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Before We Disappear
It’s a new star-crossed romance about the magic of first love from the acclaimed author of We Are the Ants and Brave Face, Shaun David Hutchinson.
Jack Nevin’s clever trickery and moral flexibility make him the perfect assistant to the Enchantress, one of the most well-known stage magicians in turn-of-the-nineteenth-century Europe. Without Jack’s steady supply of stolen tricks, the Enchantress’s fame would have burned out long ago.
But when Jack’s thievery catches up to them, they’re forced to flee to America to find their fortune. Luckily, the Enchantress is able to arrange a set of sold-out shows at Seattle’s Alaska–Yukon–Pacific World’s Fair Exposition. She’s convinced they’re going to rich and famous until a new magician arrives on the scene. Performing tricks that defy the imagination, Laszlo’s show overshadows the Enchantress, leaving Jack no choice but to hunt for the secrets to his otherworldly illusions. But what Jack uncovers isn’t at all what he expected.
Behind Laszlo’s tricks is Wilhelm—a boy that can seemingly perform real magic. Jack and Wilhelm have an instant connection, and as the rivalry between the Enchantress and Laszlo grows, so too does Jack and Wilhelm’s affection. But can Jack choose between the woman who gave him a life and the boy who is offering him everything?
It’s a stirring tale about the magic of love from award-winning author Shaun David Hutchinson.
Jack Nevin’s clever trickery and moral flexibility make him the perfect assistant to the Enchantress, one of the most well-known stage magicians in turn-of-the-nineteenth-century Europe. Without Jack’s steady supply of stolen tricks, the Enchantress’s fame would have burned out long ago.
But when Jack’s thievery catches up to them, they’re forced to flee to America to find their fortune. Luckily, the Enchantress is able to arrange a set of sold-out shows at Seattle’s Alaska–Yukon–Pacific World’s Fair Exposition. She’s convinced they’re going to rich and famous until a new magician arrives on the scene. Performing tricks that defy the imagination, Laszlo’s show overshadows the Enchantress, leaving Jack no choice but to hunt for the secrets to his otherworldly illusions. But what Jack uncovers isn’t at all what he expected.
Behind Laszlo’s tricks is Wilhelm—a boy that can seemingly perform real magic. Jack and Wilhelm have an instant connection, and as the rivalry between the Enchantress and Laszlo grows, so too does Jack and Wilhelm’s affection. But can Jack choose between the woman who gave him a life and the boy who is offering him everything?
It’s a stirring tale about the magic of love from award-winning author Shaun David Hutchinson.
Audiobook
First published September 28, 2021
293 people are currently reading
21353 people want to read
About the author
Shaun David Hutchinson
30 books5,026 followersShaun is a major geek and all about nerdy shenanigans. He is the author of many queer books for young adults. Find out more information at shaundavidhutchinson.com. He currently lives in Seattle and watches way too much Doctor Who.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 922 reviews
Want to read
May 11, 2021Me thinking the guys on the cover look like Wylan and Jesper may or may not be the reason why I added this book to my tbr. Jk jk the synopsis and the genre were just as much of a reason why I want to read this book so bad.
October 11, 2021
awww. this was super cute! and a little bit of a change of pace as far as SDHs stories are concerned. im so used to his books having a larger, deeper existential vibe to them, so it was refreshing to read something so lighthearted from him.
yes, there are some heavier themes in this - primarily abuse, abandonment, racism, and sexism/misogyny - but overall, the magic (both real and illusionary) and the sweetness of a first love really lift this story up. the balance between wil and jack as a pair is done really well and i loved how they brought out the best in each other. i also loved the backdrop of a worlds fair as the setting for a magician rivalry!
my only complaint would be the weird world building. i understand taking liberties with history to fit a narrative, but picking which things to change and which things to keep makes the world feel half-build (ex. no homophobia but major racism and sexism). the fantasy element was a little odd, too. literally only wil had actual magic and its just accepted, not explained. i think i would have preferred SDH really commit to a revisionist historical fantasy - i think it would have sold the setting more.
but overall, this is an adorable story fans of SDH, magic, and historical fantasy should really enjoy!
↠ 4 stars
yes, there are some heavier themes in this - primarily abuse, abandonment, racism, and sexism/misogyny - but overall, the magic (both real and illusionary) and the sweetness of a first love really lift this story up. the balance between wil and jack as a pair is done really well and i loved how they brought out the best in each other. i also loved the backdrop of a worlds fair as the setting for a magician rivalry!
my only complaint would be the weird world building. i understand taking liberties with history to fit a narrative, but picking which things to change and which things to keep makes the world feel half-build (ex. no homophobia but major racism and sexism). the fantasy element was a little odd, too. literally only wil had actual magic and its just accepted, not explained. i think i would have preferred SDH really commit to a revisionist historical fantasy - i think it would have sold the setting more.
but overall, this is an adorable story fans of SDH, magic, and historical fantasy should really enjoy!
↠ 4 stars
October 15, 2021
On a positive note, I liked the audiobook. Both narrators were really good. And I liked the author's note at the end of the book. I appreciate what he was trying to do with this story.
Sadly, I didn't enjoy the story as much as I hoped. I didn't find the plot that exciting. Wilhelm and Jack were likable, but all the other characters were a bit one-dimensional. Personally, I found Wilhelm's situation disturbing and it definitely affected my reading experience.
TW:
Sadly, I didn't enjoy the story as much as I hoped. I didn't find the plot that exciting. Wilhelm and Jack were likable, but all the other characters were a bit one-dimensional. Personally, I found Wilhelm's situation disturbing and it definitely affected my reading experience.
TW:
July 2, 2021
“The universe rarely gives us what we want. Sometimes we must content ourselves with what we are given.”
Before We Disappear was easily one of my most anticipated books of the year. The premise of a historical fiction rivals-to-lovers between magicians was too good to pass up, so I was ecstatic to be approved for an audiobook arc! While my expectations definitely weren’t met, I still had a fun time following Jack and Wilhem through their shenanigans.
