The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson

 Title: The Vanishing Season

Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson

Type: Young Adult/New Adult

Genre: Gothic/Magical Realism

Tea: Silver Needle, seemingly simple, but much more elegant and rich than expected.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

"Girls started vanishing in the fall, and now winter's come to lay a white sheet over the horror. Door County, it seems, is swallowing the young, right into its very dirt. From beneath the house on Water Street, I've watched the danger swell.

The residents know me as the noises in the house at night, the creaking on the stairs. I'm the reflection behind them in the glass, the feeling of fear in the cellar. I'm tied—it seems—to this house, this street, this town.

I'm tied to Maggie and Pauline, though I don't know why. I think it's because death is coming for one of them, or both.

All I know is that the present and the past are piling up, and I am here to dig.I am looking for the things that are buried.

From bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson comes a friendship story bound in snow and starlight, a haunting mystery of love, betrayal, redemption, and the moments that we leave behind." (Goodreads)

First off let me say that this is not your typical ghost story, if you're looking for that, you won't find it here. I expected to be scared and not be able to sleep, I wasn't. Though I was haunted by this book for quite awhile after reading it. It's very elegant in its simplicity and so much happens, though you don't realize it while you're reading it. For a book where very little "happens" it really makes you think and deserves the praise that it has received. This isn't a book for everyone, it makes you think and it's not as lighthearted as it may seem. It is a book about people and relationships and growing up.

Maggie moves to Door County, WI from Chicago to an old house that has been in the family for years. There's something else in the house too, in the basement, but it's not scary. It's lost and confused. Maggie meets her neighbors, Pauline and Liam, a very strange couple and the adventure begins there for the three of them.

The missing girls are tied into the novel, but not as big of a part as I expected. I understand why it's in there, it shows the fear that the town faces and why people feel the way they do and act the way they do. Everything in this book, though it may not make sense at the time, ties together.

Jodi Lynn Anderson's description is perfect. You feel as if you're in the snowy woods with Maggie while she hikes around looking for birds. You feel her discomfort in the basement of the house. You feel her anguish and excitement as her life changes.

The end was truly heartbreaking. It made me very sad. I was shocked as well. I did not expect what happened. This is a book that is hard to explain without giving anything away, but I recommend it.

If you're looking for a fairly quick, yet deep and meaningful read, I suggest this one. It's not your stereotypical YA novel, I would also call it New Adult, as the characters are older and starting to learn what it's like to be an adult.

If you choose to read this, I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.