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The More They Disappear
"The More They Disappear delivers everything a reader could want. On one hand a compelling literary thriller, on the other a deep and generous meditation on life in a small town torn by addiction, poverty, and corruption." --Philipp Meyer, author of The Son
When long-serving Kentucky sheriff Lew Mattock is murdered by a confused, drug-addicted teenager, chief deputy Harlan Dupee is tasked with solving the crime. But as Harlan soon discovers, his former boss wasn't exactly innocent.
The investigation throws Harlan headlong into the burgeoning OxyContin trade, from the slanted steps of trailer parks to the manicured porches of prominent citizens, from ATV trails and tobacco farms to riverboat casinos and country clubs.
As the evidence draws him closer to an unlikely suspect, Harlan comes to question whether the law can even right a wrong during the corrupt and violent years that followed the release of OxyContin.
The More They Disappear takes us to the front lines of the battle against small-town drug abuse in an unnerving tale of addiction, loss, and the battle to overcome the darkest parts of ourselves.
When long-serving Kentucky sheriff Lew Mattock is murdered by a confused, drug-addicted teenager, chief deputy Harlan Dupee is tasked with solving the crime. But as Harlan soon discovers, his former boss wasn't exactly innocent.
The investigation throws Harlan headlong into the burgeoning OxyContin trade, from the slanted steps of trailer parks to the manicured porches of prominent citizens, from ATV trails and tobacco farms to riverboat casinos and country clubs.
As the evidence draws him closer to an unlikely suspect, Harlan comes to question whether the law can even right a wrong during the corrupt and violent years that followed the release of OxyContin.
The More They Disappear takes us to the front lines of the battle against small-town drug abuse in an unnerving tale of addiction, loss, and the battle to overcome the darkest parts of ourselves.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published August 2, 2016
14 people are currently reading
1017 people want to read
About the author
Jesse Donaldson
2 books46 followersJesse Donaldson was born and raised in Kentucky, attended Kenyon College and Oregon State University, and was a fellow at The Michener Center for Writers in Austin, Texas. His writing has appeared in The Oxford American, The Greensboro Review, and Crazyhorse. Among other things, he’s worked as a gardener, copywriter, teacher, and maintenance man. He now lives in Oregon with his wife and daughter, and a dog named Max.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
October 4, 2016
When Sherriff Lew Mattock is killed at his town BBQ, Harlan Dupee, a deputy finds himself the new man in charge of the investigation. From the beginning we know who did it, watch as the person sets up and shoots, gets rid of the evidence but we don't know why. Not only did I want to know the reason why but also how it came about because shooter is not your stereotypical murderer.
A tale of drugs, corruption, illicit relationships, bribery, young people with dismal home lives led astray and a man with heartbreak in his past trying to do his job and put everything together while keeping his town from imploding. What he finds is more than he bargained for and I love this quote,
"Cause at some point it's got to stop being about winning elections and start being about
doing what's right. And trust me, that's a gray area."
Our politicians should take note.
An extremely well written book that deserves more attention than it seems to be getting. It came to my attention by one of my friends her on this site and I am so glad it did. Reminds me a little of Ron Rash and his gritty southern novels. Would make a wonderful book discussion book.
A tale of drugs, corruption, illicit relationships, bribery, young people with dismal home lives led astray and a man with heartbreak in his past trying to do his job and put everything together while keeping his town from imploding. What he finds is more than he bargained for and I love this quote,
"Cause at some point it's got to stop being about winning elections and start being about
doing what's right. And trust me, that's a gray area."
Our politicians should take note.
An extremely well written book that deserves more attention than it seems to be getting. It came to my attention by one of my friends her on this site and I am so glad it did. Reminds me a little of Ron Rash and his gritty southern novels. Would make a wonderful book discussion book.
October 13, 2016
I have Diane to thank for this one!
Part crime novel, part lament on the affect that drugs, poverty, and the hunger for power have on a small town, Jesse Donaldson's The More They Disappear is an atmospheric thriller and fascinating character study, truly evoking imagery of life in a downtrodden small town.
In 1998, Lew Mattock is running for re-election to an unprecedented fourth term as sheriff of Marathon, a small town in Kentucky. Lew's success as sheriff isn't just because he has been tough on crime—he's greased more than his share of palms (and had his palm greased more than a few times), and he's not afraid to use his power wherever it's needed. But when Lew is murdered during a campaign event, most of Marathon's citizens are saddened to see this fixture of their town meet his end.
The task of finding Lew's murderer falls to Harlan Dupee, Lew's chief deputy, more because Lew wanted someone on the force he didn't feel threatened by as his second-in-command. Introspective, and still mourning the tragic death of his girlfriend a few years earlier, Harlan never really had any ambition to be sheriff, but he knows that investigating this crime is his duty. And the more investigating he does, the more he uncovers a massive web of greed, intimidation, secrets, addiction, and corruption, and Lew was smack in the middle of it all.
While Harlan wants to find out the truth behind what caused Lew's murder, his discoveries also force him to revisit his own loneliness, and the destruction that is being wrought in Marathon as a result of the introduction of OxyContin. He wonders if uncovering the truth can actually save Marathon and those being torn apart by Lew's death, including Lew's widow and son, or whether the town will be able to survive the poverty and despondence that is slowly eating away at it.
It's always interesting reading a crime novel when you know who the perpetrator is, and pretty much know how everything unfolded, but you need to wait for the protagonist to figure it out. Even though that seems like it might be a boring read, in Donaldson's hands, this book is completely compelling. Marathon is not unlike many small towns in the U.S., and you find yourself both hoping the truth will be uncovered so the town might be able to start fresh, and hoping the status quo can remain.
