Kimi Cunningham Grant

THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING centers around Emlyn who is a fishing and hunting guide in Idaho. Before that she was the child of a depressed mother and a father who disappeared from her life. And she was a poor college student who kept to herself for fear of being a person easy to leave behind.

She met Janessa as a college freshman when Janessa saved her from some overaggressive college boys at a local diner. The two become inseparable with Janessa as the charismatic leader and Emlyn the quiet follower. Emlyn is mostly content to let Janessa make her decisions for her.

At least she is until she meets Tyler, Janessa's childhood friend. Emlyn and Tyler become a couple but Tyler's addiction to drugs leads to their breakup which comes to a head when he leaves her for dead in the wilderness.

Rescued by a forest ranger and cared for by an older woman, Emlyn decides to leave her past behind and build a new life. She's doing well until a couple of years later when Tyler comes to find her because Janessa, who has become a social media darling, is missing in the wilderness.

Together the two of them head into the wilderness to try to find Janessa. Along the way, Emlyn learns things Tyler doesn't want her to know about himself. And she learns that she is much stronger and competent than she has ever thought she was.

There is a mystery here with moments of danger, but for me this was mostly Emlyn's story showing her growth and the changes she has gone through. Fans of thrillers will be engaged and so will fans of people exploring their lives.… (altro)

This book flew by! I'm always drawn to Nature Fiction and love when an author can include it as beautifully as Grant did here. Makes me want to pack up the car and take off into the wild.

Her characters were beautifully crafted as well. Emlyn, the narrator, is in her mid-20's and gone through a lot in her life giving her good reason to be distant with very few closely cultivated friends. Emlyn's parents, best friend, and first love all let her down in some of the harshest ways. But deep down inside she is still looking for that love and acceptance: though she doesn't believe she's worthy of it.

This starts out as two stories that alternate back and forth seamlessly. One beginning in Emlyn's childhood and brings us to where she is today. The other, I initially thought was going to be a story based on the Gabby Petito's disappearance and murder, but it takes a sharp turn when Emlyn goes out in search of her missing estranged best friend. Lot of action and suspense, but a lot of heartache and hope too.

Many thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!… (altro)

There’s a lot about this book that will break your heart. But then it’ll get stitched right back together before the last tear-soaked page. Cooper’s story highlights the healing salve for those deep wounds inflicted by humanity: self-sacrificing love married with second-chance grace.

What I Love:
• The mystery keeps the story moving forward at a perfect pace, but the character-driven plot keeps it securely rooted. From the beginning, I was quietly intrigued. Some mysteries are too saturated with the mystery: there’s a need-to-know-how-this-ends urgency so hurry-up-and-get-to-the-end formulaic race. But this book balances the intrigue (questioning Cooper/Kenny as a reliable narrator, questioning his secrets, questioning Scotland’s motives and intent, questioning unexpected newcomers) with a beautiful character-driven plot. More than wanting answers to all the mystery, I wanted healing for these wounded characters.

• The wilderness setting soaks into all parts of the story, like the remnants of a heavy snow melting into waiting earth on a clear, sunny December day. Jake’s cabin in the Appalachian woods is more than just an off-the-grid place; it’s almost another character—essential to the natural healing cycle. I love books that highlight the healing powers of nature, showing that going out into the wilderness can help heal the hurts of humanity (The Great Alone, The Light Through the Leaves, Happiness for Beginners).

• Ultimately, this is the story about a father’s love, and that is something that always pulls at my heart. Even though there’s not much on a circumstantial level that I can relate to between Cooper and Finch, there are certainly many relatable parenting plights and truths that had me connecting to this single-parent father through the story. But beyond the central relationship between father and daughter, there’s a whole other transcendental element here—certainly on a spiritual level—that makes the ending emotively powerful. Grab the whole box of tissues.

What I Didn’t Love:
• Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Recommend To:
• From the beginning, this reminded me so much of Glendy Vanderah’s two novels: The Light Through the Leaves and Where the Forest Meets the Stars—both in terms of content and style.
• Read this if you like books about survival and sacrifice and second-chances, with a connection to nature, and that are character-driven with elements of mystery.… (altro)

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Emlyn is asked by her ex Tyler to help him track down a mutual friend of theirs, Janessa. Janessa has been living in a camper in various remote parks in the US with a boyfriend and posting about it on social media to drum up interest in a business she and Tyler are setting up. The narrative also goes back in time to describe how Emlyn and Janessa met and how Emlyn's relationship with Tyler ended.

I found this well-written but slow at times. The author is clearly well-informed about wilderness hiking and outdoorsy things in general and I learnt a lot. There were references to religious belief, but these were done with a light touch and focussed on hope.… (altro)