This book is a great book club book. It is challenging both in style and content and takes the reader on an incredible journey through time and memory. When their mother enters the late stages a dementia, Alani Baum (a nonbinary photographer and teacher now living in Minneapolis) uses the concept of a “memory palace”, to describe their journey back to Winnipeg and their childhood home. Interspersed with glimpses into the complicated present-day life of Baum, rooms in the house including the stairs become ghostly memories of past experiences and trauma. Past and present weave together as the story unfolds. Not a particularly easy or fast read, but certainly an important one and well worth it. Voices from the LGB&Q2+ are not heard often enough and this book which has won and been nominated for awards is an important addition.

Vanishing Monuments is a beautiful story about identity, and feeling invisible in the face of people who know and love you. It took a long time for me to get into this story but when it finally clicked, it clicked hard. I think this is a book that I would have rather read as a physical book and not an audiobook--while the audio was still gorgeous and the narrator did a fantastic job, there was something about the pacing that made it hard for me to focus. I can tell that there were whole passages I would have highlighted in a physical book as well. Alani is a vulnerable and fascinating character, and I loved the exploration of their identity as a nonbinary person. Their queer friends and relationships were so fulfilling to see and it's clear that the author put so much emotional quality into this story.

I'm simply stunned by the beauty of this novel. John Elizabeth Stintzi lays everything bare in Vanishing Monuments. The depth of thought which clearly went into the complex structure of this magnificent story, is rivaled only by the raw and intimate journey the main character shares as they revisit (and say goodbye to) their past.

Just to paraphrase what one of the characters says, "Everyone's childhood home is haunted, and everyone goes back, and it always sucks...". Alani's lifelong quest toward self understanding, their incredible relationships with others, and the surreal experience of opening up the front door after a long absence, is just inspired. Bravo to John Elizabeth Stintzi for this emotional and powerful novel.

The audio version is exquisitely performed by Jo Vannicola. Their understanding of this character, the depth of feeling they impart into their performance... it's just perfect.

There are some books that just don’t work as an audiobook. There were passages and ideas and themes in this book that I really enjoyed, but it was so clearly written to be read, to be digested and understood at your own pace, to be able to reread passages, to see where one section ends and another begins.

Vanishing Monuments follows Alani, a photographer who returns to their childhood home to visit their dying mother. They confront their past, reflect on the importance of memory and identity, and try to find closure.

The writing is undeniable beautiful, but all I wanted to do was go back over certain passages, highlight a section, flick back and forth. The narrative switches between first and second person, which is a fantastic way of distinguishing between the real and the imagined, but doesn’t translate quite as well on an audiobook.

This was a very moving reflection on gender, identity, family, art, and the importance of memory. Hopefully one day soon I’ll get the chance to read it in written form; I feel like I would be able to follow the story much more, and get more out of the experience, if that was the case.

I received a free audiobook for review. All opinions are my own.

Vanishing Monuments by John Elizabeth Stintzi - 2/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Bespeak Audio Editions for access to an free copy of this audiobook. I am leaving this unbiased review independently.

This book had some beautiful prose and is an exceptional introspective on both gender and memory and how those intersect. However, for mer personally, that would be interesting to ready for an essay, not an entire novel. If there is a plot present, I was unable to discern it. It seemed as though 3 stories were being told in parallel, none in chronological order.

I'm sure there are many that will enjoy this book very much, I'm just not one of them.

This book is a lot to digest, and not in a bad way. Dealing with the slow loss of their mother to a memory disorder, the narrator faces their own past and growth, while still going through growth themselves. What did it take for them to come to terms with their gender identity? What role did their mother's mental health play in their own growth? The story takes you on a journey through Canada, the US, and Germany, and allows the reader to understand what art can do to help heal. Like stated before, the book is a lot to hear, and is in no way a light read. But it challenges what you know about gender identity and your relationships with memory. The Greek allegories help bring the abstract to something more tangible, and have you rooting for all the characters at all the wrong times.

This book is stunning and unique. Though the pacing is intentionally slow, the writing is so lovely that I enjoyed taking my time working through it. The novel touches on deeply personal and complex matters through the main character’s reflections in a way that was obviously handled with care. Stintzi does a fantastic job of making sure not to alienate readers without sacrificing any of the nuance of this story. It will not be a book for everybody but I sincerely hope that those who read it will be touched. Thank you to Netgalley for advanced access to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review! The narration was wonderful.

4.5 stars

This is a story about gender and identity, but it’s also about art, bodies, family, friendship, love, home, relationships, and so much more. Given the subject matter, the book was bound to be heartbreaking in some ways, but I loved the ending- it’s hopeful instead of devastating. The writing itself is beautiful; I kept finding myself wanting to write down lines of prose so that I would remember them. I’ll buy a print copy or two once the book is released- right now, I’m thinking I want one for myself and one for my classroom. The writer definitely has a way with words, and I’ll be looking forward to more work from them in the future.

This was a beautifully written book. It has a lyrical sense to it that just flows poetically. The story is moving and emotional.

I received an audiobook copy of this book. The narrator, Jo Vannicola, also does a magnificent job of providing a voice to it to this beautiful story. It was truly a mesmerizing performance.

A beautifully written book with an authentic voice, both author and narrator. I looked up the author after I was finished and was absolutely unsurprised to discover they are a poet. The writing definitely gave that away because the entire book is just lyrical and beautifully stated at every turn. Full disclosure, I'm acquainted with the narrator (Facebook friends) but I really do think they were the perfect choice for this story. They brought Alani to life in a way I wouldn't have been able to access just reading the words on a page.

What a beautifully written, extremely poignant novel.

I will admit, I am not a person that typically takes to literary fiction, unless I am familiar with the author, or the story itself really speaks to me.

But wow. This one will sit with me for awhile. It was just so well-written, and absolutely striking. 4.5/5 stars, easily.