There are a lot of interesting characters in this book, and Harlan is far from the slow-seeming sad sack that he appeared to be at the start. Donaldson made you care about these characters, and how they are affected by what has transpired, and his storytelling ability is really quite strong. Thanks to his use of evocative imagery, I could picture Marathon pretty clearly in my head, and found it both fascinating and sad.
While this may lack the suspense of many crime novels, The More They Disappear , is more than a crime novel. It's a great read, and a great look at a town caught in the cross-hairs of poverty and greed.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
Part crime novel, part lament on the affect that drugs, poverty, and the hunger for power have on a small town, Jesse Donaldson's The More They Disappear is an atmospheric thriller and fascinating character study, truly evoking imagery of life in a downtrodden small town.
In 1998, Lew Mattock is running for re-election to an unprecedented fourth term as sheriff of Marathon, a small town in Kentucky. Lew's success as sheriff isn't just because he has been tough on crime—he's greased more than his share of palms (and had his palm greased more than a few times), and he's not afraid to use his power wherever it's needed. But when Lew is murdered during a campaign event, most of Marathon's citizens are saddened to see this fixture of their town meet his end.
The task of finding Lew's murderer falls to Harlan Dupee, Lew's chief deputy, more because Lew wanted someone on the force he didn't feel threatened by as his second-in-command. Introspective, and still mourning the tragic death of his girlfriend a few years earlier, Harlan never really had any ambition to be sheriff, but he knows that investigating this crime is his duty. And the more investigating he does, the more he uncovers a massive web of greed, intimidation, secrets, addiction, and corruption, and Lew was smack in the middle of it all.
While Harlan wants to find out the truth behind what caused Lew's murder, his discoveries also force him to revisit his own loneliness, and the destruction that is being wrought in Marathon as a result of the introduction of OxyContin. He wonders if uncovering the truth can actually save Marathon and those being torn apart by Lew's death, including Lew's widow and son, or whether the town will be able to survive the poverty and despondence that is slowly eating away at it.
It's always interesting reading a crime novel when you know who the perpetrator is, and pretty much know how everything unfolded, but you need to wait for the protagonist to figure it out. Even though that seems like it might be a boring read, in Donaldson's hands, this book is completely compelling. Marathon is not unlike many small towns in the U.S., and you find yourself both hoping the truth will be uncovered so the town might be able to start fresh, and hoping the status quo can remain.
There are a lot of interesting characters in this book, and Harlan is far from the slow-seeming sad sack that he appeared to be at the start. Donaldson made you care about these characters, and how they are affected by what has transpired, and his storytelling ability is really quite strong. Thanks to his use of evocative imagery, I could picture Marathon pretty clearly in my head, and found it both fascinating and sad.
While this may lack the suspense of many crime novels, The More They Disappear , is more than a crime novel. It's a great read, and a great look at a town caught in the cross-hairs of poverty and greed.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
December 3, 2016
The More They Disappear is a very spare and bleak novel that traces the events following the murder of a long-serving sheriff in a small town in rural Kentucky. The town and its people are clearly in decline; unemployment and drug addiction have taken a heavy toll, and political corruption has made matters even worse.
The murdered sheriff headed a small force of mostly ill-trained and apathetic deputies, and the job passes, at least temporarily, to perhaps the most capable of these, Harlan Dupee. Dupee has personal problems of his own and has never recovered from the death of the one woman who made his life complete. But he is determined to do the best he can with the limited resources he has available.
His most formidable challenge is to find the person who killed his predecessor, but this will not be an easy task. Harlan soon discovers that his former boss was a man of deep secrets and contradictions, as are many of his constituents. Another of the major characters is a young woman from a prominent local family who is lost in the grip of an addiction to OxyContin. And it doesn't help that her boyfriend is a low-level dealer.
The story of Harlan's hunt for the killer is an interesting one, but it basically takes a back seat to the larger story of the very heavy toll that drug addiction combined with the lack of economic opportunity can take on a small town. Donaldson paints the picture brilliantly, even if it is an enormously depressing one. This is not a book that's going to put a big smile on anyone's face, but it has the ring of truth and marks Jesse Donaldson as a writer to watch.
The murdered sheriff headed a small force of mostly ill-trained and apathetic deputies, and the job passes, at least temporarily, to perhaps the most capable of these, Harlan Dupee. Dupee has personal problems of his own and has never recovered from the death of the one woman who made his life complete. But he is determined to do the best he can with the limited resources he has available.
His most formidable challenge is to find the person who killed his predecessor, but this will not be an easy task. Harlan soon discovers that his former boss was a man of deep secrets and contradictions, as are many of his constituents. Another of the major characters is a young woman from a prominent local family who is lost in the grip of an addiction to OxyContin. And it doesn't help that her boyfriend is a low-level dealer.
The story of Harlan's hunt for the killer is an interesting one, but it basically takes a back seat to the larger story of the very heavy toll that drug addiction combined with the lack of economic opportunity can take on a small town. Donaldson paints the picture brilliantly, even if it is an enormously depressing one. This is not a book that's going to put a big smile on anyone's face, but it has the ring of truth and marks Jesse Donaldson as a writer to watch.
October 15, 2016
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars
Jesse Donaldson delivers an astounding debut- THE MORE THEY DISAPPEAR —A compelling literary gritty (noir) crime suspense; an ideal choice for book clubs and further discussions.
An exploration into the darkness of a small town from the aftermath of addiction, drugs, poverty, and corruption. However, the devastation reaches far behind the rural Kentucky town, and not limited to any social class, or gender.
If you look beneath the gloom and sadness of the troubled lives of the characters, you will be drawn to Donaldson’s prose, his vivid descriptions, and the usage of many metaphors.
Fans of Erik Storey, William Kent Krueger, Wiley Cash, Ron Rash, Brian Panowich, and David Joy will appreciate this newfound author’s talent.
