As part of Lit Society’s Book Review Program, members are reading and reviewing books by independent writers we think deserve more attention. This review reflects one reader’s honest experience and aims to spotlight exciting new voices.
Big Take? The Vanishing by Kelsey Crane is a dystopian novel about survival, hope, and human connection. At its core, it explores how you rebuild a future in a world on the verge of environmental collapse and whether it is possible at all.
- Would You Recommend It? Yes
- Book Club Worthy? Yes
- Would You Read This Author Again? Yes
- Did It Change How You See Something? Yes
- Is It More Plot or Ideas? Plot
- Pace: Slow at first, then it picks up
- Emotional Impact: Lingering
- Best For: Vacation, Quiet Weekend, Travel
- Skimmable or Demands Attention? Skimmable
- Would You Reread It? No
The Vanishing by Kelsey Crane is a YA dystopian novel about survival, hope, and human connection. It shows a future not too far from our own, as it deals with the effects of climate change, war, and political instability. At its core, it explores how you rebuild a future in a world on the verge of environmental collapse and whether it is possible at all. As the world and the systems in place fail, the characters find themselves desperately wanting an escape. Opportunity falls into their lap when they receive a mysterious package containing an advanced VR headset. The cast of six teenagers, scattered across the world, are chosen as beta testers for RIZE, a lifelike virtual reality survival simulation game. The simulation is a world untouched by the issues plaguing theirs, with lush forests and clear water; it is a world free from pollution and human destruction. What starts as a game becomes something more when the characters go off the grid to the Pacific Northwest in an effort to build a better world, called The Ark. The Ark offers them a chance to rebuild, to create a society centered around respecting the Earth and nature. As the book progresses, the characters realize that getting a fresh start is more complicated than they imagined.
Overall, I really appreciated the book’s premise and its exploration of issues that persist in our world. The book does not shy away from showing how climate change, environmental collapse, and war affect the characters, leaving scars that never fully heal. While I found the book’s ideas compelling, I felt like the execution did not always work. The beginning of the novel focuses a little too much on exposition, making the introduction of the characters’ POVs seem repetitive and formulaic.
In terms of characterization, the book often tells you rather than showing you. While their backstories are devastating and compelling, the book doesn’t let you properly grapple with the emotional weight of what they have been through. When exploring Yekta’s backstory, for example, the book quickly skims through her relationships with her parents, how they instilled her appreciation and love of nature, the devastating effects of war, the death of her parents, and how these experiences encourage her to protest and fight for a better future. These events are important to her character, as they shape who she becomes.
Gradually, the characters are fleshed out more as the book progresses; however, having six different perspectives hindered the depth with which they could have been explored. As a result, the relationships between the characters also seem rushed. The book also required me to suspend my disbelief quite a bit. Although the characters being prodigies is necessary for the plot and to set up the conflicts of the story, it felt a little too unrealistic for a story that is otherwise quite grounded. Ishaan is described as the youngest surgeon in India, a source of hope and inspiration for the country. One of his surgeries, which ends in failure, is even televised for the entire nation. Jayden is a gifted hacker who goes completely off the grid at the age of thirteen by erasing his digital presence. He runs away from home and survives by stealing from offshore accounts, unbeknownst to his parents, the government, and anyone who knows of his existence.
Despite these issues, the characters are likable and easy to root for. The latter half of the book is gripping and builds tension effectively as conflicts unfold.
Ultimately, The Vanishing is an immersive and thought-provoking read that explores relevant themes in an accessible way. The novel asks readers to think about the world we inherit and our role in improving it.
Favorite Line?
“Otherness” is an easy seed to plant, and fear makes for fertile ground.”
“Her Mission to change the world was written in the stars—or rather in their absence.”
Recommended Media?
📺 The 100 — A dystopian series about 100 teenagers sent back to Earth nearly a century after a nuclear war destroyed civilization, where they must determine whether humanity can survive and rebuild.
Interested in purchasing The Vanishing? Support Bond & Grace and purchase the book via Bookshop here.
