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“Memory and grief are at the heart of Garruba’s tale; the author explores the ways in which the two are intertwined and shape those who are left behind when loved ones die. Frances and Claire try, in their respective ways, to hold on to and understand Rose, a woman they failed to truly grasp in life . . . Garruba’s writing is descriptive and stirring, placing readers fully in the sisters’ memories.”
About The Vanishing of Rose B. :
Rose B. defied mid-century expectations of what a woman could be and do. Not only a devoted wife and mother, and one never to be seen without gloves and a hat, she was the family’s main breadwinner. Exemplary, indeed—although in private, Rose suffered her charismatic, volatile husband’s abuse, abuse witnessed by their twin daughters, Claire and Frances. Frances urged Rose to divorce, Claire played mediator, and Rose persevered, determined to preserve her family, even if at cost to herself. But a violent incident one spring evening would upset Rose’s plan and propel Frances to a life far from her parents and sister.
Decades later, Claire’s a reclusive high school art teacher who creates beautiful photographs but never exhibits. Frances is an architect in Los Angeles. Rose has died, and Frances has flown home to help Claire sort through their mother’s clothes. Claire, insisting that Frances is their mother’s mirror image, one that she must capture, asks Frances to pose for her as Rose, dressed in Rose’s clothes. Frances, wanting to force a discussion of that long-ago violent spring evening, agrees, but on one condition: She’ll tell stories as she poses, stories about Rose. Told in two voices—that of the dynamic, conflicted Frances and the tender, diffident Claire, who has her own stories about Rose—The Vanishing of Rose B. explores the difficulties mothers and daughters encounter in defining themselves within the world and against each other.
“Nancy Garruba’s The Vanishing of Rose B. is a beautiful meditation on the intricacies of memory, and of family. The reflections of twin sisters Frances and Claire on their mother’s quiet, yet forceful and memorable, life may make you rethink the lives of your own family members—as powerful fiction often does.”
— Joyce Hinnefeld, author of The Dime Museum
“With gorgeous, elegant, and spare prose, The Vanishing of Rose B. underscores the strength of women and reveals how differently twin sisters can perceive and process their family’s history. Garruba’s women are luminous and captivating. A beautiful achievement.”
— Katrina Denza, author of Burner and Other Stories
“A tender and intimate portrait of a family, The Vanishing of Rose B. is a spiral of a novel in two voices. Moving back and forth in time, Frances and Claire unravel the intricate layers of their childhood with their mother Rose and the meaning of what’s left behind when she’s gone. In taut and poignant prose, the novel asks us to consider the stories and objects of our past: what do we cherish, what do we turn away from, what must we reckon with.”
— Ellen Meeropol, author of The Lost Women of Azalea Court
Read an excerpt here.