Set in the fall of 1998, troubled teenager Mary Jane Finley kills Sheriff Lew Mattock with a rifle shot at a fund-raising barbecue in Marathon, Kentucky. He was fifty-two years old.
He had at least three more terms if they voted. The BBQ was meant to be a celebration of Lew, one in a series of campaign events leading up to his coronation as Finley County’s first ever four-term sheriff.
Now the election was a month away and people would expect Harlan to run. Plus, what evil lies behind Lew’s murder. What had this man allowed? A web of deceit and lies.
Sheriff Harlan Dupee. Harlan knew that being sheriff was more about politics than policing. Marathon was the only place he had ever called home, but he had never fit in. His own father had drowned in the river, and his mother followed him not long after in a mental hospital.
The only woman he had ever loved died, and that took something out of him (intriguing backstory here which connects to the present). Lew never cared for newfangled ideas from his suggestions. Maybe the town would look at him differently when he found Lew's killer. However, his investigation into Lew's past is front and center.
Harlan was reminded of how close Lew kept the kingmakers of Marathon. Not just the local politicians. There were heavy hitters from the state. However, he is about to uncover how far the conspiracy actually reached.
The pills were Mary Jane’s ticket out of Marathon (or so she thought). Mark had called Oxy a miracle drug. It offered separation from her father’s passive-aggressive insults and her mother’s chin smoking sadness. Separation from the fat girl in the mirror. Separation from a life that had stalled out in high school.
Oxy offered oblivion. Mary Jane’s mom thought drugs were the problem. She did not know they were her solution. However, could she be wrong? She had failed. She couldn’t even manage to run away, who committed unforgivable sins, a girl who deserved whatever tragedy came her way.
Then there was Mark at college. The money from the drug sales. He and Mary Jane had calculated the $25K was enough for them to live on for a year. His dad and Lew- protection from the law. Paying Mark’s tuition at college became contingent on his enrolling in the pharmacy program. His dad in the medical field. Mark was a pawn. His father and Lew both possessed voracious appetites. Each demanding a bigger share. When desperation turned to evil – they would turn against one another.
Murders in Finley County were usually straightforward; wives fed up with abusive husbands, cuckolded husbands exacting revenge on unfaithful wives, friends and families turned against one another for reasons of money, sin, or pride.
In addition to finding the murderer, Harlan has a bigger task, at hand. To determine how far reaching the greed, corruption, addictions, and dark secrets go. Who was responsible and how can it be stopped, before destroying other innocent lives? The drug lords of Marathon. Unhappy homes. The world was an easy place to fade away.
The Bonnie and Clyde (Mark and Mary Jane). It was Mark who kept her from spiraling down. Mary Jane is a perfect example of self-destruction. She risked everything for Mark. Lew Mattock was dead. He had been about to arrest Mark. Prison, was not a place for him.
As mentioned in an online interview with the author, the title of the book alludes to many things. Harlan, the sheriff is at the heart of the novel. With metaphors of the river. A look at his life.
How is a river made and how does it form, in relation to the lives of the people in this town? Forgotten people. How do they disappear? Numbed by drugs. They want to disappear.
“Some try to run away, some turn to drugs, some try to reinvent themselves, but the more they work to disappear, the more they are flung back into the circumstances they came from.”
Can you escape your, environment?
The author does an outstanding job of detailing the drug Oxy; how it is misused and takes over lives. It does not discriminate by social class, and neither does addiction. As the author mentions in his interview, his desire was for his book to be more than just about the most downtrodden folks in the most depressed communities. The misconceptions. Indeed, he accomplishes this goal. People tend to stereotype. It goes far beyond.
When reading Donaldson’s words, am strongly reminded of T. Greenwood’s writing (one of my favorite authors), as well as Rochelle B. Weinstein ---the usage of metaphors often in their writing as relates to water and nature.
“Dredge the bottom of any river and you’ll find things forgotten, things left behind, things pitched over the rail or fallen from the sky, things carried by the wind and worn down. Dredge these things up and you’ll have more questions than answers, but the river will keep moving, keep changing, keep pushing until it is weightlessly floating to the top.”
Once I read how rivers and falls are strong metaphors for understanding addiction recovery. In relation to addiction; if the addict stands at the edge of acting out (the falls); the power of the river will sweep him or her over the edge to acting yet again.
Like the rivers, so it is with addictions. Addicts cannot live their lives standing at the precipice of acting out, where compulsion has its greatest power and strength, and expect sobriety to survive. Yet again, addicts will be pulled into the abyss, losing control to addictive behaviors.
To find recovery, they must move upstream to safety. It is just common sense to stay out of places and situations that lead downstream. These calm, upstream waters are the waters of recovery. Finding them, and learning to stay in them, is where healing from addiction begins.
However, the characters in the book, as well as often in life – do not remove themselves from these troubling waters, (is key), when they see no way out- they continue drowning and sinking deeper into the muck of their lives.
Life — “like the river” — flows, one must work to maintain this safe position by setting mooring lines. With actions and behaviors, that keep the addict anchored safely.
The characters are prime examples of dangerous places, circumstances, consequences, acts of desperation and addictions. Fears. From the elderly people selling their prescriptions to keep the heat on; to kids popping pills to getting high. A man haunted searching for redemption.
Winning elections or doing what’s right. A medical practice. Greed. Distrust. Murder. A man who has lost faith in the law. The darkness haunts him. A man who wants to save people before the wrongs; before it is too late.
Readers will find a character to sympathize with. Harlan was that character for me. Well written, I am looking forward to reading more from this talented author!
Note: My apologies for the tardiness in the posting of my review. I had the pleasure of reading this fabulous book, back in July; however, had a death in my family; pretty much wiped out the month of August; I continue to play catch-up with my reviews. However, not forgotten.
