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Absent
What happens when a father disappears? How are the empty spaces of an absence filled?
In 1979, Otto Sinclair flees in the wake of a tragic fire, leaving his family to sort through the ashes. Twenty-eight years later, he comes back to his wife Lenore, a kept woman in mourning with a box of memories in the trunk of her car; his daughter Ruby, who peoples her world with the imaginary and the unattainable; his son Gavin, confined in a prison of his own creation; and the ghost of his mother, dead on the third floor of the house he burned down.
A single act of desperation can echo for decades. Now, a wounded family struggles to answer one final is it possible to forgive when it's impossible to forget?
In 1979, Otto Sinclair flees in the wake of a tragic fire, leaving his family to sort through the ashes. Twenty-eight years later, he comes back to his wife Lenore, a kept woman in mourning with a box of memories in the trunk of her car; his daughter Ruby, who peoples her world with the imaginary and the unattainable; his son Gavin, confined in a prison of his own creation; and the ghost of his mother, dead on the third floor of the house he burned down.
A single act of desperation can echo for decades. Now, a wounded family struggles to answer one final is it possible to forgive when it's impossible to forget?
- GenresFiction
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 3, 2009
1 person is currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Sherri Vanderveen
2 books4 followersSherri Vanderveen’s short works of fiction have appeared in several Canadian literary journals. Belle Falls, her first novel, was published in March 2007 by Penguin Canada. Her second, Absent, was published in February 2009. She currently lives in Toronto with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 17, 2009
4 ½ stars
Sherri Vanderveen is a gutsy writer. In her debut novel (Belle Falls), she tackled a difficult subject. In Absent, her second novel, it’s the structure of the novel itself that is the more bold performance. The way she moves from present to past, to past to present, abruptly at times – like a balancing act on a high wire – she makes the reader work to figure things out. At first, that can be difficult, but eventually, with Vanderveen’s skill – like a confident tightrope walker – no need for a net below – the reader catches on. Now that we have confidence we are in steady hands, we see that moving in and out of time is the only way that this story could have been written. If the author had taken a chronological approach, she would not have been able to achieve the layers she creates in her story. Sherri Vanderveen is not afraid to write for an intelligent audience.
She is equally confident in writing from five different points of view; although it is Lenore, the mother, and her two children, Ruby and Gavin, around which the story mainly spins like a gyroscope through the narrative. Vanderveen turns from one voice to the other as often as she whirls back and forth in time. Now the reader becomes the tightrope walker, as we navigate our way along the storyline to its inevitable and compelling end. This structure demands that we pay attention. But that’s easy enough, because by now we are hooked, wondering who will appear next, and at what period in time.
In the first chapter, it seems that the story will solely be about Otto, Lenore’s husband, a man who considers himself to be a failed human being. And it is, but not in a direct way. When the story opens, Otto and his family live in the basement of his mother Elsa’s house. And then Otto suddenly disappears after her houses catches on fire – disappears as in vanishes, without a word to the family. He creates a new identity, until – 28 years later, he decides it’s time to return.
From there, the story shifts to Lenore, devastated by the death of Barrett, her former boss, and her lover during most of the period of Otto’s disappearance. They are all adults now, and, while the reader knows Otto is returning, his family does not. Hence the narratives’ twists and turns as we learn about each of their lives in the interim. We even learn more about Otto’s life from Elsa, who died in the fire; about Gavin, who wanders aimlessly through life, marries, but lacks the ability to leave when neither he nor his wife is happy; about Ruby and her fantasy relationships with various men.
On page 200 we go back to grade two with Ruby, and read how she was forced to take piano lessons like her father had when he was a child. The teacher: Grandma Elsa, who claimed Otto was terrible, but has high hopes for Ruby. And Ruby looks forward to the lessons, too, at first. But Grandma is a crabby old woman, and when Ruby doesn’t play properly, tensing up, Elsa hits the legs of the bench with a cane: Ruby struggled to keep up, her legs shaking with each strike of the cane. Grandma sweated, her hair slick with it, and dark patches spreading under her arms and showing through her housedress. Her mother declares there will be no more lessons. Her father nodded.
The book cover shows Ruby at the piano, and it shows more of the piano than Ruby. She is, for the most part, not quite present in the picture. Underneath the row of piano keys, in white letters, is the title: ABSENT. And by the end it all clicks together; it all fits. This book takes a bit of an effort, but it’s well worth it. I’m adding it to my “to re-read” list; I suspect you may do the same.
Sherri Vanderveen is a gutsy writer. In her debut novel (Belle Falls), she tackled a difficult subject. In Absent, her second novel, it’s the structure of the novel itself that is the more bold performance. The way she moves from present to past, to past to present, abruptly at times – like a balancing act on a high wire – she makes the reader work to figure things out. At first, that can be difficult, but eventually, with Vanderveen’s skill – like a confident tightrope walker – no need for a net below – the reader catches on. Now that we have confidence we are in steady hands, we see that moving in and out of time is the only way that this story could have been written. If the author had taken a chronological approach, she would not have been able to achieve the layers she creates in her story. Sherri Vanderveen is not afraid to write for an intelligent audience.
She is equally confident in writing from five different points of view; although it is Lenore, the mother, and her two children, Ruby and Gavin, around which the story mainly spins like a gyroscope through the narrative. Vanderveen turns from one voice to the other as often as she whirls back and forth in time. Now the reader becomes the tightrope walker, as we navigate our way along the storyline to its inevitable and compelling end. This structure demands that we pay attention. But that’s easy enough, because by now we are hooked, wondering who will appear next, and at what period in time.
In the first chapter, it seems that the story will solely be about Otto, Lenore’s husband, a man who considers himself to be a failed human being. And it is, but not in a direct way. When the story opens, Otto and his family live in the basement of his mother Elsa’s house. And then Otto suddenly disappears after her houses catches on fire – disappears as in vanishes, without a word to the family. He creates a new identity, until – 28 years later, he decides it’s time to return.
From there, the story shifts to Lenore, devastated by the death of Barrett, her former boss, and her lover during most of the period of Otto’s disappearance. They are all adults now, and, while the reader knows Otto is returning, his family does not. Hence the narratives’ twists and turns as we learn about each of their lives in the interim. We even learn more about Otto’s life from Elsa, who died in the fire; about Gavin, who wanders aimlessly through life, marries, but lacks the ability to leave when neither he nor his wife is happy; about Ruby and her fantasy relationships with various men.
On page 200 we go back to grade two with Ruby, and read how she was forced to take piano lessons like her father had when he was a child. The teacher: Grandma Elsa, who claimed Otto was terrible, but has high hopes for Ruby. And Ruby looks forward to the lessons, too, at first. But Grandma is a crabby old woman, and when Ruby doesn’t play properly, tensing up, Elsa hits the legs of the bench with a cane: Ruby struggled to keep up, her legs shaking with each strike of the cane. Grandma sweated, her hair slick with it, and dark patches spreading under her arms and showing through her housedress. Her mother declares there will be no more lessons. Her father nodded.
The book cover shows Ruby at the piano, and it shows more of the piano than Ruby. She is, for the most part, not quite present in the picture. Underneath the row of piano keys, in white letters, is the title: ABSENT. And by the end it all clicks together; it all fits. This book takes a bit of an effort, but it’s well worth it. I’m adding it to my “to re-read” list; I suspect you may do the same.
July 14, 2020
The is a quietly powerful book. It is beautifully structured, moving seamlessly through time and perspective. It is a poignant examination of the impact our our decisions, the pull of family and the need to talk about our lives and our feelings. A true primer on the need for mental health professionals!
September 10, 2025
Well written, good story, didn’t like all the cheating :(
May 4, 2010
This is a good story. I was drawn to the book by it's cover and by the title. Otto is a husband and father who one day disappears from his family's lives. He is a rather pathetic character with little self esteem and what little he has, shatters when he can't get a job to support his family and discovers his wife is having an affair with her boss. So, he runs away after he sets the piano in the house on fire, not meaning to harm anyone, but to symbolize his frustration with his unhappy childhood. He returns 28 years later and wants to re-enter the lives of his children and wife. Read it yourself to see how that "flys."
December 22, 2015
so sorry to finish this book - I loved it! The characters are incredibly human and sympathetic - although most are fairly unlike-able. The story is absolutely absorbing and unique with a nice psychological twist to it. A must read.
October 20, 2009
started off great. but lost momentum along the way. I found it a bit disjointed...didn't really grab me.
July 26, 2014
This book was not very good... the characters were stale and the plot was stagnant. I was very mislead by the intriguing description on the back.
June 17, 2018
Way too many fathers who die young or are otherwise absent - were there no good fathers in this world? Disappointing
February 9, 2018
A fictional account of Father Absence. I wanted to see if it resonated with research done on the topic. Mostly it did not. Still thought it was an important topic to explore.
October 3, 2011
Really tried to finish this book, but only managed to get through one-third of it. Plot seemed interesting enough, but the writing dragged in various places. Went back to it after a few months, and encountered the same obstacle.
April 5, 2013
Again an excellent read, I love this author and so does my sister who first gave me her Belle Falls book, we need her to write another one
I liked this book because the story was sweet and sometimes made me angry and then the next minute made me cry and I liked the ending
I liked this book because the story was sweet and sometimes made me angry and then the next minute made me cry and I liked the ending
January 6, 2015
This book is so beautiful and utterly magnificent.
I have written a full review of it on my book blog.
I will recommend this book to everyone. This gets an unreserved five stars.
I have written a full review of it on my book blog.
I will recommend this book to everyone. This gets an unreserved five stars.
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September 21, 2009I reviewed this book. Sometimes, not very often, I fall for a book I've had to read for work. This is one of those books.
May 14, 2013
took a long time
to finish, so not very intriguing, bounced back and forth from past to present.
to finish, so not very intriguing, bounced back and forth from past to present.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews