The Vanishing of Margaret Small: An uplifting and page-turning mystery

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Told in two timelines, this story is an intensely emotional journey with top-notch characterizations. It's impossible not to love Margaret, as she's definitely the one who holds this story together. She may be a bit slow but she has an inner beauty that's impossible to resist. My thanks to Bonnier UK Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “The Vanishing of Margaret Small”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook. I remember Marga as a kind, generous and committed colleague, someone who was always more willing to praise than to criticise. She also explicitly recognised the importance of good quality teaching. As Head of Postgraduate Taught Courses in History and Cultures, Marga was a supporter of the value and quality of the MA in West Midlands History, which I convened and I appreciated her support for the programme. Shortly after she arrived in the University, I remember talking with her about our Canadian origins (my mother came from Saskatchewan), and I was able to share my fond impressions of visiting Edmonton, Marga’s home town. Marga was a good person and I remember her with affection. DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bonnier Audio UK for an audio ARC of The Vanishing of Margaret Small, written by Neil Alexander and narrated by Annie Aldington, for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. Let me introduce you to Margaret Small, our narrator. She has spent most of her childhood and much of her adult life at St Mary’s – a home for children with learning difficulties and disabilities and now aged 75 she lives by herself in Whitstable with the support of Wayne, her care worker.

Alexander weaves a most sensitive story, which made me laugh and smile, and on one occasion even cry, but not once does he descend into the saccharine or ever patronise his marvellous leading lady, Margaret. His depiction of Care Support Worker Wayne has such heart, and it is Wayne and Margaret’s exchanges that are my favourite conversations in the book. I adored Wayne, especially the way he drew a line in the sand in dealing with some of Margaret’s dodgy views. So, yes, like all good characters Margaret may be flawed, but mostly she is kind and funny — and the most wonderful company. I found myself reading widely about it as I flew through the book, and I am thrilled to welcome Neil to the Embla list,” she said. “The combination of his experience at Mencap and his prodigious talent and warmth as a writer and storyteller are truly exciting. We believe his début has the potential to be for learning disability awareness what Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey (Penguin) was for dementia.” To lose a good friend and wonderful colleague so suddenly is overwhelming, and it feels unbearably cruel that we are here again.Like all of us, I have been thinking about Marga a lot over the past few weeks.I have remembered our conversations about bicycles and cycling holidays. I have remembered how much I enjoyed reading or listening to her talk about her work - her learnedness, her scholarship, her range, her passion.Above all, I have thought about the sheer vitality, energy, kindness, and importance of her presence within the department - about what we gained from having her as a colleague, and what we have now lost. Alexander throws the reader a little surprise before a most satisfactory resolution to Margaret’s story. He gives his characters wise words and insightful observations. “Don’t judge yourself the way others judged you in the past.” Funny, moving and uplifting, this is an outstanding debut novel.

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My favorite quote in the book is: “Don’t judge yourself the way others judged you in the past.” It can apply to many of us in many situations. This comes from Wayne, who is Margaret’s support worker. He lives up to his role.

There is a twist towards the end of the book, it did not come as a surprise to me. I was pretty sure I had figured it out along the way. But that did not detract from the story at all. Throughout, I only wanted the best for Margaret. But, then, I found out that I had not figured it out. What a lovely surprise! The real twist was way better than what I had in mind. Where do I even begin? Everyone and I mean everyone needs to read this book! I defy anyone to not fall in love with Margaret Small, she is the most loveable character you could ever meet and once you know her history you can’t help but love her more. This story is told in a dual timeline. We have present-day Margaret who is struggling to understand why she keeps receiving letters from someone called ‘C’ and Margaret as a child/teen/ young woman telling us her story inside the walls of St Mary’s. Alexander is a graduate of the Faber Academy Writing a Novel course, and much of the inspiration for The Vanishing of Margaret Small came from the voices and stories he heard during the many years he worked as artist liaison manager for the charity Mencap. Marga was also an extremely dedicated and inspirational teacher, who delighted in taking her students (and, indeed, her colleagues) on amazing, virtual voyages to worlds long gone. That one of Marga’s modules was called ‘Piracy, Plunder, Peoples and Exploitation: English Exploration in the Tudor Period’, conveys something of her ability to capture the imagination of students while also provoking deep thought around historical injustice and its continued presence in the world today.It is no surprise that it was often to Marga that we turned for Admissions talks to prospective students, a task she relished and delivered with characteristic aplomb to hundreds of young historians-in-training at open days and visit days.

LoveReading Says

Shugar, Dana R. (1995). Separatism and Women's Community. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. p.27. ISBN 978-0-8032-4244-9.