~★~ What is this book about? ~★~
Set during the 1909 Seattle Alaska-Yukon-Exposition, Before We Disappear follows two rival magicians’ assistants as they fight to become the greatest show around. When Jack’s parents died, the Enchantress took him in to be a part of her show. Wilhelm, however, was kidnapped at a young age due to his secret ability to teleport—making him a very useful asset to the magician Laszlo. Jack and Wil cross paths during the Exposition, stumbling into a secret romance that further complicates Wil’s chance at escaping his captor.
~★~
I have a hard time pinpointing how I felt about this book. It was more than just okay, but less than great. Most of it was good enough to keep me reading, despite not much sticking out as particularly memorable. I do think I would have enjoyed this a little more if I read it psychically, because the audiobook was in a synthetic voice with the same tone for each character, making it hard to differentiate them at times.
The representation was great, with a main gay and lesbian relationship plus very prominent poc characters. I liked that Shaun David Hutchinson decided to eliminate homophobia in this version of the 1900’s, but I was left wondering why racism and sexism still existed. It just felt strange to create a half-utopia when he could’ve went all the way there (though I liked his commentary on how wrongfully women and poc were treated back then).
Jack and Wilhelm had great chemistry, which was in my opinion the highlight of the story. Wil’s sweetness paired with Jack’s tendency to be reckless was amazing; their interactions definitely made up for the lackluster plot. The power dynamics demonstrated through Laszlo an the Enchantress were great (I hated them both, which is a sign of a well executed villain). Overall, this was a decently enjoyable read, with characters who make up for the repetitive storyline.
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperTeen for the audio-arc!
Before We Disappear was easily one of my most anticipated books of the year. The premise of a historical fiction rivals-to-lovers between magicians was too good to pass up, so I was ecstatic to be approved for an audiobook arc! While my expectations definitely weren’t met, I still had a fun time following Jack and Wilhem through their shenanigans.
~★~ What is this book about? ~★~
Set during the 1909 Seattle Alaska-Yukon-Exposition, Before We Disappear follows two rival magicians’ assistants as they fight to become the greatest show around. When Jack’s parents died, the Enchantress took him in to be a part of her show. Wilhelm, however, was kidnapped at a young age due to his secret ability to teleport—making him a very useful asset to the magician Laszlo. Jack and Wil cross paths during the Exposition, stumbling into a secret romance that further complicates Wil’s chance at escaping his captor.
~★~
I have a hard time pinpointing how I felt about this book. It was more than just okay, but less than great. Most of it was good enough to keep me reading, despite not much sticking out as particularly memorable. I do think I would have enjoyed this a little more if I read it psychically, because the audiobook was in a synthetic voice with the same tone for each character, making it hard to differentiate them at times.
The representation was great, with a main gay and lesbian relationship plus very prominent poc characters. I liked that Shaun David Hutchinson decided to eliminate homophobia in this version of the 1900’s, but I was left wondering why racism and sexism still existed. It just felt strange to create a half-utopia when he could’ve went all the way there (though I liked his commentary on how wrongfully women and poc were treated back then).
Jack and Wilhelm had great chemistry, which was in my opinion the highlight of the story. Wil’s sweetness paired with Jack’s tendency to be reckless was amazing; their interactions definitely made up for the lackluster plot. The power dynamics demonstrated through Laszlo an the Enchantress were great (I hated them both, which is a sign of a well executed villain). Overall, this was a decently enjoyable read, with characters who make up for the repetitive storyline.
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperTeen for the audio-arc!
Want to read
May 18, 2021Just to sum this up:
This is a m/m,
enemies-to-lovers, (or rivals to lovers!?)
magician book that plays around 1909?
Holy smoke! Where was this all my life?!
Can I get a copy now and live happily ever after? XD
This is a m/m,
enemies-to-lovers, (or rivals to lovers!?)
magician book that plays around 1909?
Holy smoke! Where was this all my life?!
Can I get a copy now and live happily ever after? XD
April 21, 2022
“home doesn’t have to be a place”
“oh yeah? what else can it be?”
“anything you want.”
*deep breath* gOD IM SUCH A HOE FOR FOUND FAMILY
shaun david hutchinson’s writing is, in a word, enchanting. be it contemporary, sci-fi, or a beautiful blend of everything, SDH has such a talent for spinning lyrical and spellbinding tales. he beams us up to space to confront a single red button, wakes us up in a spaceship on the brink of exploding, and now, he sends us to the 1909 alaska-yukon-pacific exposition.
orphaned at a young age, jack is taken under the wing of the enigmatic magician, the enchantress, where he’s assists her with his clever trickery and sleight of hand. also no stranger to growing up without his parents, wilhelm was kidnapped by laszlo, who exploits wilhelm’s real magic for his own sinister purposes.
at the exposition, the two boys’ fates intertwine.
sometimes a family is a very Hot morally grey woman, two badass sapphics, and two cinnamon rolls with *jazz hands* magic !!
there is such immense beauty in witnessing these kids find home for the very first time. the sheer freedom and joy of finally being their unmasked self, of no longer needing to hide because every fibre of you feels like home to someone else too.
the magic of love and family - love for your past and future, that ragtag crew who never gives up on you, who gives you strength to carve out the future you want. the first time you see how love doesn’t have to come with strings or conditions. the person who feels like home.
before we disappear is also ahistorical. its overflowing with casual queerness in a way that wasn’t possible back in 1909. SDH talks about how there are moments where he left history and reality behind to tell a story full of queer joy. and while jack and wilhelm’s story is one of fiction, it could have been for the folk who existed back then. even if they may not have been seen, they existed and found love and home just like these kids did.
and queer joy indeed! this was so, so tender, an absolute delight. so many pages had me cheesy grinning in public - a nice change from looking like i’m one inconvenience away from breaking down :’)
cw: physical abuse, emotional abuse, gaslighting
April 13, 2022
There’s something about SDH’s writing that enchants me. Even so much that it doesn’t matter to me if he writes a contemporary, sci-fi, or historical novel, or a combination of all those genres, I just adore most of his books. I always make a lot of notes while reading, and I love the way Shaun seamlessly blends funny moments, serious issues, cute romances, fierce female side characters, and heart wrenching moments into his stories. We Are the Ants is utterly beautiful and is one of my most favorite YA books ever. A Complicated Love Story in Space is so incredibly ingenious that I put it on my most memorable list of 2021.
