Overview

When Iris Lockhart receives a letter informing her that a great-aunt she never knew existed is about to be released from a psychiatric hospital, her family’s carefully maintained history begins to unravel. Decades earlier, Esme Lennox was institutionalised in Edinburgh after being labelled difficult, unconventional and embarrassing. As Iris investigates what happened, long-buried secrets emerge about family, power and the treatment of women.

Writing & Voice

We found O’Farrell’s writing elegant and quietly unsettling. The novel moves between different perspectives and time periods, gradually revealing the truth piece by piece. There is a restraint to the prose that makes the emotional moments hit even harder when they arrive.

Content & Perspective

The story unfolds through Iris, Esme and Kitty, whose memories are fragmented by dementia. This shifting structure allows O’Farrell to explore how families create their own versions of the past and how easily uncomfortable truths can be erased. As the pieces come together, the novel becomes both a mystery and a tragedy.

Themes

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox explores memory, identity, family loyalty and the historical treatment of women whose behaviour fell outside social expectations. It asks who gets to tell the story of a life and what happens when someone is deliberately written out of history.

What Worked

• A compelling central mystery that unfolds steadily and naturally.
• Complex family relationships filled with tension and ambiguity.
• A powerful historical backdrop that feels both specific and universal.

Minor Quibbles

• The shifting timelines require close attention.
• Some readers may wish certain revelations arrived earlier.

Final Thoughts

What stayed with us most was Esme herself. O’Farrell turns a forgotten woman into an unforgettable character, creating a novel that is both heartbreaking and quietly furious.

Rating: ★★★★★ / 5