Literary Sojourn Book Discussion
Disappearing Earth
- Main Library 2nd Floor
About the Book
A propulsive, emotionally engaging novel about the intricate bonds of family and community, in a Russia unlike any we have seen before. One August afternoon, two sisters—Sophia, eight, and Alyona, eleven—go missing from a beach on the far-flung Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia. Taking us through the year that follows, Disappearing Earth enters the lives of women and girls in this tightly knit community who are connected by the crime: a witness, a neighbor, a detective, a mother. We are transported to vistas of rugged beauty—open expanses of tundra, soaring volcanoes, dense forests, the glassy seas that border Japan and Alaska—and into a region as complex as it is alluring, where social and ethnic tensions have long simmered, and where outsiders are often the first to be accused.
About the author
Julia Phillips is the bestselling author of the novel Disappearing Earth, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and one of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of the Year. Her second novel, Bear, will be published in June 2024.
About the Club
The Literary Sojourn Author Study is a book discussion series designed to enhance the experience of reading our festival authors. Bud Werner Library provides book copies on loan for each group discussion. All of the discussion titles are also available in audio and e-book formats. These discussions are designed for moderation and mingling with members of the Literary Sojourn organizing committee as we dive into select fiction, memoir and nonfiction titles by our featured authors. Open to anyone interested in participating, discussions are designed to be inclusive, supportive and meet the needs and interests of the group. Choose to join in for one or all the conversations as participants read and gather to talk about works from each of the year's featured writers.
Learn more about Literary Sojourn, all this year's authors, and their complete reading lists at www.literarysojourn.org.