JDCMustReadBooks
Jesse Donaldson delivers an astounding debut- THE MORE THEY DISAPPEAR —A compelling literary gritty (noir) crime suspense; an ideal choice for book clubs and further discussions.
An exploration into the darkness of a small town from the aftermath of addiction, drugs, poverty, and corruption. However, the devastation reaches far behind the rural Kentucky town, and not limited to any social class, or gender.
If you look beneath the gloom and sadness of the troubled lives of the characters, you will be drawn to Donaldson’s prose, his vivid descriptions, and the usage of many metaphors.
Fans of Erik Storey, William Kent Krueger, Wiley Cash, Ron Rash, Brian Panowich, and David Joy will appreciate this newfound author’s talent.
Set in the fall of 1998, troubled teenager Mary Jane Finley kills Sheriff Lew Mattock with a rifle shot at a fund-raising barbecue in Marathon, Kentucky. He was fifty-two years old.
He had at least three more terms if they voted. The BBQ was meant to be a celebration of Lew, one in a series of campaign events leading up to his coronation as Finley County’s first ever four-term sheriff.
Now the election was a month away and people would expect Harlan to run. Plus, what evil lies behind Lew’s murder. What had this man allowed? A web of deceit and lies.
Sheriff Harlan Dupee. Harlan knew that being sheriff was more about politics than policing. Marathon was the only place he had ever called home, but he had never fit in. His own father had drowned in the river, and his mother followed him not long after in a mental hospital.
The only woman he had ever loved died, and that took something out of him (intriguing backstory here which connects to the present). Lew never cared for newfangled ideas from his suggestions. Maybe the town would look at him differently when he found Lew's killer. However, his investigation into Lew's past is front and center.
Harlan was reminded of how close Lew kept the kingmakers of Marathon. Not just the local politicians. There were heavy hitters from the state. However, he is about to uncover how far the conspiracy actually reached.
The pills were Mary Jane’s ticket out of Marathon (or so she thought). Mark had called Oxy a miracle drug. It offered separation from her father’s passive-aggressive insults and her mother’s chin smoking sadness. Separation from the fat girl in the mirror. Separation from a life that had stalled out in high school.
Oxy offered oblivion. Mary Jane’s mom thought drugs were the problem. She did not know they were her solution. However, could she be wrong? She had failed. She couldn’t even manage to run away, who committed unforgivable sins, a girl who deserved whatever tragedy came her way.
Then there was Mark at college. The money from the drug sales. He and Mary Jane had calculated the $25K was enough for them to live on for a year. His dad and Lew- protection from the law. Paying Mark’s tuition at college became contingent on his enrolling in the pharmacy program. His dad in the medical field. Mark was a pawn. His father and Lew both possessed voracious appetites. Each demanding a bigger share. When desperation turned to evil – they would turn against one another.
Murders in Finley County were usually straightforward; wives fed up with abusive husbands, cuckolded husbands exacting revenge on unfaithful wives, friends and families turned against one another for reasons of money, sin, or pride.
In addition to finding the murderer, Harlan has a bigger task, at hand. To determine how far reaching the greed, corruption, addictions, and dark secrets go. Who was responsible and how can it be stopped, before destroying other innocent lives? The drug lords of Marathon. Unhappy homes. The world was an easy place to fade away.
The Bonnie and Clyde (Mark and Mary Jane). It was Mark who kept her from spiraling down. Mary Jane is a perfect example of self-destruction. She risked everything for Mark. Lew Mattock was dead. He had been about to arrest Mark. Prison, was not a place for him.
As mentioned in an online interview with the author, the title of the book alludes to many things. Harlan, the sheriff is at the heart of the novel. With metaphors of the river. A look at his life.
How is a river made and how does it form, in relation to the lives of the people in this town? Forgotten people. How do they disappear? Numbed by drugs. They want to disappear.
“Some try to run away, some turn to drugs, some try to reinvent themselves, but the more they work to disappear, the more they are flung back into the circumstances they came from.”
Can you escape your, environment?
The author does an outstanding job of detailing the drug Oxy; how it is misused and takes over lives. It does not discriminate by social class, and neither does addiction. As the author mentions in his interview, his desire was for his book to be more than just about the most downtrodden folks in the most depressed communities. The misconceptions. Indeed, he accomplishes this goal. People tend to stereotype. It goes far beyond.
When reading Donaldson’s words, am strongly reminded of T. Greenwood’s writing (one of my favorite authors), as well as Rochelle B. Weinstein ---the usage of metaphors often in their writing as relates to water and nature.
“Dredge the bottom of any river and you’ll find things forgotten, things left behind, things pitched over the rail or fallen from the sky, things carried by the wind and worn down. Dredge these things up and you’ll have more questions than answers, but the river will keep moving, keep changing, keep pushing until it is weightlessly floating to the top.”
Once I read how rivers and falls are strong metaphors for understanding addiction recovery. In relation to addiction; if the addict stands at the edge of acting out (the falls); the power of the river will sweep him or her over the edge to acting yet again.
Like the rivers, so it is with addictions. Addicts cannot live their lives standing at the precipice of acting out, where compulsion has its greatest power and strength, and expect sobriety to survive. Yet again, addicts will be pulled into the abyss, losing control to addictive behaviors.
To find recovery, they must move upstream to safety. It is just common sense to stay out of places and situations that lead downstream. These calm, upstream waters are the waters of recovery. Finding them, and learning to stay in them, is where healing from addiction begins.
However, the characters in the book, as well as often in life – do not remove themselves from these troubling waters, (is key), when they see no way out- they continue drowning and sinking deeper into the muck of their lives.
Life — “like the river” — flows, one must work to maintain this safe position by setting mooring lines. With actions and behaviors, that keep the addict anchored safely.
