Clippings: The Disapparation of James



	The Disapparation of James review by Daneet Steffens Ursu gently teases out the tale of a close-knit family whose youngest child, James, vanishes into thin air--literally. (A circus magician makes the kid – poof! – disappear, then can't bring him back.) Househusband Justin and his doctor wife, Hannah, find their blissful world suddenly frail and full of child-size holes. But James' sister seven-year-old Greta, reaches into her imagination to locate her brother: "lots of times when there's a mystery there's a clue, too, and it's up to the girl to figure it out, because adults just don't." Ursu's story is sweetly done, her own compelling magic trick.



	"Mysterious and ultimately moving, The Disapparation of James powerfully evokes the tenderness of the bond between parent and child, and the parent's never-ending awareness of its fragility." –*The Washington Post* "Ursu's story is sweetly done, her own compelling magic trick." –*Entertainment Weekly* "A compulsively readable and an elegantly written novel." –*The Orlando Sentinel* "In this tale of loss, love and redemption, the 'Poof!' is the least of the magic." –*San Jose Mercury News* "If other books published in 2003 are as good as this one, we're in for exciting reads." –*St. Paul Pioneer Press* "Ursu takes a familiar subject and leads us to unexpected places" –*Dallas Morning News* "Ursu's compelling novel blends surrealism with a keen understanding of the human heart to illuminate how a family deals with a loss for which there is no logical explanation." –*Portland Oregonian* "The Disapparation of James pulls readers rapidly along through Ursu's skillful probing of inner dramas. Her deft touch makes the tale absorbing and prevents it from descending to sensationalism or sentimentality." –*Rocky Mountain News* "...a wry, haunting meditation on love, loss and family ties." –*Star Tribune* "The Disapparation of James celebrates the glory of ordinary life in the midst of trauma." –*New York Newsday* "Ursu wins the reader over with her humane wisdom and charming vision of the limitless possibilities of a child's imagination" –*Publisher's Weekly* "Ursu makes her story unique, detailing the wild, stream of consciousness thoughts of a family left one member short. She has a knack for toying with reality, stopping time and backing up to play out a different possible outcome. The result is a compelling and compassionate story..." –Bookpage "Readers must finish the book to find out if James reappears. But along the way Ursu conjures interest in much more than that. The magic here lies in watching characters grow 'under extreme circumstances.'" –The Boston Herald