite books) which got me interested in this book. This is what she says: "This book is a precious thing. I want to keep it in a painted box with a raven feather and sea-polished stones, taking it out when I feel the need to visit Minou on her island again. The best stories change you. I am not the same after The Vanishing Act as I was before."

I don't think I loved it that much, but I certainly did enjoy it, and...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Vanishing Act

Near the beginning of Mette Jakobsen’s debut novel “The Vanishing Act” ( W.W. Norton, 2012), Minou, the story’s 12 year old narrator tells the reader “You might not believe my story. You might read it as a fairytale, a fable straight out of my imagination.”
Despite what Minou says, this quiet, slim novel is very much a fable, a tale of love, loss, and aching loneliness. Minou, her father; a kind, mad Priest; a magician named Boxman; and a dog called No Name live on an island “s...more The Vanishing Act

Near the beginning of Mette Jakobsen’s debut novel “The Vanishing Act” ( W.W. Norton, 2012), Minou, the story’s 12 year old narrator tells the reader “You might not believe my story. You might read it as a fairytale, a fable straight out of my imagination.”
Despite what Minou says, this quiet, slim novel is very much a fable, a tale of love, loss, and aching loneliness. Minou, her father; a kind, mad Priest; a magician named Boxman; and a dog called No Name live on an island “so tiny that it can’t be found on any maps.” One year earlier, her mother walked out into the cold morning with her umbrella and a turtle and disappeared from their lives. While everyone else on the island has given up hope of finding Minou’s mother, the girl is convinced that she is alive, off on an exciting adventure from which she will soon return.
Jakobsen throws the reader into Minou’s world with the novel’s opening sentence: “It was snowing the morning I found the dead boy.”
Minou, and her father carry the frozen boy to their house, laying the body out on the mother’s empty bed for three days until the delivery boat could come to pick him up. The boy, Minou is sure, holds the secret to her mother’s disappearance, and she confides in him, a silent confessor.
So, too, does her father, a philosopher who believes that he is a descendent of Descartes. Logic and reason, in his mind, is the key to finding the ultimate truth—a belief that Minou has adopted and fervently hopes will help her untangle the mystery behind her mother’s disappearance. In flashbacks, we learn more about her mother, an artist who arrived on the island with just one red suitcase filled with “five dresses, eight jars of paint, two brushes, and a white enamel clock that didn’t work,” as well as a peacock nestled in a golden bowl. Both Minou’s mother and father were scarred by a war that, although unnamed, seems very much like World War II.
The other characters in this sparse narrative are equally enigmatic. There is Priest, who performs Tai-Chi like exercises every morning, bakes pretzels that no one wants to eat, and sends out origami animals during his sermons to Minou and No Name. The Boxman, a retired magician, now makes the boxes the magicians use when sawing women in half. All are a part of the story of the disappearance of Minou’s mother.
Jakobsen’s writing is lovely and captivating. After reading this book, you may find yourself revisiting Minou on her island “so tiny that it can’t be found on any maps.”

This review originally published in the Sunday, October 21, 2012 edition of The News-Gazette. Sara Latta, Champaign, has an M.F.A. in creative writing and is the author of fourteen books for children and young adults. You can read more of her reviews and learn about her books at www.saralatta.com

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Oct 04, 2012 Vegantrav rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a quiet, lovely story about a little girl, Minou, whose mother has disappeared.

Minou, who seems to be 11- or 12-years-old, lives with her father, a fisherman and philosopher, on an unnamed island, presumably in the Atlantic Ocean not far from France. The island has only two other human inhabitants: Priest, who is a priest who loves to bake pretzels and make origami animals, and Boxman, a magician who has fond memories of his days in the circus. All of the adults have pasts shrouded in my...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Jean rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Vanishing Act was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize 2012. Its opening is striking as Minou finds a dead boy in the very first sentence. The novel is written in the first person, with Minou as narrator and we are introduced to life on the island through Minou's eyes. It is nearly a year since her mother disappeared, and Minou believes that her mother will come back to the island. The island is remote; the only other persons on the island are Minou’s father, Boxman (and his dog No Na...more

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May 15, 2012 Marika rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a gem of a novel. Gorgeous imagery, philosophy, and art combine to make a novel that may be enjoyed by adults, teens, or precocious twelve year-olds. Minou lives on a small island, one that can be walked around in under an hour. In addition to Minou and her lighthouse, there is her father, a priest in the church, Boxman and his dog, No Name, in the barn, and, before she vanished, Minou's mother. One year ago Minou's mother disappeared. Though it is believed that she died, Minou knows she...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Lauren rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

On a small island, 12-year-old Minou lives with her father. A year before, her mother vanished, and now, while walking along the beach, Minou discovers the body of a dead boy. On the surface, this is a charming, fairy-talesque story (despite all of the death in the description), but it reminded me too much of another Australian import, Judy Pascoe’s Our Father Who Art in a Tree. Both books grapple with a child’s grief after losing a parent, and both books, despite having some pretty prose, fail...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Alison Kennedy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I just didn't get this. I'm sure it was one giant metaphor for loss but it just felt overly lengthy and lacking in any kind of plot!

All this philosophical discussion versus imagination. The setting was a horribly isolated and cold island (my worst nightmare - cold and hardly any people!). The father figure seemed a bit less than capable of bringing up a child - what with the indoctrination of philosophical thinking as the only way of seeing the world. Then there was the acquisition of a frozen...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Leslie Lehr rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I grabbed this book from my stack of must-reads to take to the hospital because it was light. When my surgery was pushed back and I was left alone in the corner bed with an IV and warm blankets and no phone, I opened this book and escaped into another world. When the surgeon apologized for the delay then left me alone, I hid my delight in returning to this magical island as if it was my own vanishing act. Mette Jakobsen's lovely novel is a sensory poem about a little girl on an island torn betw...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Jaime Boler rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book Review: The Vanishing Act by Mette Jakobsen

The Vanishing Act by Mette Jakobsen (W.W. Norton and Company; 224 pages; $23.95).

On the first page of Mette Jakobsen’s stylish novel The Vanishing Act, a dead boy washes up on a small snow-covered island “so tiny that it can’t be found on any maps.” He is about fourteen or fifteen and, curiously, a fragrant odor emanates from his corpse. He smells of oranges.

Minou, the twelve-year-old girl who found him, desperately wants to tell her mother about...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Donna Radcliff rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A small, odd little book that left me slightly unsettled. The plot is very simple: Minou is a young girl living on a small island with her father (a philosopher and refugee from the war); a magician who is a refugee from lost love, a priest, though not ordained who is a refugee from life; and a small scruffy dog called No Name. The year before Minou's mother, an artist and also a refugee from the war, disappeared after breakfast wearing her best shoes and taking only a black umbrella and the fam...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Liz Winn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Minou, a little girl, lives on a tiny, nameless island. The only other inhabitants of the island are her philosopher father (who claims to descend from Descartes), their friend Boxman (who makes sawing-people-in-half boxes for magicians on the mainland), and Priest, the island’s pretzel-baking spiritual leader who leads their congregation of three. Well, technically, there’s a fourth member, if you think to count No-Name, the resident dog. And there is a fifth presence, too: Minou’s mother, who...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-challenge

e-galley

This was a short, enjoyable read with a strong sense of place and isolation (the place is an island). It has an almost magical, fairytale quality to it: Minou the only child on the island, her mother vanished (presumed dead by Minou's father and the other two men on the island, Boxman and Priest, but believed alive by Minou), the grownups odd due to their experiences in the war and to their vocations: philosopher/fisherman, priest, and magician. There is little plot; Minou attempting to...more

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Oct 08, 2012 TheBookSmugglers rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“Philosophers step back and look at the big picture.”
“That is not what Mama does.”
“No,” Papa agreed.
“She says the tiniest brush stroke matters.”
“But sometimes, my girl, when you look in such detail, you lose the big picture.”

Minou lives on a tiny isolated (and nameless) island alongside her wannabe philosopher-fisherman Papa, the heartbroken magician Boxman, the pretzel-making Priest and the dog No-Name. Only one person is missing: Minou’s Mama, who disappeared one year earlier after she le...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Lauraloves rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was picked for the December reading circle and although i hadnt heard of it before i ended up really enjoying it.

This book is about a girl called Minou who lives on a tiny little island in the middle of nowhere. Hardly anyone knows of the island and they never get visitors. Minou lives with her father, who is mourning the loss of his wife that walked out on him one day.

One morning the body of a boy washes up on the beach and this changes the whole perpective of everyone that lives on t...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Thien-Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This story felt magical from Every now and again, a book whisks me away into a magical world. Within the first chapter of The Vanishing Act by Mette Jakobsen, I felt drawn to the novel’s tiny island.

