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

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In 1947, at the age of seven, Margaret Small is collected without explanation from her grandmother’s home by a man she dubs The Rat Catcher.

Fictional books with characters with learning challenges are often a bit jarring and their abilities inconsistent, but this character felt well-rounded and ‘real’. Margaret’s relationship with carer Wayne is gorgeously authentic, and although not always an easy read, the first-person narrative crackles with pathos. I have also been a Cilla fan and loved watching her on tv in the many shows she brought her special brand of star quality to. This story is a dual timeline between 1914 and 2015, the first few pages of the story almost had me in tears it was that sad but the ending had me in tears because I was SO happy for Margaret.Soon after Cilla' death, Margaret starts receiving letters signed 'C' with money and kind words for her. It's awful to read about the tragedies Margaret and her fellow patients had to suffer but there is also a lot of joy too. I hope to find a book like this in the near future, as it was a memorable story that I didn’t want to end.

Diese kleine Geheimnis wühlt sie jedoch so auf, dass sie beginnt, über ihre Kindheit, Jugend und Vergangenheit zu erzählen. Much of the inspiration for Neil Alexander’s debut novel, ‘The Vanishing of Margaret Small’, came directly from the voices of people with a learning disability, and the incredibly moving first person accounts of living in long stay institutions, which he heard while working for the UK charity Mencap. Die Thematik rund um lernbeeinträchtigte Menschen und deren Leben in früheren Zeiten war wirklich schockierend und interessant zugleich.Throughoutt the book we learn about Margaret’s not so dull life at Saint Mary’s the interesting people she met and despite her handicap she turned out to be very interesting herself the twist and turns in this book are so stealthily put in I did not at all see them coming but all I know this was a great awesome book Margaret small turned out to be way more interesting then the summary allows for and I love her and love the book I loved her caretaker Wayne I love the whole book it’s just an awesome feel good make you happy type of book and I highly recommend it. But, the opportunity to make her own choices is not available to her, which affects her for the rest of her life. Though, the sad truth was that the grandmother’s getting rid of Margaret as an unwelcome reminder of her daughter’s transgressions seemed inevitable in a way. Margaret as the narrator in the story is engaging throughout, and the audible narrator is pitch perfect.