The Gradual Disappearance of Jane Ashland

A quick and beautiful read; it was haunting and real. Jane's loss and the characters that float in and out of her universe add to the chaos that grief creates. Her past and present collide and we get to know who Jane is before losing it all.

Really interesting, disjointed narrative. Certainly, an author to watch.
Snippets of Jane's life, but not in any kind of order, make up the narrative. In fact, the story reads like various experiences draw Jane's conscience to random past events. Since the memories appear to be directed by Jane, the narration is undoubtedly unreliable. Rather than accurate details of actual past occurrences, readers are presented with Jane's perspective of what happened. Given that the character has experienced traumatic life-changing grief, even her own take is likely skewed from how she actually experienced life at the time when these things were happening.
It should be noted this could also be read as a play on creative writing and language itself. Jane, who "was" a writer (she quit writing), views everything from an "author's" point of view. The novel presents writers as people who experience the world differently. The result is a fascinating adventure in how writing and language work! Definitely, warrants multiple readings, some with a focus on how memory works, how grief is portrayed, and finally with a focus on language and writing.

The gradual disappearance of Jane Ashland is a fluidly beautiful and complex novel. Starting much like a suspense thriller, the story unfold in pieces making the reader wait to find out what exactly happened to Jane. The answer is not at all what we expect, not a physical nightmare, but a mental and emotional nightmare of grief and anger from which Jane cannot escape.

The character of Jane is astoundingly complex. She is not a "likeable" character and yet she is deeply sympathetic. The reader must continually ask themself, how long is it ok to grieve? At what point is it time to get over it? What is the right way to deal with unimaginable tragedy? We are meeting a character at the absolute nadir of her life and being asked to observe intimately for a small window of time.

Nicolae Houm is walking a tightrope with his heroine and each time he crosses the line into distasteful and unsympathetic, he reels the reader back in to the reality of Jane's life, how she lived and what she's lost. Her voice is raw and desperate, as well it should be.

My feelings about this book changed many times while reading this short but dense novel. However having had time to sit down and digest it as a whole, I find myself more and more drawn to the complexity and nuance of the story. This is a masterful piece of story-telling and I am grateful for the experience and the opportunity to share it with other readers.

This is a beautifully written story about Jane Ashland. It begins with Jane visualizing what her rescuers will see when she is found dead. Quite an opening and from there we follow Jane through many different times in her life and ultimately learn how she wound up in this particular place. I didn't realize this was only 192 pages and before I knew it, I had reached the end.
Jane's story is about life, love, loss and unbearable grief. The author shares brief glimpses into various moments from Jane's life and I almost felt as though I was looking at an actual picture of the events described. The words just flowed so well and the scenes were just so, so vivid to me. It ends ambiguously and depending on whether you are a glass half full or a glass half empty type person, it is either extremely sad or hopeful. A very unique and enjoyable read.
Thank you Nicolai Houm, Anna Paterson(Translated by), Tin House Books and NetGalley for the complimentary digital review copy. I certainly hope to read more by this author in the future.