Fraistat, Ann. A Place for Vanishing. New York: Delacorte Press, 2024.
ISBN-13: 978-0593382219 | $19.99 USD | 464 pages | YA Gothic Horror
Blurb
A teen girl and her family return to her mother’s childhood home, only to discover that the house’s strange beauty may disguise a sinister past, in this contemporary gothic horror from the author of What We Harvest.
The house was supposed to be a fresh start. That’s what Libby’s mom said. And after Libby’s recent bipolar III diagnosis and the tragedy that preceded it, Libby knows she and her family need to find a new normal.
But Libby’s new home turns out to be anything but normal. Scores of bugs haunt its winding halls, towering stained-glass windows feature strange, insectile designs, and the garden teems with impossibly blue roses. And then there are the rumors. The locals, including the mysterious boy next door, tell stories about disappearances tied to the house, stretching back over a century to its first owners. Owners who supposedly hosted legendary masked séances on its grounds.
Libby’s mom refuses to hear anything that could derail their family’s perfect new beginning, but Libby knows better. The house is keeping secrets from her, and something tells her that the key to unlocking them lies in the eerie, bug-shaped masks hidden throughout the property.
We all wear masks—to hide our imperfections, to make us stronger and braver. But if Libby keeps hers on for too long, she might just lose herself—and everyone she loves.
Review
4 stars
I really enjoyed Ann Fraistat’s prior book, so I was eager to see what she’d write next. A Place for Vanishing immediately intrigued me, and hit all the right notes for what I’m looking for in a Gothic horror, especially a haunted house with a long history. The prose is atmospheric, capturing the claustrophobic nature of the setting perfectly…not to mention the visceral nature of the bugs and other horrors at play.
One aspect that both intrigued and worried me was the inciting incident for the plot being Libby’s bipolar III diagnosis. On the one hand, I had never heard of this particular condition, only being familiar with bipolar I and II, so I was intrigued to learn a bit about it. However, there was a part of me that worried about how mental health issues could be weaponized against the mentally ill person in horror books…however, this did not happen, with her character feeling nuanced and believable for someone dealing with mental health issues, and the treatment is, from my basic understanding of mental health care on a general level, pretty compassionately depicted.
The house was a real enigma, and I enjoyed following Libby as she attempted to unravel it and figuring out what happened to previous inhabitants of the house, including members of her family.
I did think the book was a tad too long, and while the story laid breadcrumbs fairly well to keep my interest, the pacing lagged throughout, with it really only picking up at the end. While I do think it could be trimmed somewhat, I did feel the payoff was worth it either way.
This was a more or less enjoyable read, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for an an immersive, if slow-paced Gothic horror story.
Author Bio
Ann Fraistat is an author, playwright, and narrative designer. Her debut novel is What We Harvest, out now with Delacorte Press, and her second book, A Place for Vanishing, is coming January 16, 2024. Her co-author credits include plays such as Romeo & Juliet: Choose Your Own Ending, and alternate reality games sponsored by the National Science Foundation. She lives in Maryland.
For more, find her at annfraistat.com, or connect on Twitter or Instagram @annfrai
Buy links
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