I can see what the author was trying to do, but these stories seemed to be aimed more for a masculine audience. The narrator did a great job of piecing the stories together but this didn't work as an audio book for me.

I did get a library copy and reading them was better but it still wasn't for me.

The writing was actually quite good but I felt discluded.

I would try this author again though. It could have just been the fact these were short stories.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed the variety of the settings and very much appreciated the multi-layered and thought provoking theme of this collection. The narrator did a fine job but overall, I found the stories too masculine focused.

Unfortunately, each of these short stories is slow, uneventful and about a really boring man. Maybe I am just not the intended audience for this collection. 2.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

3 stars.*

Somehow I have never read anything by Paul Theroux. I noticed a number of his books on my sister's bookshelf recently and when I saw this title available on NetGalley I wanted to give it a go.

The Vaninshing Point is a series of short stories, all featuring male protagonists. Most of them are pretty unlikable and they make just shockingly bad decisions. I enjoyed the stories featuring expat life-though riddled with terrible choices.

Theroux's writing is good-it reminds me in many of the stories of Stephen King, and I mean that as a great compliment.

I didn't really love the collection, though. I feel like I need to dig deeper into Theroux's catalog and read some of his books about SE Asia after having lived there for 15 years. While I didn't adore this book myself I feel like I know a lot of people who would enjoy it.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for this honest review .

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. The book contains a compilation of short stories. All are written from a man’s or boy’s point of view. They all focus on a significant point in life that sums up the entire life. The stories are well written and interesting. They include stories about women eating pigs and life ending prostitutes. Each story is written from the male perspective and geared toward a traditional male masculine reader. I enjoyed the stories but felt, as a middle aged woman, I was not the intended audience.

I had high hopes for this collection, as I like Paul Theroux's prose, and have enjoyed his work in the past. However, this book was just not for me. As a whole, the stories were well-written and took me to places all over the globe, but I found the vast majority of them to be major downers.

The main characters were predominantly middle-aged or aging men who are displeased with their lives, and even the stories with female main characters still seemed to center around unhappy men. Writing this as a woman in 2025, I think this book will not appeal to a lot of women, but may find its audience among men who are growing older and reflecting on their pasts.

Regarding the narration, since I listened to the audiobook version of this collection, I wish the producers had split the narration among more narrators. As it was, I couldn't help but picture the same character from one story to the next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the opportunity to listen to this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

the Vanishing point was an excellent collection. I loved the writing and it was propulsive. Great character study. I would read more from this author.