Disappearing Earth is the 2019 debut novel by Julia Phillips.[1][2]
Plot
In an isolated town in Far Eastern part of Russia two young girls go missing.
Critical reception
According to Book Marks, the book received a "rave" consensus, based on twenty reviews: sixteen "rave" and four "positive".[3][4]
The New York Times Book Review described the book as a "superb debut...a novel in the form of overlapping short stories about the women who are affected both directly and indirectly by the kidnapping. The purpose of these stories is not to unite a community around a tragedy as a less daring and more conventional narrative would have it, but to expose the ways in which the women of Kamchatka are fragmented personally, culturally and emotionally not only by the crime that jump-starts the novel, but by place, identity and the people who try, and often fail, to understand them."[5]
USA Today wrote, "It could be a frustrating book for readers who require propulsive plots and clean resolutions, as it offers neither. But Phillips is so skilled at conveying place and people, you can feel the chill of the shadow cast by Soviet-style apartment buildings, smell the blood soup, taste the burn of cheap vodka drunk too fast to numb the pain."[2]
NPR said, "Disappearing Earth comes closer in spirit to great American literature than most of the fiction set within U.S. borders."[1]
The book was named one of the top ten books of 2019 by The New York Times Book Review.[6]
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Center for Fiction First Novel Prize | — | Shortlisted | |
| Goodreads Choice Awards | Mystery & Thriller | Nominated—14th | [7] | |
| National Book Award | Fiction | Finalist | ||
| National Book Critics Circle Award | John Leonard Prize | Finalist | ||
| 2020 | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence | Fiction | Longlisted | [8] |
| Young Lions Fiction Award | — | Finalist |
References
- ^ a b c Patrick, Bethanne (May 21, 2019). "Kamchatka Is A Rich Backdrop For Mystery In 'Disappearing Earth'". NPR.
- ^ a b VanDenburgh, Barbara (May 14, 2019). "A kidnapping in rural Russia rocks the women in Julia Phillips' 'Disappearing Earth'". USA Today.
- ^ "Disappearing Earth". Book Marks. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
- ^ "Disappearing Earth Reviews". Books in the Media. Archived from the original on 20 Oct 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ Pochoda, Ivy (2019-05-14). "A Debut Novel Set on the Brooding, Remote Kamchatka Peninsula". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
- ^ "The 10 Best Books of 2019". The New York Times. November 22, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- ^ "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Mystery & Thriller!". Goodreads. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ^ "Longlist | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence". www.ala.org. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
You must be logged in to post a comment.