The characters are prime examples of dangerous places, circumstances, consequences, acts of desperation and addictions. Fears. From the elderly people selling their prescriptions to keep the heat on; to kids popping pills to getting high. A man haunted searching for redemption.
Winning elections or doing what’s right. A medical practice. Greed. Distrust. Murder. A man who has lost faith in the law. The darkness haunts him. A man who wants to save people before the wrongs; before it is too late.
Readers will find a character to sympathize with. Harlan was that character for me. Well written, I am looking forward to reading more from this talented author!
Note: My apologies for the tardiness in the posting of my review. I had the pleasure of reading this fabulous book, back in July; however, had a death in my family; pretty much wiped out the month of August; I continue to play catch-up with my reviews. However, not forgotten.
JDCMustReadBooks
December 3, 2016
I love books that take seriously the parts of the country generally lambasted, scorned, and ignored (which makes sense, because I'm from one of these places). I also love books that get at the really bad underbelly of addiction--and I don't mean the seediness so much as the spiritual death articulated in deadened relationships and self-hatred. And I love a page-turner, especially one that delivers character depth and gorgeous writing along with the watertight plot. This book hits me where I live (in the best possible way).
"The More They Disappear" begins with the assassination of Marathon, Kentucky's Sheriff Mattocks and follows second-in-line Harlan Dupee's investigation, switching POV to check in on other town players: the deceased sheriff's son, who's pushed into running against Harlan for his father's vacant office, the town doctor and his son, the kid beauty pageant star who outgrew her parents' approval when she turned out to be a size 12 rather than a 4. The plot runs like a dream. I won't say more about it here, but it really chops the wood and carries the water.
Most of all, though, I want to praise the human observations evident in the dialogue, the lean little moments of attention that flare up and get it right, time after time after time. This book gets middle-of-nowhere hopelessness right. It gets withdrawal right. It gets the net of small-town gossip exactly right. What is it like to hate your body while you're wolfing down a fast food burger? This book gets it right. This isn't showy writing, exactly; the sentences unfold without gesturing to themselves or trying to wring some feeling out of the reader, which is noteworthy in a year where lots of the talked-about novels traded in sentence fragments and strove to gild each moment with a few worn tropes. It's tough to write a book like this. I think it requires the writer to put a lot of trust in the reader. I, for one, appreciate being trusted.
Especially right now, following an election where a lot of people voted out of fear and despair, going against their own interests and (please god) their best selves, stories like these are crucial because they make a connection between addiction as a private suffering and addiction as a public health issue and political force. Addiction, whether it's pills or booze or gambling, makes the world one-sided, and in a one-sided world, all kinds of desperate actions seem necessary and self-protective. Fear fed on itself makes it easy to screw everyone else and split. In a world run that way, the heroes are the ones who look with clear eyes and don't deceive themselves. Harlan Dupee is just such a man, and so is this author.
"The More They Disappear" begins with the assassination of Marathon, Kentucky's Sheriff Mattocks and follows second-in-line Harlan Dupee's investigation, switching POV to check in on other town players: the deceased sheriff's son, who's pushed into running against Harlan for his father's vacant office, the town doctor and his son, the kid beauty pageant star who outgrew her parents' approval when she turned out to be a size 12 rather than a 4. The plot runs like a dream. I won't say more about it here, but it really chops the wood and carries the water.
Most of all, though, I want to praise the human observations evident in the dialogue, the lean little moments of attention that flare up and get it right, time after time after time. This book gets middle-of-nowhere hopelessness right. It gets withdrawal right. It gets the net of small-town gossip exactly right. What is it like to hate your body while you're wolfing down a fast food burger? This book gets it right. This isn't showy writing, exactly; the sentences unfold without gesturing to themselves or trying to wring some feeling out of the reader, which is noteworthy in a year where lots of the talked-about novels traded in sentence fragments and strove to gild each moment with a few worn tropes. It's tough to write a book like this. I think it requires the writer to put a lot of trust in the reader. I, for one, appreciate being trusted.
Especially right now, following an election where a lot of people voted out of fear and despair, going against their own interests and (please god) their best selves, stories like these are crucial because they make a connection between addiction as a private suffering and addiction as a public health issue and political force. Addiction, whether it's pills or booze or gambling, makes the world one-sided, and in a one-sided world, all kinds of desperate actions seem necessary and self-protective. Fear fed on itself makes it easy to screw everyone else and split. In a world run that way, the heroes are the ones who look with clear eyes and don't deceive themselves. Harlan Dupee is just such a man, and so is this author.
October 5, 2016
This story circles around the murder of Sheriff Lew Mattock. His deputy, Harlan Dupee, is left to investigate his predecessor's death.
Harlan has worked in the shadow of the personality that is Mattock and is met with derision by just about everyone involved in the investigation. Harlan pushes forward and begins to uncover the why of the murder.
What an incredible story of the effects of prescription drug addiction. We see this played out at all levels from the highest up to the kids quickly drawn in by the promise of being numb.
Donaldson creates characters that are fully developed and with whom you have compassion even when they are breaking the law.
I will definitely keep an eye out for his next book.
Harlan has worked in the shadow of the personality that is Mattock and is met with derision by just about everyone involved in the investigation. Harlan pushes forward and begins to uncover the why of the murder.
What an incredible story of the effects of prescription drug addiction. We see this played out at all levels from the highest up to the kids quickly drawn in by the promise of being numb.
Donaldson creates characters that are fully developed and with whom you have compassion even when they are breaking the law.
I will definitely keep an eye out for his next book.
July 19, 2017
The More They Disappear is a fantastic debut novel; I thoroughly enjoyed it and am eager to see what Donaldson does next. All of the characters are realistic and highly relatable, the pacing is perfect, the setting is distinctive, and the length is perfect. I can't shelve this as a mystery because, although there is one poignant revelation near the end, it is not a plot point. The reader knows all along who committed the crime and why; it's only the novel's inhabitants that are in the dark. I wouldn't mind owning a first edition copy of this one.
