Ways to Disappear

From my blog: I loved Idra Novey’s Ways to Disappear. She had me with her first sentence: “In a crumbling park in the crumbling back end of Copacabana, a woman stopped under an almond tree with a suitcase and a cigar.” Whether it was the repetition of “crumbling,” the combination of the suitcase and the cigar, or the thought of almonds, which I enjoy eating on just about anything, yes, dear reader, I bought the book. In hardcover. I had to find out what happens when American translator Emma Neufeld goes from snowy Pittsburg to blazing-hot Brazil in search of the almond tree woman, Beatriz Yagoda, who happens to be Emma’s author. Beatriz has gone missing because of gambling debts and Emma goes missing on her show more lets-go-running-and-lets-get-married boyfriend because, well, our authors are part of us in some mysterious way. Has Novey ever used the hairbrush of one of her authors? I don’t know and I don’t need to know but I will say that I, personally, have never used a hairbrush (or comb or other grooming device) belonging to any of my authors but oh my, what a wonderful, fitting metaphor. On the same page (23, if anyone’s looking), there’s a mention of Emma’s (earlier, of course) confession to Beatriz that she “hadn’t been quite as dutiful in her last translation as in Beatriz’s earlier books, and Beatriz had replied that duty was for clergy. For translation to be an art, she told Emma, you have to make the uncomfortable but necessary transgressions that an artist makes.” Yes, yes, and yes. I couldn’t wait to buy the book because Novey mentions “the risk-taking, the reckless joys of translation” in an LA Times interview that my cousin clipped and sent to me… Risks and joys are what make translation so exhilarating and I feel lots of reckless joy and risk-taking in Ways to Disappear, too, and all of it works and pays off for Novey. show less

This clever novel deals with issues related to the pitfalls of translating fiction—the translator must maintain the art that the author puts on paper while creating something new that is not exactly literal. The definitions behind the author’s words need to be considered while refraining from extensive editing that may alter the meaning behind those words. The danger comes in losing the truth that the author intended. In her story, Novey—herself a translator—uses the mysterious disappearance of an author and the search for her by her translator to explore these problems of identity and definition. Emma Neufeld believes that she is eminently qualified to conduct the search for the famous Brazilian writer, Beatriz Yagoda, because show more she has been translating her work for years and thus knows her intimately. She quickly learns that she may have been mistaken because Beatriz had a secret life as a compulsive online gambler with extensive debts to a murderous loan shark, Flamenguinho. Moreover, from an unfinished manuscript, Emma begins to doubt the extent to which her translations may have altered and embellished Yagoda’s writings making them into something they may not have been.

All of this transpires with the involvement of several interesting characters, who also may have misconstrued Beatriz. These include her two children, the unconvinced Raquel and the dashing Marcus; her dull Pittsburgh boyfriend, who insists that Emma’s real life is not in Rio; and Beatriz’ failed editor, Roberto Rocha who would like nothing better than to get his hands on another successful new cult novel. Each of these characters views the missing Beatriz through a different prism: an idol, a mother, a best-selling novelist or a deadbeat. Novey seems to suggest that, in the end, defining Beatriz can be quite problematic.

At first blush, the story appears to be a farce, but quickly morphs into a darker tale. Notwithstanding this, Novey maintains playfulness and a brisk pace throughout, facilitated by short punchy chapters interspersed with relevant emails, poems, definitions and news bulletins. Although none of the characters is developed to the extent one might expect in a longer novel, Novey manages to bestow each with Runyonesque qualities while maintaining a high degree of suspense. show less

I read this novel for the second time this weekend, and found it to be even more a pleasure than the first time I read it. The novel is propelled forward by a story that has the momentum of a thriller, but even so, interstitially, almost magically within this rapid-fire plot, Novey finds a way to explore many aspects of how great fiction happens: the role an author's life plays in her fictions; the relationship between author and editor; the gap between what is on the page and what the author meant to write; the need for privacy vs. the need for publicity; and the role of translation--both the literal act of translating one language to another, and also, the way readers translate marks on the page into meanings, through the act of show more reading them. The novel beautifully answers the question: why read? show less