So, Before We Disappear. The story is engaging, cute, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and lyrical. Compared to A Complicated Love Story in Space, it’s a bit predictable, but the characters are so fleshed out, and the writing is so melodic that I found myself just indulging the story, reading on and on and on.
I laughed at witty moments:
”Look, if God hadn’t meant for me to pick pockets, he wouldn’t have given me such nimble fingers.”
“He could‘ve intended for you to play the piano.”
“I don’t think that pays quite as well.”
I swooned over his writing:
The fireworks exploded in a percussive symphony that caused the sky to ripple like a surface of a lake, each wave washing over us like the first breath of a new day.
I adored Jack and Wilhelm and their sweet romance. Jack about Wilhelm:
He’d shown me what real magic looked like, he’d shown me that there was more to the world than I ever thought possible, he’d shown me that love didn’t have to come with strings or conditions, and that it didn’t have to hurt.
And Wilhelm about Jack:
He crackled like Tesla’s fire. He was a million mirror shards turned inward, he was a rootless three following the sun. Jack was the most glorious creature I had ever seen.
The blurb of Shaun’s next novel Howl gives me We Are the Ants vibes, so I’m ready to read that story! Preferably now! Okay, okay, I just need to wait a couple of months (only five or so …).
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So, Before We Disappear. The story is engaging, cute, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and lyrical. Compared to A Complicated Love Story in Space, it’s a bit predictable, but the characters are so fleshed out, and the writing is so melodic that I found myself just indulging the story, reading on and on and on.
I laughed at witty moments:
”Look, if God hadn’t meant for me to pick pockets, he wouldn’t have given me such nimble fingers.”
“He could‘ve intended for you to play the piano.”
“I don’t think that pays quite as well.”
I swooned over his writing:
The fireworks exploded in a percussive symphony that caused the sky to ripple like a surface of a lake, each wave washing over us like the first breath of a new day.
I adored Jack and Wilhelm and their sweet romance. Jack about Wilhelm:
He’d shown me what real magic looked like, he’d shown me that there was more to the world than I ever thought possible, he’d shown me that love didn’t have to come with strings or conditions, and that it didn’t have to hurt.
And Wilhelm about Jack:
He crackled like Tesla’s fire. He was a million mirror shards turned inward, he was a rootless three following the sun. Jack was the most glorious creature I had ever seen.
The blurb of Shaun’s next novel Howl gives me We Are the Ants vibes, so I’m ready to read that story! Preferably now! Okay, okay, I just need to wait a couple of months (only five or so …).
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Want to read
May 16, 2021Look. At. That. COVER!!! I'm screaming from excitement rn
Read
October 5, 2021Just a head's up for anyone who may have listened to the advanced audio book version through Netgalley or Edelweiss, or who are curious about the audiobooks: The advance audio copy was a computer-generated reading of the book intended for early reviewers. The official audiobook is read by Mark Sanderlin and André Santana, and it's amazing.
I encourage you to check out the audiobook because the performances by André Santana and Mark Sanderlin are really something special. They brought their own magic to Jack and Wil's story, and I'm really proud of how it turned out.
I encourage you to check out the audiobook because the performances by André Santana and Mark Sanderlin are really something special. They brought their own magic to Jack and Wil's story, and I'm really proud of how it turned out.
February 12, 2022
So... is this the long version of his story in All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages? Because if so, it's all I've wanted since 2018.
Give me the historical gay wizards's apprentices, please and thank you.
17/02/21
The cover just came out and it’s glorious. This book is also 500 pages. Thank you, gay gods, you’re being too kind.
Give me the historical gay wizards's apprentices, please and thank you.
17/02/21
The cover just came out and it’s glorious. This book is also 500 pages. Thank you, gay gods, you’re being too kind.
September 28, 2021
DRC provided by Harper360YA via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.
Representation: gay white protagonists, lesbian Black secondary character, queer white tertiary character, disabled white Italian tertiary character, Black tertiary character.
Content Warning: emotional manipulation, violence, physical and emotional abuse, racism, kidnapping, death, sexism, misogyny, torture.
Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson is a slow-paced, slow-burn, historical fantasy with soft Tangled vibes, set at the beginning of the twentieth century. dealing with self-love and ambition.
Orphaned at a young age, Jack Devin is taken under the wing of the enigmatic Evangeline Dubois, also known as The Enchantress and other pseudonyms, a famous magician who assigns him the role of her assistant. After months in Paris, a foolish mistake forces them to escape the city and they journey towards Seattle and the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition.
Wilhelm is born with a special talent. He can move himself, other people and objects through space. His skills are used by Teddy Barnes, a dangerous man in search of fame who kidnapped him when he was four, to steal valuable belongings from the most secure locations. Having heard of Exposition, Teddy decides that becoming an illusionist and passing Wilhelm’s talents as his glamours is the best way to achieve his glory.
At the fair the two boys’ fates intertwine.
I am usually very averse to slow pacing in books because of my concentration problems, but Shaun managed to keep my interest up with his beautiful and lyrical writing style that perfectly accompanies the story (I wish I read previous fictional works by Hutchinson because I would love to know if his writing style evolved throughout the years or it has always been this brilliant).
