The Disappeared by Amy Lord is a bold tale of rebellion against a repressive regime. Clara Winter's father was disappeared by the authoritarian military regime when she was just a child. Years later, she is working at the same university where he was teaching when the government accused him of terrorism and took him away. How far is Clara willing to go to fight for her father's legacy and her own freedom?

The Disappeared is not a groundbreaking dystopian novel, but it is a quick and compelling read. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the genre.

I received this book free from NetGalley/Unbound in exchange for an honest review.

I must shamefully admit to not reading Nineteen Eighty-Four until earlier this year, but it gave me a whole new appreciation for Dystopia, much in the way watching V for Vendetta first did. (Yes, I haven't read the graphic novel yet but I will, I promise!) In many ways I think reading it now, at this moment in time for our world, made it even more relevant to me, much in the way that the release of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale is scarily well-timed. Orwell's novel continues to be an inspiration for many writers, and The Disappeared is one of those. Thanks to Unbound and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Amy Lord is not shy about the novels that inspired her novel. