The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

By: Maggie O'Farrell

Published February 26th 2013 by Headline Review (first published 2006)

Category: Biography

Pages: 277 pages

ISBN: 9780755308446

Description:
Maggie OÕFarrell takes readers on a journey to the darker places of the human heart, where desires struggle with the imposition of social mores. This haunting story explores the seedy past of Victorian asylums, the oppression of family secrets, and the way truth can change everything.

In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriendÕs attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital - where she has been locked away for over sixty years. IrisÕs grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. But EsmeÕs papers prove she is KittyÕs sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father in EsmeÕs face. Esme has been labeled harmless - sane enough to coexist with the rest of the world. But EsmeÕs still basically a stranger, a family member never mentioned by the family, and one who is sure to bring life-altering secrets with her when she leaves the ward. If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit?

Maggie OÕFarrellÕs intricate tale of family secrets, lost lives, and the freedom brought by truth will haunt readers long past its final page.