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Absence
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Expected 5 May 26In this gripping, moving, and genre-blending speculative debut, the world is unraveling from an epidemic of human vanishing. Two rookie agents from the Bureau of Depopulation Affairs are dispatched to small-town Kansas to investigate a woman who claims to have returned from Spontaneous Human Absence, offering answers that could change everything.
People are “popping”—disappearing, one by one, into thin air: an ongoing global cataclysm known as Spontaneous Human Absence. In a world where prospects for survival are increasingly grim, hopelessness prevails, political rifts widen, and doomsday predictions flourish.
Harvey Ellis works the night shift for the Bureau of Depopulation Affairs, an ad hoc federal agency meant to contain and catalog the crisis. Harvey’s job: to investigate claims of Absence, and, if validated, issue a standard government stipend to boost morale. Still recovering from losses of his own, Harvey is content in his routine—until his life is shaken by an unexpected assignment from the central office.
A woman long thought Absent has reappeared in her hometown of Dawnville, Kansas, claiming she’s been to the other side and back. But is her wild and irresistible account true, or is she just the latest false prophet, offering hope to a world desperate for it? Together with his no-BS partner, Shonda Erins, Harvey travels to Dawnville to find out.
A resonant portrait of a world beset by confusion and dismay, Andrew Dana Hudson’s debut is a vividly imagined novel of cosmic proportions, examining life in a time of exception and the stories we tell to get by.
People are “popping”—disappearing, one by one, into thin air: an ongoing global cataclysm known as Spontaneous Human Absence. In a world where prospects for survival are increasingly grim, hopelessness prevails, political rifts widen, and doomsday predictions flourish.
Harvey Ellis works the night shift for the Bureau of Depopulation Affairs, an ad hoc federal agency meant to contain and catalog the crisis. Harvey’s job: to investigate claims of Absence, and, if validated, issue a standard government stipend to boost morale. Still recovering from losses of his own, Harvey is content in his routine—until his life is shaken by an unexpected assignment from the central office.
A woman long thought Absent has reappeared in her hometown of Dawnville, Kansas, claiming she’s been to the other side and back. But is her wild and irresistible account true, or is she just the latest false prophet, offering hope to a world desperate for it? Together with his no-BS partner, Shonda Erins, Harvey travels to Dawnville to find out.
A resonant portrait of a world beset by confusion and dismay, Andrew Dana Hudson’s debut is a vividly imagined novel of cosmic proportions, examining life in a time of exception and the stories we tell to get by.
448 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication May 5, 2026
3 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 2, 2025
Absence is a character-driven, slow-burn speculative mystery with lots of questions and not all the answers.
The vanishing-person-returns twist could’ve gone big and wild, but I appreciated how measured and thoughtful it stayed. Like in The Leftovers, the mystery here is more existential than action-driven, which worked for me. Harvey, the weary, everyday protagonist and his flirty dynamic with co-worker Shonda adds just the right amount of levity and intimacy as the story unfolds.
The writing style is kind of like John Scalzi meets Neal Stephenson with 400+ pages to explore all the nitty-gritty details of a world where anyone anywhere can suddenly disappear. I loved all the small specifics in this depop setting: the Bureau of Depopulation Affairs, the check-in apps, the government programs trying to keep people safe, the cults that spring up in response. It's a sweeping and engaging ride.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this beautiful and intriguing novel.
The vanishing-person-returns twist could’ve gone big and wild, but I appreciated how measured and thoughtful it stayed. Like in The Leftovers, the mystery here is more existential than action-driven, which worked for me. Harvey, the weary, everyday protagonist and his flirty dynamic with co-worker Shonda adds just the right amount of levity and intimacy as the story unfolds.
The writing style is kind of like John Scalzi meets Neal Stephenson with 400+ pages to explore all the nitty-gritty details of a world where anyone anywhere can suddenly disappear. I loved all the small specifics in this depop setting: the Bureau of Depopulation Affairs, the check-in apps, the government programs trying to keep people safe, the cults that spring up in response. It's a sweeping and engaging ride.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this beautiful and intriguing novel.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest evaluation of its merits.
I was really intrigued by this book. The idea of people disappearing without explanation is fascinating enough, but the mundane, humdrum nature that that the government dealt with the problem made it even more believable. The Bureau of Depopulation Affairs is just another bureaucratic agency tasked to deal with a societal ill. Harvey and Shonda are not super agents. They are just regular people with expense accounts and paperwork trying to explain the unexplainable (how a person who has disappeared can reappear). I also liked the Gabby's story, as you are never really sure what the truth is. Again, a clever story well told.
I was really intrigued by this book. The idea of people disappearing without explanation is fascinating enough, but the mundane, humdrum nature that that the government dealt with the problem made it even more believable. The Bureau of Depopulation Affairs is just another bureaucratic agency tasked to deal with a societal ill. Harvey and Shonda are not super agents. They are just regular people with expense accounts and paperwork trying to explain the unexplainable (how a person who has disappeared can reappear). I also liked the Gabby's story, as you are never really sure what the truth is. Again, a clever story well told.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Absence is a soft sci-fi novel that explores the question of "what if everything we believe in were false".
People are randomly popping into thin air. Harvey, our lead, is an investigator in the Depop department, where he actively investigates to separate true absentees from cover-ups. He is sent on an assignment to interview a Returnee. Though most of them were shams, something in his gut tells him this is worth investigating.
Worldbuilding was interesting. With people disappearing at random, we are constantly challenged with deeper what-ifs, and left with the feeling that death is a blessing for those left behind. If you like sci-fi that explores the impact of an imploding world on the human condition, give Absence a go.
People are randomly popping into thin air. Harvey, our lead, is an investigator in the Depop department, where he actively investigates to separate true absentees from cover-ups. He is sent on an assignment to interview a Returnee. Though most of them were shams, something in his gut tells him this is worth investigating.
Worldbuilding was interesting. With people disappearing at random, we are constantly challenged with deeper what-ifs, and left with the feeling that death is a blessing for those left behind. If you like sci-fi that explores the impact of an imploding world on the human condition, give Absence a go.
January 13, 2026
What a great read to start the year!
I love a soft-sci fi story rooted in reality so this was an interesting premise to get stuck into. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their world, whilst exploring the phenomenon of people disappearing into thin air.
A mysterious read that keeps you questioning the truth. Some elements felt a little farcical at points but never quite hit the ‘too much’ point.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Absence and would recommend.
Thanks to Soho Press and NetGalley for the advance copy!
I love a soft-sci fi story rooted in reality so this was an interesting premise to get stuck into. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their world, whilst exploring the phenomenon of people disappearing into thin air.
A mysterious read that keeps you questioning the truth. Some elements felt a little farcical at points but never quite hit the ‘too much’ point.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Absence and would recommend.
Thanks to Soho Press and NetGalley for the advance copy!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
this was a very fun ride! the author has clearly put a lot of thought into the societal and political ramifications of his world and it shows. (the author also seems to be a public transportation fan which rocks.) i really enjoyed the central mystery and harvey's slow unraveling as he tries to discern an unknowable truth. it's one of those books that will leave you guessing until the very end.
thanks to netgalley and soho press for the e-arc!
thanks to netgalley and soho press for the e-arc!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews