We Disappear: A Novel

By Scott Heim

“We Disappear is a mystery concerning the identity of a teenage boy and the people he draws into his web of half-truths. . . . It’s not hyperbole to suggest that We Disappear is the eeriest Kansas-set story since Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood." — Chicago Sun-Times

A dark and compelling novel of addiction, obsession, love, and family from the acclaimed author of Mysterious Skin

The body of a teenage boy is discovered in a Kansas field. The murder haunts Donna—a recent widow battling cancer—calling forth troubling details from long-suppressed memories of her past. Hoping to discover more about "disappeared" people, she turns to her son, Scott, who is fighting demons of his own. Addicted to methamphetamines and sleeping pills, Scott is barely holding on—though the chance to help his mother in her strange and desperate search holds out a slim promise of some small salvation.

But what he finds is a boy named Otis handcuffed in a secret basement room, and the questions that arise seem too disturbing even to contemplate. With his mother's health rapidly deteriorating, Scott must surrender to his own obsession, and unravel Otis's unsettling connections to other missing teens . . . and, ultimately, to himself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061861758

Scott Heim

The author of two novels and a volume of poetry, Scott Heim has written for numerous publications, including The Advocate, Village Voice, and Nerve.com. He lives in Boston.

Reviews for We Disappear

[lizzielou_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

scott is my hero.

[maryintexas39 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A very moving and harrowing book.

[panaranjado · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Dissenting opinion: I found this book so whiny and predictable it was nearly unreadable. I would have loved it as a depressed 16 year old, however.

[ashkek · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

the best book I've read all year this far. It invoked dread and sadness and despair on a level few authors achieve, and leaves the reader vulnerable and branded for life. Both beautiful and sad, this book brought me to tears at least once. Brilliant prose.