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How To Disappear
You want to disappear from society; you want to erase yourself. When your mediocre life in Bondi forces you to contemplate your own insignificance, escaping seems like the perfect fix— especially when your past isn’t even worth remembering. But after travelling from paradise to paradise, stealing things that aren’t yours and rejecting things that are, you come to realize that no one can hide from ghosts, not even you. You hate yourself. You will also come to find that you love yourself. It is merely a matter of accepting your roots.
Written entirely in second person by debut author Bruna Gomes, How to Disappear follows a nineteen-year-old girl, ‘You,’ as she loses her job, robs her friend, ditches her ex-boyfriend, and on a whim, catches a flight to New York City. She’s a thief haunted by ghosts. No matter where she goes, she feels the past chasing after her—until she finally learns to accept herself. In this cyclical voyage common to teens everywhere, filled with death, tears, and haircuts, love becomes something so foreign, yet so familiar, that it’s hard—yet not impossible—to grasp.
Written entirely in second person by debut author Bruna Gomes, How to Disappear follows a nineteen-year-old girl, ‘You,’ as she loses her job, robs her friend, ditches her ex-boyfriend, and on a whim, catches a flight to New York City. She’s a thief haunted by ghosts. No matter where she goes, she feels the past chasing after her—until she finally learns to accept herself. In this cyclical voyage common to teens everywhere, filled with death, tears, and haircuts, love becomes something so foreign, yet so familiar, that it’s hard—yet not impossible—to grasp.
164 pages, ebook
First published June 9, 2021
2 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Bruna Gomes
22 books13 followersBruna Gomes is an Australian-Brazilian novelist and poet. Her writing plants cultural and emotional history with new seeds. She is the author of How to Disappear (Encircle, 2021) and Triple Citizenship (Encircle, 2022). Her work is featured in various online journals, such as the Cordite Review, Dodging the Rain, The Pangolin Review, Paper Crane Journal, Cacti Fur, and The Quarry. In 2022, she was a writer in residence at The Museum of Loss and Renewal in Italy. Bruna was the winner of the 2020 Mosman Youth Awards in Literature. She was the recipient of the Fred Rush Convocation Prize (2022) and the Association of Heads of Independent Girls Schools Prize (2022). She was born in Boston, Massachusetts and lives on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 14, 2021
How to Disappear is a unique story that shares steps on how to disappear.
"Society can kiss your ass."
"You are both the creator and the creation."
I had no clue what exactly I was going to get when I decided to read this book and wow. How to disappear is told from the actual perspective of you, yes you. We read about how you share through the steps on how to disappear. Don't be fooled by the innocent-looking cover, there were darker themes in this book. Such as self-harm/loathing, dealing with emotions, violence, etc. The themes of self-confidence and love shine through inspiringly. The writing was notable with the way it was in the second person. Though it's part of the reason for my writing (personally I don't think it worked for me but can for many others!), it was written fairly. The plot was a little ehhhh for me, I was partially confused and bored for the first 20% or so of the book. How to disappear picked the intrigue again for the remainder of the book. How to disappear is a light and memorable read.
"Wait, how did she die? You killed her."
"Your brain belongs in an art gallery."
I requested and received an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley.
All opinions and thoughts expressed are mine, I voluntarily reviewed this book.
All quotes/sayings are taken from the ARC and may change once published.
REVIEWED: 3/16/2021
EXPECTED RELEASE DATE: June 9th, 2021
"Society can kiss your ass."
"You are both the creator and the creation."
I had no clue what exactly I was going to get when I decided to read this book and wow. How to disappear is told from the actual perspective of you, yes you. We read about how you share through the steps on how to disappear. Don't be fooled by the innocent-looking cover, there were darker themes in this book. Such as self-harm/loathing, dealing with emotions, violence, etc. The themes of self-confidence and love shine through inspiringly. The writing was notable with the way it was in the second person. Though it's part of the reason for my writing (personally I don't think it worked for me but can for many others!), it was written fairly. The plot was a little ehhhh for me, I was partially confused and bored for the first 20% or so of the book. How to disappear picked the intrigue again for the remainder of the book. How to disappear is a light and memorable read.
"Wait, how did she die? You killed her."
"Your brain belongs in an art gallery."
I requested and received an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley.
All opinions and thoughts expressed are mine, I voluntarily reviewed this book.