August 29, 2021
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(2.5 stars)
Perhaps I was expecting The More They Disappear to be more of a mystery. We know from the very start that Mary Jane is the one who shoots sheriff Lew Mattock. Mary Jane is a young drug-addict. She loathes both herself and her parents. Her boyfriend is the only one person she cares for, and together they believe they can be like Bonny and Clyde. Mark, the wannabe Clyde, is a college student who likes to buy and sell Oxy.
The deputy, Harlan Dupree, is forced to step up, taking the role of sheriff in a town that is torn by addiction and corruption. Harlan is viewed as a piss-poor replacement, yet, he does try to solve Lew's murder. His investigation will reveal that Lew was incredibly corrupt and not quite the good man some believe he was. Except that most people, everybody but Lew's son, knew just what sort of bully Lew could be. Harlan's methods are rather inadequate. His efforts were shadowed by his constant mopey thoughts. Most of the characters, in fact, shared the same sense of self-pity. They all have horrible parents, they are all made fun of, they all have 'inner' potential...While I appreciated that no one was likeable, I found that by having 0 sympathetic characters I wasn't that involved in the outcome of the story. Harlan and Lew's son (what was his name? What was the point in him?) were so similarly bland that I confused one for the other. Mary Jane and Mark were the stereotypical angsty kids. The many sets of 'couples' and parents seemed all alike: the man is an asshole, the woman is a depressed chain-smoker.
The writing too was off-putting. Needless sex-scenes and lots of 'nipple' being described.
The More They Disappear offers depressing themes in a depressing manner. What could have been a raw and genuine portrayal of poverty and drug addiction turns into a 'race' for who is the most 'misunderstood and unappreciated' character. Pity parties are off-putting.
(2.5 stars)
Perhaps I was expecting The More They Disappear to be more of a mystery. We know from the very start that Mary Jane is the one who shoots sheriff Lew Mattock. Mary Jane is a young drug-addict. She loathes both herself and her parents. Her boyfriend is the only one person she cares for, and together they believe they can be like Bonny and Clyde. Mark, the wannabe Clyde, is a college student who likes to buy and sell Oxy.
The deputy, Harlan Dupree, is forced to step up, taking the role of sheriff in a town that is torn by addiction and corruption. Harlan is viewed as a piss-poor replacement, yet, he does try to solve Lew's murder. His investigation will reveal that Lew was incredibly corrupt and not quite the good man some believe he was. Except that most people, everybody but Lew's son, knew just what sort of bully Lew could be. Harlan's methods are rather inadequate. His efforts were shadowed by his constant mopey thoughts. Most of the characters, in fact, shared the same sense of self-pity. They all have horrible parents, they are all made fun of, they all have 'inner' potential...While I appreciated that no one was likeable, I found that by having 0 sympathetic characters I wasn't that involved in the outcome of the story. Harlan and Lew's son (what was his name? What was the point in him?) were so similarly bland that I confused one for the other. Mary Jane and Mark were the stereotypical angsty kids. The many sets of 'couples' and parents seemed all alike: the man is an asshole, the woman is a depressed chain-smoker.
The writing too was off-putting. Needless sex-scenes and lots of 'nipple' being described.
The More They Disappear offers depressing themes in a depressing manner. What could have been a raw and genuine portrayal of poverty and drug addiction turns into a 'race' for who is the most 'misunderstood and unappreciated' character. Pity parties are off-putting.
August 10, 2016
A thriller unlike the ones I have read recently. From the start you know the victim and the perpetrator, and yet the story develops with the same kind of calculated suspense as though we were hunting for the killer, too.
At the heart of the story is an ugly thread of reality — the early years of the prescription drug/OxyContin boom — that would unspool across the country, threading its way into countless families, cutting lives short, ruining others. In this way, we as readers, are prescient and that only adds to the emotion of the story. Though these are fictional characters, their trajectories have played out in countless addicts.
Finally, the book is written with such beautifully subtle language, the kind that sweeps you into the story, into the center of the small rural Kentucky town called Marathon, without even realizing it, where you can vividly see the characters and watch the events as they unfold. A thoughtful, honest book, an emotional thriller in its truest form.
At the heart of the story is an ugly thread of reality — the early years of the prescription drug/OxyContin boom — that would unspool across the country, threading its way into countless families, cutting lives short, ruining others. In this way, we as readers, are prescient and that only adds to the emotion of the story. Though these are fictional characters, their trajectories have played out in countless addicts.
Finally, the book is written with such beautifully subtle language, the kind that sweeps you into the story, into the center of the small rural Kentucky town called Marathon, without even realizing it, where you can vividly see the characters and watch the events as they unfold. A thoughtful, honest book, an emotional thriller in its truest form.
November 19, 2016
Four and a half stars. The novel begins with the murder of the sheriff of a rural county in Kentucky. You know who did it in the first chapter. The rest of the book takes you through the investigation of the deputy, who becomes the new sheriff. He discovers drugs, sex and corruption and unpleasant aspects of his now deceased boss, wherever he looks. Very well written with complex and interesting characters. Highly recommended.
October 30, 2016
When a small town cop is killed, the search begins for his killer. The search reveals less about the killer, then it does about his victim, the hunter, and the lies underneath the surface of small town lives. The characters are well drawn and have the complexity of real people. There is no black or white in this novel, just smoky shades of grey.
August 8, 2016
A fine first novel... Meditations on the despair of rural communities in the face of addiction and other degradations.
February 25, 2018
Really cool literary-mystery genre bender that takes a fictional look at local consequences of the opioid crisis in a small town. The sheriff is assassinated and the world starts turning...