Jack and Wilhelm, but especially Wilhelm (because Jack appears tough, but deep down he is a cinnamon-roll as well), are the exemplification of being cinnamon-rolls (and for those who yet do not know what that means, cinnamon-rolls are characters with cute, fluffy, caring, kind and beyond innocent, saint-like personalities) and their blossoming relationship is the fulcrum of this exquisite story, filled with intricate illusions, budding relationships and subterfuges. I loved seeing it grow and bloom.
The relationship between the ambitious young ladies who befriend Jack and Wilhelm is another aspect of the story I deeply enjoyed and I would love if Jessamine and Ruth got a companion novella for their own adventures.
Despite the slowness of the plot, Before We Disappear is a reading experience I genuinely recommend if you like cinnamon-rolls protagonists and lyrical prose.
Representation: gay white protagonists, lesbian Black secondary character, queer white tertiary character, disabled white Italian tertiary character, Black tertiary character.
Content Warning: emotional manipulation, violence, physical and emotional abuse, racism, kidnapping, death, sexism, misogyny, torture.
Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson is a slow-paced, slow-burn, historical fantasy with soft Tangled vibes, set at the beginning of the twentieth century. dealing with self-love and ambition.
Orphaned at a young age, Jack Devin is taken under the wing of the enigmatic Evangeline Dubois, also known as The Enchantress and other pseudonyms, a famous magician who assigns him the role of her assistant. After months in Paris, a foolish mistake forces them to escape the city and they journey towards Seattle and the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition.
Wilhelm is born with a special talent. He can move himself, other people and objects through space. His skills are used by Teddy Barnes, a dangerous man in search of fame who kidnapped him when he was four, to steal valuable belongings from the most secure locations. Having heard of Exposition, Teddy decides that becoming an illusionist and passing Wilhelm’s talents as his glamours is the best way to achieve his glory.
At the fair the two boys’ fates intertwine.
I am usually very averse to slow pacing in books because of my concentration problems, but Shaun managed to keep my interest up with his beautiful and lyrical writing style that perfectly accompanies the story (I wish I read previous fictional works by Hutchinson because I would love to know if his writing style evolved throughout the years or it has always been this brilliant).
Jack and Wilhelm, but especially Wilhelm (because Jack appears tough, but deep down he is a cinnamon-roll as well), are the exemplification of being cinnamon-rolls (and for those who yet do not know what that means, cinnamon-rolls are characters with cute, fluffy, caring, kind and beyond innocent, saint-like personalities) and their blossoming relationship is the fulcrum of this exquisite story, filled with intricate illusions, budding relationships and subterfuges. I loved seeing it grow and bloom.
The relationship between the ambitious young ladies who befriend Jack and Wilhelm is another aspect of the story I deeply enjoyed and I would love if Jessamine and Ruth got a companion novella for their own adventures.
Despite the slowness of the plot, Before We Disappear is a reading experience I genuinely recommend if you like cinnamon-rolls protagonists and lyrical prose.
February 14, 2025
The setting was great, the use of magic was great, Jack and Wilhelm were both great (and I remembered their names after putting the book down)! So, it’s a shame that so much of the novel’s pages are devoted to Teddy; whose one-note villainy is tiresome at best and genuinely uncomfortable at worst. I just think there’s a better book here without him in it. Also, it seems like most of the book is just waiting to get to the third act, which, I’ll admit was quite spectacular. Otherwise, Shaun David Hutchinson is definitely one of the more inventive voices in YA lit, and his books never disappoint.
(We don’t talk about The State of Us, his weird "I see both sides to racism book.)
(We don’t talk about The State of Us, his weird "I see both sides to racism book.)
September 2, 2021
Just want to say that this review is based on listening to a voice galley and not a true audiobook narrated by a live person. I will say that this particular voice galley was terrible in that sections were choppy and I had a difficult time with following the storyline.
I'm pretty sure that if I read the ebook version, my opinion would be totally different.
I'm pretty sure that if I read the ebook version, my opinion would be totally different.
January 26, 2022
☆ два пова, по стилю различаются немного, но мне хватает. Он - циничный карманник на службе у фокусника. Другой он - наивная ромашка на службе у другого фокусника, но владеющая настоящей магии. Они - беспринципные фокусники, готовые перегрызть глотку конкуренту. И все заверте.
☆ автор уже с первых глав успел ненавязчиво впихнуть абьюз, мизогинию, расизм и проблемы инвалидов. Сразу видно руку мастера. Зато гомофобии нет, и слава богу.
Есть фоновая лесбийская линия и одна амбициозная серобурая мошенница.
☆ сюжета тоже нет. Интрига настолько прямолинейная и детская, что нещитово, и никого не украдут практически до самого конца.
Лавхейта нет.
Книга состоит из херткомфорта, где один мальчик заабьюженная няша, а второй показывает ему небо в фейерверках и кормит вкусняшками. И еще иногда они держатся за ручки и стесняются.
В финале видно, что автор планировал трагедию, но что-то пошло не так и некоторые ружья заржавели. Я только за, люблю хеппиенды.
☆ тащит плавный язык, атмофера начала века и психологические деталюшечки, которые сразу делают текст даже и без сюжета выпуклым. Прямо ныряла в эту книгу, как в сливки. Омномном.
☆ читать по одной главе перед сном, потому что иначе жопа слипнется от сахара.
☆ автор уже с первых глав успел ненавязчиво впихнуть абьюз, мизогинию, расизм и проблемы инвалидов. Сразу видно руку мастера. Зато гомофобии нет, и слава богу.
Есть фоновая лесбийская линия и одна амбициозная серобурая мошенница.
☆ сюжета тоже нет. Интрига настолько прямолинейная и детская, что нещитово, и никого не украдут практически до самого конца.
Лавхейта нет.
Книга состоит из херткомфорта, где один мальчик заабьюженная няша, а второй показывает ему небо в фейерверках и кормит вкусняшками. И еще иногда они держатся за ручки и стесняются.
В финале видно, что автор планировал трагедию, но что-то пошло не так и некоторые ружья заржавели. Я только за, люблю хеппиенды.