Seemingly frozen in time, the tiny island is home to a handful of people. At first glance, these folks escaped to the island because they couldn’t take the regular world anymore. There’s Priest who bakes incessantly, a magician who makes magic boxes, Papa the philosopher (who claims to be a descendan...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Reeka (BoundbyWords) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fable lovers, fans of philosophy, and those looking for a short read.

Shelves: to-read-2013, once-upon-a-fable, adult-fiction

As seen on my blog:

What a beautiful start to a beautifully written book. The conclusion, however, left much to be desired-which I suspect, was purposefully done. Fables have a way of giving you a story without actually giving you a story-but I so desperately wanted this one to wrap up more unambiguously.

Minou is a 12-year old girl, living on an extremely remote island in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Up until the mysterious disappearance of her mother, the only residents of the island were Minou, her father, her mother, a retired magician named Boxman, his dog "No-Name, and a priest, referred to as "priest". These characters were not developed past a certain point, which was a little upsetting, considering the book revolved around specifics, or specific truths. Minou was raised with conflicting ideas: imagination vs. solid fact. Her father encouraged the ideas and teachings of famous Philosophers, while her mother leaned heavily on the freedom of imagination. It is clear that Minou grew to favour the comfort of fact, like her father-who was apparently related to the one and only, Descartes.

The book opens with the pair finding a dead boy's body washed up on the shore, they then take him back to the house and lay on him on the absent mother's bed. As the story progressed, I kept expecting the dead boy's presence to have more of a significance, but eventually, I forgot that he was even there until he was mentioned again. The story-line zigzags between the present and the past, which got slightly confusing, though it wasn't an aspect that disturbed the flow of the content too much. Minou is the only one that strongly believes that her mother is still alive, and, following her Father's favourite past-time, spends hours a day deducing and contemplating the truths she knows about the situation revolving around her disappearance.

I think I eventually gave up on this book having a solid story line, and immersed myself in Jakobsen's fantastical writing. I found myself underlining quotes like a mad women. The landscape, the dialogue, the interactions, the simple, daily tasks-it was spectacularly magical. Her writing allowed me to feel like being stuck in the middle of the ocean, on a tiny island, is the only thing I ever want to aspire to do.

I suspected the "twist" from a mile away, and was quite saddened that it didn't lead the story to anywhere but it's plain conclusion. I wanted it to mean so much more in terms of why her mother disappeared-I wanted so many things in the book to give me answers. It was a beautiful little tale, but definitely more of a filler book. Recommended as a quick, thoughtful read.(less)

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Feb 14, 2013 Naomi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: postcard-quotes

Minou's Mama "disappeared" from an island and she "knows" that her mother is not dead. The book tells the story leading up to her Mama's disappearance, and how Minou is coping with her loss when a dead boy washes ashore. She realizes by the end that her mother more than likely is dead and drowned in the ocean and decides to move past her fantasy of her mother being alive somewhere. I picked this book up because of the blurb on the back from Erin Morgenstern author of The Night Circus. It was an...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Merilyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Fable-like tale set on a tiny, freezing island which has an out of commission lighthouse. Young Minou lives in the lighthouse cottage with her philosophising fisherman father. Their neighbours are a gentle but mad priest (called Priest), Boxman who makes boxes for magicians and the sanest of them all, the dog called No-name. Minou's mother, a beautiful redhead, has disappeared. The others all believe she has drowned but Minou won't accept it. Minou discovers a dead boy washed up onto the beach a...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Mickey Phillips rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, better-than-good

Ok here we go.

The Vanishing Act is a beautiful, simple novel written from the point of view of a young girl named Minou. Minou lives on a teeny tiny island that is home to only four others (including a dog called No Name). Minou's life changed forever the day that her mother disappeared. And while she doesn't believe her mother is dead, everyone else on the island does. Then the body of a dead boy washes up on shore and Minou's world is once again altered.

Mette Jakobsen manages to make every ord...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: modern-classics, mystery, 50-books-challenge

This is a beautiful, modern fairytale about love and what can happen after the "happily ever after" occurs.

Mette Jakobsen's "The Vanishing Act" tells the story of Minou, a young girl who lives on an island that seems to be frozen in an eternal winter. Minou lives with her father, a philosopher grasping at the hope of finding truth and living up to the standards of his philosopher father, and his alleged ancestor Renee Descartes. At the start of the novel the reader learns that Minou's mother has...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Kimberly rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 52-books-in-52-weeks-2012

Twelve year old Minou lives on a remote island with her father, Boxman who is a magician, a priest and a dog called No-Name. One day, the body of a boy washes ashore and they take care of his remains for three days until the boat can come and take him away. In these three days, Minou relives the time she shared with her mother, who disappeared off the island.