August 17, 2018
I won this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
This book managed to cover a lot of topics in a thoughtful and non-judgmental way. I think that the alternating narrators were pivotal to the story and well done. I have a tendency not to read the blurb about a book before I read it because I prefer to enjoy the story without expectations about what is going to happen when. In the time between receiving the book and reading it, I had forgotten what it was about and that made the beginning really grab me after assuming that Lew was going to be the lens through which we were given the story. I enjoyed that the simplicity and complexity of small town life were both on display.
This book managed to cover a lot of topics in a thoughtful and non-judgmental way. I think that the alternating narrators were pivotal to the story and well done. I have a tendency not to read the blurb about a book before I read it because I prefer to enjoy the story without expectations about what is going to happen when. In the time between receiving the book and reading it, I had forgotten what it was about and that made the beginning really grab me after assuming that Lew was going to be the lens through which we were given the story. I enjoyed that the simplicity and complexity of small town life were both on display.
November 3, 2017
I didn't like this book as much as soooo many others did. I felt , at times, the story dragged on and on and on...... kept skimming just to finish- not a good sign , for me anyway !
February 10, 2017
Hard to believe this is a first novel. It reads like it came from a seasoned author. Well defined characters, true-sounding dialog, good plot pacing, atmosphere, all delivered by an unobtrusive narrator. This "why-dun-it" would make a good movie.
Recommended.
Recommended.
September 8, 2016
Easily one of the top 10 books I have read this year. I can't believe it is the authors first book. This is a very easy book to get into, and the storyline is fantastic. I really liked that the end isn't trite, and there is very little happiness, to how the story is resolved. The story is about youth hopelessness, corruption, and OxyContin addiction in a small Kentucky town in 1998. It is fiction but it is rooted in fact if you have read Dreamland. Read this book, it is worth it.
October 25, 2016
Nominally it might be classified as a mystery, but seems more like a meditation on justice, small town politics, maybe how people rich and poor struggle with some similar issues. Vivid descriptions of why some of these young people liked taking pills. Disturbing content, tempered with glimpses of people making an effort to help one another. He is an author to watch.
October 12, 2016
Good story, makes you think a bit about life.
November 1, 2016
Fantastic. Think Pollack and then some.
November 21, 2016
Thriller that evokes the sad lives of those living in small towns plagued by drugs, poverty and hopelessness.
November 26, 2017
While the novel does offer moments of thrill and suspense, I did not feel much for the band of characters.
December 30, 2020
The book is barely a mystery - we know who kills the sheriff from chapter one (hell, we watch the murder through their eyes); the mystery of why they did it is not hard to suspect; and it's not even a commentary on how greedy and corrupt medical professionals fed the growing opioid epidemic in the rural mid-west. What the novel is instead is an exploration of people who 'never lived to their potential' and how they react to the expectations of others. The novel starts slow and builds speed with every chapter. The deputy, Harlan Dupee, forced to become sheriff after his corrupt boss is shot in the middle of a fund-raising barbecue, is indeed your wounded, imperfect police officer - but he is truly likable. His friendship with young addict Mattie was the heart of the story for me. And I really thought the book was going to be a five star, up until the last two chapters.
What it lacked? A proper climax. I didn't expect the killers, the bad guys, or any of the cops, to go down in a blaze. But after one of the killers is arrested, and the enabling party is arrested next we don't get to see any of their reaction. And I think the story needed that.
Overall, the novel doesn't try to surprise the reader.I'd label this novel more of a contemporary literary novel, with a significant police procedural element. So if you're going in expecting a mystery about drug dealers, you might feel you didn't get everything you wished for. The character exploration was what made it stand out for me. In a world of high expectations and disappointing average lives, there are two ways out: addiction, or acceptance. Harlan and Lew Jr ultimately do, and they are the characters saved at the end of the novel. Mattie, for whose life I feared and continue to fear at the end of the novel, is that in-between character. Will she be saved? Will she succumb? Or will something/someone else get to her before she can accept herself as she is? I still wonder what will happen to her.
What it lacked? A proper climax. I didn't expect the killers, the bad guys, or any of the cops, to go down in a blaze. But after one of the killers is arrested, and the enabling party is arrested next we don't get to see any of their reaction. And I think the story needed that.
Overall, the novel doesn't try to surprise the reader.I'd label this novel more of a contemporary literary novel, with a significant police procedural element. So if you're going in expecting a mystery about drug dealers, you might feel you didn't get everything you wished for. The character exploration was what made it stand out for me. In a world of high expectations and disappointing average lives, there are two ways out: addiction, or acceptance. Harlan and Lew Jr ultimately do, and they are the characters saved at the end of the novel. Mattie, for whose life I feared and continue to fear at the end of the novel, is that in-between character. Will she be saved? Will she succumb? Or will something/someone else get to her before she can accept herself as she is? I still wonder what will happen to her.
July 5, 2018
I've read of lot of articles about the opioid crisis that seems to be especially bad in rural areas and small towns. All the candidates talk about it. But nothing brought it home to me quite as forcefully as this crime novel, set in a Kentucky town on the Ohio River. Other readers described this as gritty and seamy, which it is, but these opioid addicts are not just trailer park denizens and the rural poor. They are college students and middle class kids too. Many of the dealers have an unholy alliance with doctors and pharmacists and local police.
The narrator, Deputy Sheriff Harlan Dupee, is not entirely aware of all this until he inherits the Sheriff's job after his boss is murdered. Harlan is just the kind of protagonist I love, a flawed but basically honest and decent guy, trying to do the right thing in a world where there are no perfect choices. He reminds me of Archer Mayor's Joe Gunther--if you can picture Joe as a younger man in a much warmer climate.
The writing is excellent, and I hope there will be more episodes to come. I'd love to know what happens to many of the secondary characters: Lewis, Paige, and Holly, not to mention 16-year-old Mattie (the teen agers in the novel strike me as completely authentic).