☆ тащит плавный язык, атмофера начала века и психологические деталюшечки, которые сразу делают текст даже и без сюжета выпуклым. Прямо ныряла в эту книгу, как в сливки. Омномном.
☆ читать по одной главе перед сном, потому что иначе жопа слипнется от сахара.
February 25, 2022
Is this? All I'm going to be talking about for a month? Absolutely.
I think there were a few pacing issues near the end but maybe it was because I just didn't want it to end. Starcrossed queer angst. We love to see it.
I think there were a few pacing issues near the end but maybe it was because I just didn't want it to end. Starcrossed queer angst. We love to see it.
May 13, 2021
2021 has definitely been the year of Shaun David Hutchinson for me. Though YA, they topics that he often tackles are anything but. Hutchinson is funny, the characters are relatable and plots are probably a tad predictable but not at all boring.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
May 15, 2022
Interesting story, poor writing
Sometimes, inferior means can still lead to decent results. Before We Disappear could have been a very good book. The story is engaging, there’s drama, and interesting plot twists. But the way it’s written is childishly melodramatic, pretentious, and pompous. It’s not so horrible that I didn’t finish it, but bad enough that I was consistently angry at the poor (and sometimes abysmal) writing.
As far as the book’s strengths, the story is engaging and fresh, set during the 1909 Seattle World’s Fair. It follows 16 year olds Jack Nevin and Wilhelm Gesler, each a magician’s assistant but to different magicians. Jack assists Evangeline, a narcissistic con artist who is psychologically abusive. Wilhelm assists Teddy, a psychopath who kidnapped Wilhelm and has been physically and emotionally abusing him for 12 years in order to force Wil to commit crimes. Jack and Wil meet at the World’s Fair, fall for each other, and Jack and a group of new friends set out to free Wil from Teddy’s power. The author has done his research, successfully evoking the feel of turn of the century Seattle. Despite the book’s significant weaknesses, the author manages to produce a dramatic storyline that kept me reading until the end.
But the writing, even considering that this book is aimed at teens, is awful, and not just because it’s heavily weighted with that peculiar American aesthetic of talking down to its audience through repetitive, bullet point storytelling. (I’m American, but this writing style drives me nuts). We get plot summaries nearly every other chapter (or more), as if the author expects his readers to have a deficient working memory. This repetition extends to the characters and their thoughts. At one point, when a new character is introduced, the author gives us this passage:
“Mr. Carr, what are you doing here?”
The hook-nosed man, who was apparently known to Jessamy and whose name was Mr. Carr, cleared his throat….
“As Ms. Valentine mentioned, my name is Edwin Carr…”
The next paragraphs repeat his name at least 4 more times. The author either doesn’t respect our intelligence as an audience or lacks faith in his ability to keep our attention.
It’s not just that the writing is repetitive; it’s simply bad. Bad as in atrocious. Here are just a few groaners:
“Jack was the Sun, but my fear eclipsed him”
“My misery was as boundless as the sky, my soul as dark as midwinter night.”
“I’m a burning building, Jack,” Wil said. “Only a fool would run into one.”
“Then I’m a fool on fire.”
“If you’re right, and our ship is doomed to go down, then we’ll sink together and I’ll play us a lullaby on the ocean floor.”
It goes on and on. There are a number of chapters where Jack and Will repeatedly say “You’re my home” to each other, which gets fairly irritating, but, to drive the point home, there’s even a dream sequence where Jack dreams Will turns into a house that surrounds him - just in case we didn’t get it the first time around.
Who writes this schlock?
Similarly, the characters are all stock, formulaic tropes that feel too familiar by half. Both the villains, Evangeline and Teddy, come off as Disney-esque, Cruella de Vil caricatures, and while the protagonists have a touch more individuality, they’re still written as superficial tropes floating on the surface of pop sensibility. The word-smithing is at the same level, with bland, all cliched descriptions that are dead on arrival, such as “I felt like I could see my future spread out before me, boundless and free.” Inspiring stuff, that; teenagers deserve better.
The characters are empty shells, pantomimes of emotion and inner life offered as substitutes for the real thing. The author, for instance, tells us Jack and Wilhem fall over laughing, but isn’t able to write humorous dialogue or create a funny situation for his readers to share. We’re told a character’s heart breaks, but we’re left out in the cold wondering what it really feels like because the author doesn’t show us. We get a list of bullet point feelings rather than immersive experiences. We get cloying, clichéd drivel rather than dialogue making us believe these people have genuine emotions and vibrant inner lives.
Likewise, the author’s analogies and metaphors lack strong conceptual grounding. It’s interesting that, while we all spontaneously create metaphors in everyday language, the young people I’ve taught in college often find it difficult to construct new metaphors or understand their structure. Perhaps they’re not getting good examples. For instance, the author, referring to the variety of period clothes at the Fair, writes that “each outfit [was] the palette upon which they [the fair visitors] painted their personalities” (page 251). You use palettes to mix paint, which is then applied to something else (e.g. a canvas); you don’t paint “upon” the palette itself.
Hutchinson also delivers this clunker: “He might not have been the most conventionally attractive boy I had ever seen, but like Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne, he was intriguing, each new angle with a story to tell.” Mapping a boy’s attractiveness onto the 360 degree swirl of movement Bernini achieved in Apollo and Daphne might be audacious, but there’s precious little substance to it. It doesn’t work intellectually, aesthetically or practically in the narrative. This is primarily because sculptural beauty (a function of the internal relationships between visual elements with each other but, necessarily, also a function of these relationships to the surrounding negative spaces and the environment in which the sculpture is placed) doesn’t really help us understand facial beauty (which is a function of just the internal shape relationships within an individual face considered on its own, without reference to the surrounding space). Of course, we don’t need to think all this to know the metaphor doesn’t work.
