A review by ivi_reads_books
Rooms for Vanishing by Stuart Nadler

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

Rooms for Vanishing is a poignant meditation on grief, memory, and the lingering presence of those we've lost. Told through the perspectives of multiple family members, the novel follows a Jewish family fractured by the Holocaust, exploring both their real lives and the imagined paths of those who never got the chance to live them. The result is a deeply reflective and melancholic narrative—one that blurs the line between reality and memory, past and present. 

The writing is slow and deliberate, allowing the weight of loss to sink in. There’s an element of magical realism in how the dead remain intertwined with the living, a quiet but powerful reminder that grief doesn’t end—it simply changes shape. This is not a book of dramatic twists or grand revelations, but rather a deeply human story about what it means to carry absence. 

If you’ve ever found yourself talking to someone who’s no longer there, imagining what their life might have been, this book will resonate. Rooms for Vanishing isn’t an easy read, but it’s one that lingers, long after the final page. 

Thanks to Dutton for the advance review copy!
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