In the opening scene of Idra Novey’s debut novel, the brilliant but eccentric Brazilian novelist Beatriz Yagoda is seen climbing a tree, carrying a packed suitcase and smoking a cigar. After this she vanishes completely. In Brazil, the disappearance of the country’s pre-eminent writer is newsworthy. The incident is reported internationally as well, and comes to the attention of Yagoda’s American translator, Emma Neufeld, who promptly leaves a sterile life and controlling boyfriend behind in Pittsburgh and heads to Brazil. In Rio, Emma forms an uneasy alliance with Beatriz’s grown children—protective and suspicious Rachel and carefree Marcus—in the search for their mother, but is quickly sidetracked by Marcus’ youthful show more charms and the two become embroiled in a passionate affair. In the meantime, a new Yagoda manuscript has been uncovered and Emma learns a few facts about her elusive author, the chief one being that Beatriz is addicted to online poker and has run up a massive debt with a ruthless loan shark, hence her desire to disappear. The action proceeds, via numerous brief chapters, at breakneck speed, with Emma using her intimate knowledge of Beatriz’s published works to spot clues to her possible whereabouts. Beatriz’s effete former publisher becomes involved, eventually publishing the new manuscript. It all seems like harmless fun until the loan shark decides the only way he’s going to recover his investment is to leverage a portion of the proceeds from the new book, which he does using threats and violence. Novey’s spirited narrative is difficult to pin down, one moment reading like a zany spoof of Amado or Garcia Marquez and the next evoking a grisly noir thriller. The key concept seems to be translation. Beatriz, elusive to the end, only exists in the minds of the characters we meet, each of whom is pursuing a private version of her (mother, iconic author, colleague, debtor). Make no mistake, Ways to Disappear provides a pleasant and inoffensive diversion for a couple of hours: the writing flows with unstoppable momentum and is often brilliantly evocative of a joyful and sensual Brazilian street culture. But the novel’s bubbly surface makes it very difficult to take the characters and their struggles seriously. Novey fills page after page with frantic action, but at no point does she give us a reason to cheer her characters on. There is an attempt at poignancy at the end, but by then the reader will have discovered the book lacks the emotional depth that would make us care. show less

A famous Brazilian writer, Beatriz Yagoda, one day climbs a tree with suitcase, book and cigars. Then she disappears. Her American translator Emma immediately flies to Brazil, unsure of what she can do. Beatriz's two adult children are also flummoxed, as she only cryptically communicates with her former publisher. This is a witty, engaging novel that will leave you never quite sure of what will happen when you turn the page, reminiscent of Calvino I think. It also explores the role of the translator via Emma's role in the saga; should she be an invisible presence or an active participant?

The language of this book completely charmed me - deft and playful without being coy or artful.
Some samples:

“...she rolled down the window to take in the breeze. She could taste the ocean in it the way it was blowing tonight, rinsing away the stink Thiago liked to call the sweaty ass of Rio.”

More on the hot summers: "...the heat in Brazil was an animal’s mouth. It would swallow anything to feed itself.”

A character anxiously awaiting an email: “The seconds it took to reach Raquel felt like each one had a century folded inside it."

Other charms of this book: the characters; the perfect pacing - the plot is helped along by the physical layout of the book - many small sections, with nearly as much blank space as printed space; a show more love of language, as seen through the thoughts of the main character who is an American translator of Brazilian fiction into English. show less

WAYS TO DISAPPEAR by Idra Novey is about a search for missing Brazilian author Beatriz Yagoda, led by her book translator, Emma, as well as the author's two children, Raquel and Marcus.
A story of self-discovery and growth,WAYS TO DISAPPEAR follows the search for Beatriz with suspense, humor, and lots of South American flavor. I found myself learning more about the Brazilian culture as I read, without being lost because of my limited prior knowledge of the culture. Emma, the translator from Pittsburgh, really grows and changes as an individual throughout the book and it's engaging to watch that change and maturity happen. One of the minor characters, Thiago, who is Raquel's sometimes boyfriend, I found to be quite humorous, and helped, show more along with other colorful characters, to balance the drama and suspense of the search for Beatriz with some comedic relief.
The novel is short and a quick read, interesting from beginning to end. I wanted to connect a little more to Raquel and a lot more to Marcus which I felt might have then produced more sympathy for their family. I did think the progression of the book and the conclusion was very satisfying and I would be happy to try another book by Novey in the future. I will say there is a certain uniqueness to her style of novel writing and it was refreshingly different for me to read.
***I received this book free as part of a Goodreads Giveaway!!!*** show less