I had such high hopes for this story, a mere 218 pages. But for me the story falls short, never reaching it's full potential. Minou is a st...more Twelve year old Minou lives on a remote island with her father, Boxman who is a magician, a priest and a dog called No-Name. One day, the body of a boy washes ashore and they take care of his remains for three days until the boat can come and take him away. In these three days, Minou relives the time she shared with her mother, who disappeared off the island.

I had such high hopes for this story, a mere 218 pages. But for me the story falls short, never reaching it's full potential. Minou is a strong voice, for a twelve year old, narrating events she doesn't fully understand. Stuck on this island with her philosopher father, who treats his daughter more like an accomplice than a child, she recalls the events leading up to her mother's disappearance. While Minou's character is strongly influenced by her father, logical thinking, her creative and whimsical mother tries to lure Minou to use her imagination more and through this coaxing, we see Minou's trapped mother and content father.

There are some wonderfully vivid scenes in the story, especially dealing with Minou and her mother once her mother is gone as Minou begins to explore this new world she creates. But overall, I found the story lacking heart. Minou's voice fails to express the loneliness and sadness around her. She calls the priest Priest, and her dog No-Name, and the former magician Boxman because he makes boxes that he sells overseas, taking everything at face value. Just that, the lack of curiosity or view of depth made me question Minou's voice. In other parts of the story, she is alive with realistic insights and observations. I'm torn between who Minou in the story is and who I wished she could have been.

As for the plot and story itself, it moves slowly which isn't a bad thing. The isolation and quietness of the island is another character in the book. Jackobsen does a great job creating the setting and drawing the reader in, so much so that even after I have read the story, the island comes back to me. The mother's umbrella and peacock, her shoes and bag. I just wish there was something else happening on the island.

And then it ends, and I'm not satisfied. Not all of my questions are answered. Minou's secret is less than surprising and it leaves me unsettled.
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Sep 21, 2012 Jane rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction

I saw some amazing reviews of The Vanishing Act. When we received an advanced reader copy at my library, I had to give it a try. I do not see what the fuss is about. There’s not really anything about this book that I thought was good. I didn’t find it magical, delightful, spellbinding, life-changing, or anything else. It’s supposed to be a fable of some sort (the dog is named No Name, the turtle is named Turtle, the priest is named Priest, and so on) but I didn’t get it. It starts with a dead bo...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Kathy Hamilton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I initially picked up this book because of the cover; I know that this is some kind of cardinal sin, but it’s true. There was something eye-catching to me about the simple drawing and the blue background, and so I picked it up. I then walked around the shop with it for a while just in case something better caught my eye, it came down to a choice of two, long story short I left with this one…cover art won the day. Why am I telling you this? Well, to try and explain my feelings about this book. I’...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Chris Chester rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I wasn't quite as enchanted by The Vanishing Act as some other reviewers.

It's short, sparsely worded and sparsely populated, giving it an airy, magical feel. Given the limited canvas that Jakobsen was working with then, it's a little disappointing that her characters are lacking in depth, adhering more to the rough shapes and outlines in a children's book.

At the same time, Jakobsen, a student of philosophy, seems to be trying to broach very adult topics. I have a suspicion that this novel was i...more

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May 06, 2013 Maggie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Vanishing Act is narrated by 12-year-old Minou, who lives on a tiny island (you would be able to see the whole island from the middle if not for the "woods" of 12 or so trees). Also living on the island (and, in fact, the only other inhabitants) are a small group of interesting and eccentric characters; her philosopher father who is searching for the truth, a priest with a congregation of 2, a magician who makes vanishing boxes, a dog and a dead boy.

Minou tells us her story; how she came to...more

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About Mette Jakobsen

Mette Jakobsen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1964 but now lives in Newtown, Sydney. She has a PhD in Creative Writing and a BA in philosophy. In 2004 she graduated from NIDA’s Playwrights Studio and several of her plays have been broadcast on ABC national radio. The Vanishing Act is her first novel.

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Quotes from The Vanishing Act

“It's important to daydream... It's important to let your mind travel.” — 9 people liked it

“It is in the heart and not in the words - not even in the most beautiful ones - but in the heart, in the skeleton bird pushing against your chest, wanting to fly, that we know for certain who and what we love. That is all we have, and all there is.” — 8 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12349683-the-vanishing-act?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1334528060l/12349683.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12349683-the-vanishing-act?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Vanishing Act by Mette Jakobsen[/url]

The Vanishing Act

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