Disappearing Earth

Julia Phillips wrote Disappearing Earth as her debut, and it caught the attention it did partly because of the setting. The book takes place in Kamchatka, the volcanic peninsula in the Russian far east. Two young sisters disappear in the opening chapter, and the rest of the novel moves outward in time, one chapter per month, following different women in the community whose lives are touched by the disappearance.

It’s structured almost like linked short stories that slowly reveal a single thread.

Phillips spent significant time in Kamchatka before writing it, and the place feels lived in rather than researched. The indigenous characters get real space rather than scenery duty.

The ending is divisive. Some readers find it earned, others feel cheated. Worth knowing going in.