A Place for Vanishing

A teen girl and her family return to her mother's childhood home, only to discover that the house's strange beauty may disguise a sinister past, in this contemporary gothic horror from the author of What We Harvest.

The house was supposed to be a fresh start. That's what Libby's mom said. And after Libby's recent bipolar III diagnosis and the tragedy that preceded it, Libby knows she and her family need to find a new normal.

But Libby's new home turns out to be anything but normal. Scores of bugs haunt its winding halls, towering stained-glass windows feature strange, insectile designs, and the garden teems with impossibly blue roses. And then there are the rumors. The locals, including the mysterious boy next door, tell stories about disappearances tied to the house, stretching back over a century to its first owners. Owners who supposedly hosted legendary masked séances on its grounds.

Libby's mom refuses to hear anything that could derail their family's perfect new beginning, but Libby knows better. The house is keeping secrets from her, and something tells her that the key to unlocking them lies in the eerie, bug-shaped masks hidden throughout the property.

We all wear masks--to hide our imperfections, to make us stronger and braver. But if Libby keeps hers on for too long, she might just lose herself--and everyone she loves.

Author: Ann Fraistat
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Published: 01/16/2024
Pages: 464
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.70w x 1.60d
ISBN: 9780593382219
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 10/15/2023
Publishers Weekly 10/16/2023
School Library Journal 12/01/2023 pg. 94
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 01/01/2024
Booklist 12/01/2023 pg. 123