First off, Mysterious Skin may be one of my top ten favorite books. Maybe I read it at the right time or that it was simply me liking that particular kind of book when I read it, I just remember really enjoying my time within its pages, which is very memorable. I am straight, but a lot of the impact and beauty of that book was not lost on me, and felt very moved when I finished. There is a good chance I would hate it if I had read it during my present stage in life, but going by when I read it and I have to be thankful for that time in my life, even if I regret the way I thought and read. But reading We Disappear now at age 23, having read tons of good books since the time when I read it at 18, I am more aware of my progressing maturity. I came into this book wanting to love it, but came out only liking which, which is an even bigger since Scott Heim wrote one of my favorite books. It tells the story of Scott (no points for originality) who works at a publishing house writing kids books. He is also a serious meth addict. One day his mom calls, who is suffering from cancer. Scott remembers her as very eccentric, obsessed with missing kids and needing to find them, which might stem from a mysterious abduction in her childhood. Scott leaves work in New York and goes to Kansas to help her out. There he is confronted by her worsening condition, and the discovery of a young man locked in her basement. It gets pretty weird, and we are left wondering if this is real, or a combination of Scott’s withdrawal and grief over his dying mother. It almost gets too weird, losing me in places and searching for definitive answers. But Heim is good at creating a thick, humane sadness that always offers a chance at redemption, even in horrible circumstances. Not perfect, but with small pockets of beauty that makes it a good read.
Rating: 4/5
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