Just one more head-scratcher: “The folding seats in the audience….” The word ‘audience’ refers to people (or, of course, a meeting, as in an audience with a king, but that’s not the sense here). After I read this, I pictured something like a Rene Magritte painting of people with folding chairs embedded in their torsos. Since folding seats can not be “in” people, its clear the author means “auditorium.” This sloppy, half-cooked, and near ignorant kind of writing is sprinkled throughout the book, and, again, young people deserve better.
Professional writers should be able to construct sentences that are more meaningful, more intellectually coherent, than those found in a 6th grade remedial language arts class. Apparently not this writer. I’ve even tried to frame this book as camp to excuse the lack of quality - but the writing is too inconsistent, one moment oozing unconvincingly earnest pap and the next exploding with astonishing violence.
It’s the literary equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard. Why did Harper let this kind of writing loose in the world?
When I was in 9th grade, I was reading everything from Tolkien to Asimov, from Patricia McKillip to Ann McCaffrey, from LeGuin to Stephen Donaldson to Elizabeth A. Lynn’s astonishingly well done, and inclusive, Chronicles of Tornor. Teens don’t need to be patronized or talked down to, and in no way does this book measure up. My suggestion is for this author to team up with someone who can write convincing characters and immersive scenes, while he supplies the plot, setting and pacing.
Sometimes, inferior means can still lead to decent results. Before We Disappear could have been a very good book. The story is engaging, there’s drama, and interesting plot twists. But the way it’s written is childishly melodramatic, pretentious, and pompous. It’s not so horrible that I didn’t finish it, but bad enough that I was consistently angry at the poor (and sometimes abysmal) writing.
As far as the book’s strengths, the story is engaging and fresh, set during the 1909 Seattle World’s Fair. It follows 16 year olds Jack Nevin and Wilhelm Gesler, each a magician’s assistant but to different magicians. Jack assists Evangeline, a narcissistic con artist who is psychologically abusive. Wilhelm assists Teddy, a psychopath who kidnapped Wilhelm and has been physically and emotionally abusing him for 12 years in order to force Wil to commit crimes. Jack and Wil meet at the World’s Fair, fall for each other, and Jack and a group of new friends set out to free Wil from Teddy’s power. The author has done his research, successfully evoking the feel of turn of the century Seattle. Despite the book’s significant weaknesses, the author manages to produce a dramatic storyline that kept me reading until the end.
But the writing, even considering that this book is aimed at teens, is awful, and not just because it’s heavily weighted with that peculiar American aesthetic of talking down to its audience through repetitive, bullet point storytelling. (I’m American, but this writing style drives me nuts). We get plot summaries nearly every other chapter (or more), as if the author expects his readers to have a deficient working memory. This repetition extends to the characters and their thoughts. At one point, when a new character is introduced, the author gives us this passage:
“Mr. Carr, what are you doing here?”
The hook-nosed man, who was apparently known to Jessamy and whose name was Mr. Carr, cleared his throat….
“As Ms. Valentine mentioned, my name is Edwin Carr…”
The next paragraphs repeat his name at least 4 more times. The author either doesn’t respect our intelligence as an audience or lacks faith in his ability to keep our attention.
It’s not just that the writing is repetitive; it’s simply bad. Bad as in atrocious. Here are just a few groaners:
“Jack was the Sun, but my fear eclipsed him”
“My misery was as boundless as the sky, my soul as dark as midwinter night.”
“I’m a burning building, Jack,” Wil said. “Only a fool would run into one.”
“Then I’m a fool on fire.”
“If you’re right, and our ship is doomed to go down, then we’ll sink together and I’ll play us a lullaby on the ocean floor.”
It goes on and on. There are a number of chapters where Jack and Will repeatedly say “You’re my home” to each other, which gets fairly irritating, but, to drive the point home, there’s even a dream sequence where Jack dreams Will turns into a house that surrounds him - just in case we didn’t get it the first time around.
Who writes this schlock?
Similarly, the characters are all stock, formulaic tropes that feel too familiar by half. Both the villains, Evangeline and Teddy, come off as Disney-esque, Cruella de Vil caricatures, and while the protagonists have a touch more individuality, they’re still written as superficial tropes floating on the surface of pop sensibility. The word-smithing is at the same level, with bland, all cliched descriptions that are dead on arrival, such as “I felt like I could see my future spread out before me, boundless and free.” Inspiring stuff, that; teenagers deserve better.
The characters are empty shells, pantomimes of emotion and inner life offered as substitutes for the real thing. The author, for instance, tells us Jack and Wilhem fall over laughing, but isn’t able to write humorous dialogue or create a funny situation for his readers to share. We’re told a character’s heart breaks, but we’re left out in the cold wondering what it really feels like because the author doesn’t show us. We get a list of bullet point feelings rather than immersive experiences. We get cloying, clichéd drivel rather than dialogue making us believe these people have genuine emotions and vibrant inner lives.
Likewise, the author’s analogies and metaphors lack strong conceptual grounding. It’s interesting that, while we all spontaneously create metaphors in everyday language, the young people I’ve taught in college often find it difficult to construct new metaphors or understand their structure. Perhaps they’re not getting good examples. For instance, the author, referring to the variety of period clothes at the Fair, writes that “each outfit [was] the palette upon which they [the fair visitors] painted their personalities” (page 251). You use palettes to mix paint, which is then applied to something else (e.g. a canvas); you don’t paint “upon” the palette itself.
Hutchinson also delivers this clunker: “He might not have been the most conventionally attractive boy I had ever seen, but like Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne, he was intriguing, each new angle with a story to tell.” Mapping a boy’s attractiveness onto the 360 degree swirl of movement Bernini achieved in Apollo and Daphne might be audacious, but there’s precious little substance to it. It doesn’t work intellectually, aesthetically or practically in the narrative. This is primarily because sculptural beauty (a function of the internal relationships between visual elements with each other but, necessarily, also a function of these relationships to the surrounding negative spaces and the environment in which the sculpture is placed) doesn’t really help us understand facial beauty (which is a function of just the internal shape relationships within an individual face considered on its own, without reference to the surrounding space). Of course, we don’t need to think all this to know the metaphor doesn’t work.
