Book Review: Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson

  • Source: I received an advance copy of this book on NetGalley.

  • My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (see my review on Goodreads)

I didn't realize how deprived of queer fantasy novels I've been until I read Before We Disappear. This book felt like such a rare treat, to be set in the early 1900s -- with magic -- but centered around people more like me (queer, POC, etc.). It took me a little bit to really get into Jack's parts of the stories (admittedly, stage magic is kinda boring to me), but once I read Wilhelm's first chapter I was hooked (and once Ruth appeared in Jack's parts, I was fully invested). The complicated relationships between Jack and his adoptive family, and Wilhelm and his captor, felt real and heartbreaking and deep. I love a story that allows the characters to discover themselves, connect with each other, and make their own choices about their future (however hard that may be). This book provided plenty of that self exploration, combined with clever schemes, interesting puzzles, sweet romance, cheeky friendships, and the beauty of magic.

I think the only thing that bothered me was more of a technical issue: each chapter has a place & time listed at the top, but the dates were inconsistent (is it 1908 or 1909?) and that threw me off at first. I also felt that these bits were largely unnecessary and so I started ignoring them after a while to avoid confusing myself. Anyway, this book was a delight and I loved it.

book reviewKelleyfiction, ya