The Vanishing Act

The Vanishing Act by Mette Jakobsen starts with the body of a boy being found on an island, of four people (a fisherman, daughter (the only one named with a 'real' name), priest and a magician/circus performer/cabinet maker) and a dog. It sounds as if this a start of a thriller, but actually is a book that is about the people on the island and their secrets. Part philosophy book (the author has degrees in philosophy and creative writing so not really that surprising) and a search for a community to come to terms with their pasts and the loss (for whatever reason) on a member of that community, wife, mother, or lover. The dead boy strangely becomes the vehicle for a father and daughter to work through their loss.

A nice book and fairly short at 217 pages worth a look though.