Two quotes:
"Harlan sat up. His chest was pale and flat as a pine board and his feet poked out from the bed rags like prairie dogs checking for danger."
"All his life, Harlan had searched for a code worth living by, a guiding star, but he was a man who hedged bets, who believed a little in everything and therefore stood for nothing. He'd wanted to place his faith in the law, to place it in God, place it in himself, but he wasn't a true believer. Other people found mentors or gave themselves fully to a cause or a person or the bottle, but Harlan had always kept a part of himself back. Out of fear. Out of doubt."
The narrator, Deputy Sheriff Harlan Dupee, is not entirely aware of all this until he inherits the Sheriff's job after his boss is murdered. Harlan is just the kind of protagonist I love, a flawed but basically honest and decent guy, trying to do the right thing in a world where there are no perfect choices. He reminds me of Archer Mayor's Joe Gunther--if you can picture Joe as a younger man in a much warmer climate.
The writing is excellent, and I hope there will be more episodes to come. I'd love to know what happens to many of the secondary characters: Lewis, Paige, and Holly, not to mention 16-year-old Mattie (the teen agers in the novel strike me as completely authentic).
Two quotes:
"Harlan sat up. His chest was pale and flat as a pine board and his feet poked out from the bed rags like prairie dogs checking for danger."
"All his life, Harlan had searched for a code worth living by, a guiding star, but he was a man who hedged bets, who believed a little in everything and therefore stood for nothing. He'd wanted to place his faith in the law, to place it in God, place it in himself, but he wasn't a true believer. Other people found mentors or gave themselves fully to a cause or a person or the bottle, but Harlan had always kept a part of himself back. Out of fear. Out of doubt."
October 19, 2017
Well on the one hand, this was a really engrossing read, I basically tore through it in a weekend which takes some doing for me these days. If anything it's probably a strong indictment of me as a negligent parent that I was able to find enough time to pull that off.
Maybe not so bad as some of the characters in this book though, but sheesh what a depressing collection.
The other reviews I've skimmed here cover this well; it's a really nicely put together why-done-it. The book opens with the murder of the local sheriff to set the scene, and we know from the get go who did it but then follow around the acting sheriff while he figures out what's going on in this town.
The setting is pretty bleak, in this little rural place not really holding thing together in the face of the oxycontin abuse that seems rampant.
I liked the book, even if it left me kind of sad about basically the state of everything.
Maybe not so bad as some of the characters in this book though, but sheesh what a depressing collection.
The other reviews I've skimmed here cover this well; it's a really nicely put together why-done-it. The book opens with the murder of the local sheriff to set the scene, and we know from the get go who did it but then follow around the acting sheriff while he figures out what's going on in this town.
The setting is pretty bleak, in this little rural place not really holding thing together in the face of the oxycontin abuse that seems rampant.
I liked the book, even if it left me kind of sad about basically the state of everything.
August 6, 2017
This work of fiction closely examines a single rural town in Kentucky where every family has been touched by the evils of oxycontin. It is a fast read, with a good old-fashioned linear approach to the storytelling - and the story lent itself quite well to that. It is not hard to imagine entire communities forever changed by the opioid epidemic. Although it is fiction, what the book illustrates IS happening. It is happening right now, right under our noses.
You will find many of the characters in this story very endearing; some you will want to run down with your car.
The author does not lecture. He doesn't need to. Instead, through the events in this story, he expertly reveals how the darkness of oxy addiction reaches deeply into and across families, vaporizing goodwill, and butchering hopes and dreams.
I could not put it down.
You will find many of the characters in this story very endearing; some you will want to run down with your car.
The author does not lecture. He doesn't need to. Instead, through the events in this story, he expertly reveals how the darkness of oxy addiction reaches deeply into and across families, vaporizing goodwill, and butchering hopes and dreams.
I could not put it down.
June 16, 2020
*I received a copy of 'The More They Disappear' through the Goodreads Giveaway program in exchange for an honest review.*
This book was gripping from the start, although it focuses on a microcosm of the opioid crisis in rural America; the story centers on a small town that is shaken when its sheriff is shot and killed. The rest of the book focuses on the late sheriff's second-in-command, Harlan, and other families in the town that could each have some motive for murder. It gave some great insights into the realities of rural living, and the impacts of limited economic opportunity combined with readily available pharmaceuticals. Finished it in a few sittings!
This book was gripping from the start, although it focuses on a microcosm of the opioid crisis in rural America; the story centers on a small town that is shaken when its sheriff is shot and killed. The rest of the book focuses on the late sheriff's second-in-command, Harlan, and other families in the town that could each have some motive for murder. It gave some great insights into the realities of rural living, and the impacts of limited economic opportunity combined with readily available pharmaceuticals. Finished it in a few sittings!
January 31, 2018
This book is a must read! The book is about the murder of the sheriff in a small town in Kentucky. The newly appointed sheriff uncovers the ugly truth about his predecessor and his shady dealings which involve bribes and drugs. The characters become more complex as the book progresses. There are several twists I didn't see coming. I couldn't put it down yet didn't want it to end!
August 31, 2020
I was looking forward to finishing this book to get away from these characters. Everyone is miserable. The book surrounds the investigation of the sheriff’s murder, and the story almost lays itself all out in the beginning. It’s more of a why-done-it than who-done-it. Beautiful descriptive writing but the story itself is miserable and anticlimactic.
February 3, 2021
Love this book. You know from the start who did it, but that's the point. The novel manipulates thriller tropes to instead investigate the why of it all. And it's fascinating, unfolding slowly but with real momentum. On the sentence-level, too, it's remarkable. So many elegant phrases and unexpected inversions of syntax. Read it. It's great.
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