NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The disappearance of a beautiful, charismatic mother leaves her family to piece together her secrets in this propulsive novel for fans of Big Little Lies—from the bestselling author of All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and the upcoming Pretty Things.“Watch Me Disappear is just as riveting as Gone Girl.”—San Francisco Chronicle Who you want people to be makes you blind … Girl.”—San Francisco Chronicle
Who you want people to be makes you blind to who they really are.
It’s been a year since Billie Flanagan—a Berkeley mom with an enviable life—went on a solo hike in Desolation Wilderness and vanished from the trail. Her body was never found, just a shattered cellphone and a solitary hiking boot. Her husband and teenage daughter have been coping with Billie’s death the best they can: Jonathan drinks as he works on a loving memoir about his marriage; Olive grows remote, from both her father and her friends at the all-girls school she attends.
But then Olive starts having strange visions of her mother, still alive. Jonathan worries about Olive’s emotional stability, until he starts unearthing secrets from Billie’s past that bring into question everything he thought he understood about his wife. Who was the woman he knew as Billie Flanagan?
Together, Olive and Jonathan embark on a quest for the truth—about Billie, but also about themselves, learning, in the process, about all the ways that love can distort what we choose to see. Janelle Brown’s insights into the dynamics of intimate relationships will make you question the stories you tell yourself about the people you love, while her nervy storytelling will keep you guessing until the very last page.
Praise for Watch Me Disappear
“Watch Me Disappear is a surprising and compelling read. Like the best novels, it takes the reader somewhere she wouldn’t otherwise allow herself to go. . . . It’s strongest in the places that matter most: in the believability of its characters and the irresistibility of its plot.”—Chicago Tribune
“Janelle Brown’s third family drama delivers an incisive and emotional view of how grief and recovery from loss can seep into each aspect of a person’s life. . . . Brown imbues realism in each character, whose complicated emotions fuel the suspenseful story.”—Associated Press
“When a Berkeley mother vanishes and is declared dead, her daughter is convinced she’s alive in Janelle Brown’s thriller, calling to mind Big Little Lies and Gone Girl.”—Variety
more
Very different book!! Enjoyed it .
A book I have a hard time forgetting!
Engrossing. This book drew you in, the characters were believable and made you want them to be happy, all the while you understood that the outcome could be nothing like happily ever after – it wasn’t that sort of book. But, I was drawn again and again back to the story, unable to resist finding out how it wrapped up this episode in folks lives. I can’t quite explain why, but I wanted these folks to be happy, I wanted them to overcome their challenges, I wanted them to put all this behind them and go into their future – and finally, get their own happily ever after. Worth spending a few hours on.
I listened to this as an audio book which is why I think I got all the way through it. It has a very slow start. The characters are well developed but the mystery isn’t very mysterious. It’s more of a character study which isn’t my preferred book type.
Well written. Keeps you interested until the final twist ending!
I couldn’t finish it because I lost interest. The character is here, there, way before and after and I just didn’t care what happened to her to finish the book. Sorry
Clever plot twists and likeable characters. Will keep you guessing until the last sentence.
Started out kind of slow but got better and better. Loved the surprise ending.
Unusual story line, but very interesting read.
Hard to put down
A good mystery. The characters are reasonably believable as are their actions and reactions. There is enough unpredictability to make it a page turner.
I did not see the ending coming so the story succeeds.
I’m not sure, however, the ending was entirely believable but I guess that’s what makes it a surprise.
I would tackle another book by this writer.
Halfway through, can hardly put it down.
One of the best in the “Gone Girl” genre. Keeps you guessing and deals with a family’s coming to grips with the idealized and realistic memories of the one they lost.
Loved this book. The ending was really good, didn’t know what to expect!
Great read!
Great book, great twists and turns
Loved the characters, vivid scenery and the many plot twists!
Can’t say much about the book without it being a spoiler for other readers, but wow…how do people do this stuff?
Extraordinary storytelling. The characters were richly-drawn and complex, and the reader can’t be sure of anything until the final page. Wonderful!
Wow
Tense and held me in its grasp to the end. Great choice of subject. I highly recommend it.