All quotes/sayings are taken from the ARC and may change once published.
REVIEWED: 3/16/2021
EXPECTED RELEASE DATE: June 9th, 2021
May 11, 2021
Have you ever been so fed up with life that you just want to disappear? Well, The protagonist of this novel does. And the protagonist is YOU. This entire book is written in the second person perspective. It was a little uncomfortable for me in the beginning, but as the book progressed, I started loving it. This was the first time for me to read a book written in the second person perspective.
You are tired of your mediocre life in Bondi. You are contemplating your insignificance, and just want to run away. Run away to the world where everything is perfect. But, you can run away from everyone but yourself. One day you will have to face the ghosts of your past. No one can escape it, not even you.
I really liked reading this book. Habituated to reading middle grade and chick-lits, this was pretty out of the box for me. The book started out fine, but it became darker and darker as it progressed. I was screaming inside for every bad decision that the protagonist made, but I understood why she did what she did. Coming to this, I can say the character was very well-developed.
I was a little disappointed by the ending.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. This is the debut book of a 17 year old author, knowing this, I am very impressed. Will recommend this book to my fellow readers.
This is an ARC of the book I received via Netgalley. Thank you Netgalley and Encircle Publications LLC for this reviewing opportunity.
Reviewd : 09.05.2021
Expected Release : June 2021
You are tired of your mediocre life in Bondi. You are contemplating your insignificance, and just want to run away. Run away to the world where everything is perfect. But, you can run away from everyone but yourself. One day you will have to face the ghosts of your past. No one can escape it, not even you.
I really liked reading this book. Habituated to reading middle grade and chick-lits, this was pretty out of the box for me. The book started out fine, but it became darker and darker as it progressed. I was screaming inside for every bad decision that the protagonist made, but I understood why she did what she did. Coming to this, I can say the character was very well-developed.
I was a little disappointed by the ending.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. This is the debut book of a 17 year old author, knowing this, I am very impressed. Will recommend this book to my fellow readers.
This is an ARC of the book I received via Netgalley. Thank you Netgalley and Encircle Publications LLC for this reviewing opportunity.
Reviewd : 09.05.2021
Expected Release : June 2021
March 29, 2021
4/5 stars
What first intrigued me about this book was the cover, but after reading the description I was even more interested. How to Disappear is the unique and beautifully written story of “you.” Told in the second person, this books follows as “you” try to disappear from society and the past. In many ways, this book is about self love, acceptance, and belonging. There are many thought provoking themes present and a couple of darker moments, displaying frank and practically written violence, and some depictions of self harm.
My favorite part about this book was the quotes. I thought the style and flow of writing and the metaphors were beautiful. I found myself highlighting at least one line or paragraph every couple of pages that either resonated deeply with me or was just plain beautiful.
“You want to speak into a loudspeaker and remind everyone that just because happiness is key does not mean there is a treasure chest that has to be unlocked.”
“It is the ultimate itch that you cannot scratch; it is the scarab beetle that resides within the nape of your neck that gnaws at the edge of your brain—self-love.”
It did take a bit of adjusting for me to get used to the second person and get into the story, but overall it was a quick, impactful read. I did find it hard to relate to the main character and the plot dragged at time because of this, but that didn’t bother me too much as the writing made up for it. I was a little disappointed by the ending as I thought it wrapped up too quickly, but I don’t think that detracted significantly from the book.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick, thought provoking read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC of this book. All opinions and thoughts expressed are my own. All quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change with publication.
What first intrigued me about this book was the cover, but after reading the description I was even more interested. How to Disappear is the unique and beautifully written story of “you.” Told in the second person, this books follows as “you” try to disappear from society and the past. In many ways, this book is about self love, acceptance, and belonging. There are many thought provoking themes present and a couple of darker moments, displaying frank and practically written violence, and some depictions of self harm.
My favorite part about this book was the quotes. I thought the style and flow of writing and the metaphors were beautiful. I found myself highlighting at least one line or paragraph every couple of pages that either resonated deeply with me or was just plain beautiful.
“You want to speak into a loudspeaker and remind everyone that just because happiness is key does not mean there is a treasure chest that has to be unlocked.”
“It is the ultimate itch that you cannot scratch; it is the scarab beetle that resides within the nape of your neck that gnaws at the edge of your brain—self-love.”
