The Vanishing

Written by Sophia Tobin

Narrated by Helen Longworth

On top of the Yorkshire Moors, in an isolated spot carved out of a barren landscape, lies White Windows, a house of shadows and secrets. Here lives Marcus Twentyman, a hard-drinking but sensitive man, and his sister, the brisk widow, Hester.

When runaway Annaleigh first meets the Twentymans, their offer of employment and lodgings seems a blessing. Only later does she discover the truth. But by then she is already in the middle of a web of darkness and intrigue, where murder seems the only possible means of escape…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio UK
• Release date: Jan 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9781471162428

Sophia Tobin

Sophia Tobin was raised in Kent. She has studied History and History of Art, and worked for a Bond Street antique dealer for six years, specialising in silver and jewellery. She currently works in a library and archive. Inspired by her research into a real eighteenth-century silversmith, Tobin began to write The Silversmith’s Wife, which was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish College Fiction Prize.  It was published by Simon & Schuster in 2014. Her second novel, The Widow’s Confession, was published in 2015, and her third, The Vanishing, in 2017. Tobin lives in London with her husband.

Reviews for The Vanishing

[erickas-3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Set in the dreary Yorkshire moors . . . Annaleigh, a foundling raised by a portrait painter, runs from a doomed romantic entanglement to be a servant at White Windows to a brother and sister, Marcus and Hester Twentyman.Two other mysterious servants warn her not to develop any kind of friendship with the Twentymans, no matter how warm or inviting they seem. Annaleigh soon discovers that Marcus is volatile and tempestuous, often running into the foggy moor at night to be alone. Hester is timid and paranoid, and suffers from crippling headaches.The beginning of the story is compelling and has all the elements required for a juicy gothic thriller. The darkness and isolation of the moors enhance the creepiness and claustrophobia of White Windows. There is no escape from the house, nowhere to run. The atmosphere is chilling with a constant presence of foreboding.The second half of the book, however, becomes more unbelievable, and the characters are inconsistent. Their motivations are ambiguous and their reactions are often incongruous with their earlier temperaments. The story is still interesting enough keep the pages turning, but it requires a strong desire to suspend disbelief in order to accept the plot developments. The plot twists left me with a lot of questions, and the inexplicable actions of the characters were distracting.I always enjoy a spooky tale, and The Vanishing did not disappoint, but other reviewers’ comparisons to Jane Eyre and Fingersmith are too generous. Despite its flaws, if you seek out Gothic mysteries, as I do, The Vanishing is for you.Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the advance copy.

[Valery Bolliger · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

So awful, I had to stop around the middle of the book. Really, who compared this to the other books in the reviews??! It started well enough, but turns into a pitiful story of a dumb, young girl and a manipulative man in power. It reads sadly realistic in some ways, if one considers the girl's lack of experience and situation at that time in history. However, she comes across as plain stupid at times, whilst trying to also be portrayed as a capable and smart character.
Perhaps it can be a period-fanciful 50 Shades Of Grey, but not a gothic fantasy or even horror or proper suspense...
It was a waste of time.

[Ann Kenyon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well written, read and a great story, I recommend it.

[bellefae9 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This author write with such depth of emotion, and such truth, that I’m sitting here in tears after finishing this. It’s beautiful.

[Cindy Roberts · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good story but did not come near to portraying humans as they existed in the early 1800s. It was like applying modern day emotions to a historic setting. That is common to a degree but there were several parts that were way too far off from an 1810 reality