Just one more head-scratcher: “The folding seats in the audience….” The word ‘audience’ refers to people (or, of course, a meeting, as in an audience with a king, but that’s not the sense here). After I read this, I pictured something like a Rene Magritte painting of people with folding chairs embedded in their torsos. Since folding seats can not be “in” people, its clear the author means “auditorium.” This sloppy, half-cooked, and near ignorant kind of writing is sprinkled throughout the book, and, again, young people deserve better.
Professional writers should be able to construct sentences that are more meaningful, more intellectually coherent, than those found in a 6th grade remedial language arts class. Apparently not this writer. I’ve even tried to frame this book as camp to excuse the lack of quality - but the writing is too inconsistent, one moment oozing unconvincingly earnest pap and the next exploding with astonishing violence.
It’s the literary equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard. Why did Harper let this kind of writing loose in the world?
When I was in 9th grade, I was reading everything from Tolkien to Asimov, from Patricia McKillip to Ann McCaffrey, from LeGuin to Stephen Donaldson to Elizabeth A. Lynn’s astonishingly well done, and inclusive, Chronicles of Tornor. Teens don’t need to be patronized or talked down to, and in no way does this book measure up. My suggestion is for this author to team up with someone who can write convincing characters and immersive scenes, while he supplies the plot, setting and pacing.
May 20, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the audio galley of Before We Disappear. It was my choice to read it and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.
I really loved this! The version I listened to was an audio galley mock-up with a synthesized voice so I'll definitely listen to it again when the actual audiobook comes out because I'm curious about how the voices will be personified. The characters were captivating (including a supporting character who shares my name), the dialogue was fun, witty, and each character had a unique tone of voice. I liked the setting as well: 1909 Seattle Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition. I was hooked and had to keep listening.
I also liked Shaun's author's note at the end saying that he realizes that in real history in 1909, his characters and their relationships would have been shunned but he wrote a queer joy version where we get to see them accepted instead. Also, he talks about his research of archived newspapers from 1909 and his inspiration taking walks around the area where the exposition was held. This extra information is always enjoyable for me to hear and made me like this book even more!
I really loved this! The version I listened to was an audio galley mock-up with a synthesized voice so I'll definitely listen to it again when the actual audiobook comes out because I'm curious about how the voices will be personified. The characters were captivating (including a supporting character who shares my name), the dialogue was fun, witty, and each character had a unique tone of voice. I liked the setting as well: 1909 Seattle Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition. I was hooked and had to keep listening.
I also liked Shaun's author's note at the end saying that he realizes that in real history in 1909, his characters and their relationships would have been shunned but he wrote a queer joy version where we get to see them accepted instead. Also, he talks about his research of archived newspapers from 1909 and his inspiration taking walks around the area where the exposition was held. This extra information is always enjoyable for me to hear and made me like this book even more!
May 19, 2021
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Before We Disappear was a magical ride! In it, you will meet Jack and Laszlo. Honestly, they were adorable in every single way. Plus the magic, tension, and rivalry just made me devour this book even more. I'll also admit that I was getting some Disney Channel vibe (the original movie's of course) with 'Now You See It..'
Don't ask me why but the magic in this book automatically made me flashback to this little gem of a movie. It's weird - I know.. but that's just how my brain worked. It also probably made me enjoy this book a lot more.
Other than that, the romance and the characters themselves were simply amazing. A bit predictable at times but I enjoyed the magical ride anyway. Heck, that ending was freaking cute and it made me very happy with how things turned out. I can't wait for more people to dive into this little gem and fall in love.
June 19, 2022
this book was literally an emotional rollercoaster.
IT was real good though the ending was somewhat satisfying
though i wish worse fate had happened to Teddy
rtc
IT was real good though the ending was somewhat satisfying
rtc
July 2, 2021
*4.5* I really liked this book! It took me a while to get through, but not because it’s bad. I just wasn’t able to get into it much. The strongest point in this was the characters. Every single one, whether main or side, was well developed and well written. I also really liked the plot. It was twisty and turny, but made so much sense. This book honestly had me hooked from the start. I really liked it.
August 17, 2021
DNF @ 25%. I’m generally a fan of Hutchinson’s books, and while this should have been a slam dunk for me given the themes, I just wasn’t feeling it. His books usually have a wit to their narration, but that’s missing here, leaving it very dry and, well, boring. I couldn’t connect with anything to keep me reading. Sadly, we have another case of the cover being fantastic, but the book itself is just okay to forgettable. I’ll continue to try his future works though. 2.5/5 stars.
May 4, 2023
very cute
January 22, 2024
everything hurts
October 12, 2021
I first received the audiobook through Netgalley and had a hard time getting into it because of the way it was recorded. So waited for the release date and ordered it through the library. The audiobook was fantastic as I followed along the lives of Jack and Wilhelm. I have read mostly everything from Shaun David Hutchinson and this was definitely different.
I went in with an open mind reading this book. I enjoyed it was different.
I went in with an open mind reading this book. I enjoyed it was different.
did-not-finish
April 12, 2024Seems like Shaun David Hutchinson is becoming some sort of Jekyll and Hyde of gay novel authors. His books are either absolutely brilliant like We Are the Ants or A Complicated Love Story Set in Space or they are complete crap like The State of Us. Sadly this book belongs more to the latter category.
A book about a romance between two young magicians in the early 1900s, with a stunning cover and over five hundred pages. This has to be enchanting and captivating, the perfect comfort-read. Well, no. It's the exact opposite. There's almost no world building and no character development. It's as if the author said “You've all seen The Prestige, that'll have to do.” So everything is happening in the metaphorical white room with cardboard-like characters that are lacking depth. This makes characters like Jack rather unrelatable and characters like Teddy absolutely unbearable.