It did take a bit of adjusting for me to get used to the second person and get into the story, but overall it was a quick, impactful read. I did find it hard to relate to the main character and the plot dragged at time because of this, but that didn’t bother me too much as the writing made up for it. I was a little disappointed by the ending as I thought it wrapped up too quickly, but I don’t think that detracted significantly from the book.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick, thought provoking read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC of this book. All opinions and thoughts expressed are my own. All quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change with publication.
March 18, 2021
This was definitely a cover pick for me but I gladly stayed for this utterly messed up story. I loved every aspect of the writing style so much, it was fantastic. It read as if I were the main character who was quite difficult to resonate with but I was here for it. Maybe a few things were a bit unrealistic but I found it quite enjoyable regardless and if we think about it why could stuff like this not happen. I really can see this as the next big thing, and to think it is a debut.. The only thing I had problems with is that I just couldn't start liking the main character, but you can't like everyone, that doesn't mean there shouldn't be books about unlikeable people. Also there were so many feelings or sort of lessons to take away from this. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending though, but oh well.
Regardless, this book is a whole mood, I suggest you go for it.
Regardless, this book is a whole mood, I suggest you go for it.
March 15, 2021
I received a copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review.
I was intrigued by the idea of this book being in the second person. Unfortunately the style didn't really work for me. I can see how some people find it more immersive, but especially given some of the content of the story it wasn't for me. This is a relatively short but interesting read. This book explores being haunted by emotions, including self loathing and growth.
Overall an interesting read.
I was intrigued by the idea of this book being in the second person. Unfortunately the style didn't really work for me. I can see how some people find it more immersive, but especially given some of the content of the story it wasn't for me. This is a relatively short but interesting read. This book explores being haunted by emotions, including self loathing and growth.
Overall an interesting read.
June 14, 2023
3 ⭐
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley
I need to say that the cover attracted me the most, but when I read the synopsis I knew I needed to read the book. The book is unique not only because of the plot but because it is written in second person, as If it was me who is experiencing everything.
The first part was pretty slow, but then the book gets more and more interesting 👀 Although the story and the writing style was interesting, this was not my style of book 😕
Moreover, I didn't empathise with the protagonist and there were parts which I didn't like ´my´ decisions so I couldn't get completely into the story.
What I do have to highlight is the words that the author wrote and there were a lot of phrases that touched me 🥺
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley
I need to say that the cover attracted me the most, but when I read the synopsis I knew I needed to read the book. The book is unique not only because of the plot but because it is written in second person, as If it was me who is experiencing everything.
The first part was pretty slow, but then the book gets more and more interesting 👀 Although the story and the writing style was interesting, this was not my style of book 😕
Moreover, I didn't empathise with the protagonist and there were parts which I didn't like ´my´ decisions so I couldn't get completely into the story.
What I do have to highlight is the words that the author wrote and there were a lot of phrases that touched me 🥺
dnf
August 18, 2021DNF 35%
This was not my cup of tea. I didn't mind that it was written in second person, but I thought the cover was very misleading for the dark themes and incredibly unlikeable main character.
People have talked about the plot being slow to start then picking up, but at 35% it was still very slow with a complete lack of any intrigue. The character is full of self-loathing and she mostly just irritated me with her complete lack of empathy and kleptomania (which was super severe).
Would not recommend, not worth the time.
This was not my cup of tea. I didn't mind that it was written in second person, but I thought the cover was very misleading for the dark themes and incredibly unlikeable main character.
People have talked about the plot being slow to start then picking up, but at 35% it was still very slow with a complete lack of any intrigue. The character is full of self-loathing and she mostly just irritated me with her complete lack of empathy and kleptomania (which was super severe).
Would not recommend, not worth the time.
March 12, 2021
I’ve been following this writer for a long time and her ability to catch a readers attention through her writing techniques and down to earth relatability is astonishing. Looking forward to reading more soon!
March 9, 2021
Review coming up ☕
June 27, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I did not like this book one bit. The premise hooked me at first, but the writing style really bothered me. I could barely get through this one and do not suggest it one bit.
1/5 stars
I did not like this book one bit. The premise hooked me at first, but the writing style really bothered me. I could barely get through this one and do not suggest it one bit.
1/5 stars
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews