Echlin, Kim. The Disappeared. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2010. Print.
Set in the tumultuous period of the Cambodian genocide, The Disappeared is a story of love within a period of hate. The story begins in Montreal, with protagonist Anne Greves remembering the bittersweet joy of meeting musician Serey, the man who captured her heart. When, after only a brief time together, Serey returns to Cambodia to try and find his parents, Anne is left to wonder what ever happened to him. Fast forward eleven years and Anne is watching television following the withdrawal of the Vietnamese and the arrival of the United Nations into war torn Cambodia when she thinks she sees Serey in the crowd. Determined to fill the hollow feeling within, Anne sets out to find him.
Haunting and gracefully written, The Disappeared is a novel with power. It’s simple sentences are deceiving, for within each well chosen word hides emotion and rawness unlike I’ve ever read. A book of both beauty and truth, I would recommend this book without hesitation.