Oddly enough there's also not much of a plot. Everything that happens in these first 150 pages I've read could be told in about five sentences. The plot is not only barely moving forward, it also seems to go nowhere. And what is actually happening is also quite predictable due to cardboard-like characters.
DNF@30% – The main reason I quit reading this book is how unintentionally discomforting it is. For reference I absolutely love We Are the Ants.
P.S. Not sure if I should give it a rating. If I'd had to I'd probably go with two stars.
A book about a romance between two young magicians in the early 1900s, with a stunning cover and over five hundred pages. This has to be enchanting and captivating, the perfect comfort-read. Well, no. It's the exact opposite. There's almost no world building and no character development. It's as if the author said “You've all seen The Prestige, that'll have to do.” So everything is happening in the metaphorical white room with cardboard-like characters that are lacking depth. This makes characters like Jack rather unrelatable and characters like Teddy absolutely unbearable.
Oddly enough there's also not much of a plot. Everything that happens in these first 150 pages I've read could be told in about five sentences. The plot is not only barely moving forward, it also seems to go nowhere. And what is actually happening is also quite predictable due to cardboard-like characters.
DNF@30% – The main reason I quit reading this book is how unintentionally discomforting it is. For reference I absolutely love We Are the Ants.
P.S. Not sure if I should give it a rating. If I'd had to I'd probably go with two stars.
July 27, 2021
➳ thank you to net galley and harper audio for a free audio copy in exchange for an honest review.
if you’ve followed me for a bit you might know that shaun david hutchinson is one of my favorite authors. SDH has a way of creating soft sci-fi worlds that are just familiar enough, but make us think: alien invasions, shrinking universes, resurrecting best friends. and now: magic at the 1909 alaska-yukon-pacific exposition.
before we disappear tells the story of jack, the clever teenage assistant to the famous stage magician, the enchantress. at the alaska-yukon-pacific exposition, his path crosses with wilhelm, also a magician’s assistant. while jack’s been performing illusions all his life, it’s nothing compared to the secrets wilhelm holds. secrets of real magic, and of a dark past.
when we talk about found family, we usually look at it as groups of friends that we choose. sports teams. ragtag bunches of misfits. this book takes found family and spins it a different way—a found family made up of someone who saves you. a found family of someone who understands you for the first time. a found family of someone who doesn’t run when they learn the truth about you. a found family of someone that makes you believe in love and home.
sdh’s books regularly ask you to suspend your disbelief. don’t try to get to the source of the science. just trust ot. that’s present here, and again in a different way. this book is queer as heck, and that’s not something entirely plausible in 1909. not safely, not the way it’s portrayed here. in the author’s note at the end, sdh says that he wanted to write about historical queer joy, because queer folks existed even if their stories weren’t told. even if they weren’t allowed to be.
cw: physical abuse, mental abuse, gaslighting
“the universe rarely gives us what we want. sometimes we must content ourselves with what we are given.”
if you’ve followed me for a bit you might know that shaun david hutchinson is one of my favorite authors. SDH has a way of creating soft sci-fi worlds that are just familiar enough, but make us think: alien invasions, shrinking universes, resurrecting best friends. and now: magic at the 1909 alaska-yukon-pacific exposition.
before we disappear tells the story of jack, the clever teenage assistant to the famous stage magician, the enchantress. at the alaska-yukon-pacific exposition, his path crosses with wilhelm, also a magician’s assistant. while jack’s been performing illusions all his life, it’s nothing compared to the secrets wilhelm holds. secrets of real magic, and of a dark past.
when we talk about found family, we usually look at it as groups of friends that we choose. sports teams. ragtag bunches of misfits. this book takes found family and spins it a different way—a found family made up of someone who saves you. a found family of someone who understands you for the first time. a found family of someone who doesn’t run when they learn the truth about you. a found family of someone that makes you believe in love and home.
sdh’s books regularly ask you to suspend your disbelief. don’t try to get to the source of the science. just trust ot. that’s present here, and again in a different way. this book is queer as heck, and that’s not something entirely plausible in 1909. not safely, not the way it’s portrayed here. in the author’s note at the end, sdh says that he wanted to write about historical queer joy, because queer folks existed even if their stories weren’t told. even if they weren’t allowed to be.
cw: physical abuse, mental abuse, gaslighting
December 24, 2022
buddy read with lou!!
jack and wilhelm are assistants of two magicians fighting to be on top. they’re supposed to stay away from each other, but when jack is sent to uncover how laszlo, wilhelm’s magician, does his trick, he learns what laszlo puts wilhelm through and wants to help.
this is my fifth shaun david hutchinson book, and it’s so different from the rest! the rest i’ve read have been in contemporary settings, for starters, and not quite as magical as this (though most of the magic in this book was supposed to be the “trick” magic, which definitely presented a problem for those with real magic wanting to hide it). this definitely isn’t my favorite book from this author, but i still really enjoyed it and i recommend it!
jack and wilhelm are assistants of two magicians fighting to be on top. they’re supposed to stay away from each other, but when jack is sent to uncover how laszlo, wilhelm’s magician, does his trick, he learns what laszlo puts wilhelm through and wants to help.
this is my fifth shaun david hutchinson book, and it’s so different from the rest! the rest i’ve read have been in contemporary settings, for starters, and not quite as magical as this (though most of the magic in this book was supposed to be the “trick” magic, which definitely presented a problem for those with real magic wanting to hide it). this definitely isn’t my favorite book from this author, but i still really enjoyed it and i recommend it!
preordered
September 5, 2020From PW: "A historical fantasy set during the 1909 Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition in Seattle. Jack, an orphan and magician's assistant, spies on their rivals to steal secrets of their magic tricks to find that the other magician's assistant, Wil, can perform real magic. This truth will result in death, so Jack and Wil face the ultimate choice to trust one another or vanish from it all."
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