Ah, the pleasure of reading a book that found you! I picked this book up during a book sale and the title itself piqued my interest so much. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox is about two women, Esme Lennox and Iris Lockhart. The book weaves in and out of Victorian asylums, Esme Lennox’s mind, Iris Lockhart’s complicated life and the imposition of social norms on an outspoken woman.
Maggie O’Farrell tells the story of Esme, outspoken and dismissive about societal norms dictated and enforced by her parents. Esme disappears, she has learnt how to hide herself, make herself invisible; she is also carrying a secret she tries hard to forget. What happened to a girl so outspoken that she took to making herself inconspicuous? Why was she admitted to an asylum at such an young age? Was she really losing her mind or was it all a mistake?
Iris Lockhart too, has secrets of her own. Secrets shape our world, our stories. Iris runs a vintage clothing shop and has a married lover. Iris receives a phone call from Cauldstone Hospital informing her about her great-aunt Esme who has been locked away from the world for 60 years. Her great-aunt, about whose existence she had no clue till now. Esme has been labelled sane enough to be rehabilitated, but why was she locked away in the first place?
Maggie O’Farrell has written a bewitching book that talks about the mind and its mysterious ways but also about the fragile thread of human relationships. I did come across a few grey areas but overall this book left me with a sense of hollowness. It was grief being carved out and set free with every page I turned and every word I read. What a remarkable book!
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