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A review by sarahhreads
How To Disappear by Bruna Gomes
4.0
4/5 stars
What first intrigued me about this book was the cover, but after reading the description I was even more interested. How to Disappear is the unique and beautifully written story of “you.” Told in the second person, this books follows as “you” try to disappear from society and the past. In many ways, this book is about self love, acceptance, and belonging. There are many thought provoking themes present and a couple of darker moments, displaying frank and practically written violence, and some depictions of self harm.
My favorite part about this book was the quotes. I thought the style and flow of writing and the metaphors were beautiful. I found myself highlighting at least one line or paragraph every couple of pages that either resonated deeply with me or was just plain beautiful.
“You want to speak into a loudspeaker and remind everyone that just because happiness is key does not mean there is a treasure chest that has to be unlocked.”
“It is the ultimate itch that you cannot scratch; it is the scarab beetle that resides within the nape of your neck that gnaws at the edge of your brain—self-love.”
It did take a bit of adjusting for me to get used to the second person and get into the story, but overall it was a quick, impactful read. I did find it hard to relate to the main character and the plot dragged at time because of this, but that didn’t bother me too much as the writing made up for it. I was a little disappointed by the ending as I thought it wrapped up too quickly, but I don’t think that detracted significantly from the book.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick, thought provoking read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC of this book. All opinions and thoughts expressed are my own. All quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change with publication.
What first intrigued me about this book was the cover, but after reading the description I was even more interested. How to Disappear is the unique and beautifully written story of “you.” Told in the second person, this books follows as “you” try to disappear from society and the past. In many ways, this book is about self love, acceptance, and belonging. There are many thought provoking themes present and a couple of darker moments, displaying frank and practically written violence, and some depictions of self harm.
My favorite part about this book was the quotes. I thought the style and flow of writing and the metaphors were beautiful. I found myself highlighting at least one line or paragraph every couple of pages that either resonated deeply with me or was just plain beautiful.
“You want to speak into a loudspeaker and remind everyone that just because happiness is key does not mean there is a treasure chest that has to be unlocked.”
“It is the ultimate itch that you cannot scratch; it is the scarab beetle that resides within the nape of your neck that gnaws at the edge of your brain—self-love.”
It did take a bit of adjusting for me to get used to the second person and get into the story, but overall it was a quick, impactful read. I did find it hard to relate to the main character and the plot dragged at time because of this, but that didn’t bother me too much as the writing made up for it. I was a little disappointed by the ending as I thought it wrapped up too quickly, but I don’t think that detracted significantly from the book.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick, thought provoking read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC of this book. All opinions and thoughts expressed are my own. All quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change with publication.