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Simple plot still yields rich novel of personal loss
By Joan Hinkemeyer, Special To The News
February 17, 2003
Anne Ursu again blurs the boundaries of reality in her new novel.
The plot appears simple: Dr. Hannah Woodrow and husband Justin take their children - precocious Greta and introverted James - to the circus for Greta's birthday.
When Mike the Clown seeks a volunteer for his magic, 5-year-old James surprises everyone by raising his hand and clowning on stage. The crowd warms to his antics until James disappears.
When James fails to reappear, his parents accuse the bewildered clown, even though he is puzzled by the disappearance.
Within the framework of police investigations, Ursu explores another world - the subjective world of grief suffered by James's family. When searching fails, Hannah retreats into denial and sleep, where she can recapture James in her dreams because in real life "tragedies always have a cause; this one is only effect. So this is not real."
Husband Justin obsesses about Mike the Clown, certain the man somehow could return James if he really wanted.
In the end, Greta's clear-eyed child's vision connects most closely to James through favorite games and routines they shared.
Although the external action is minimal, 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.
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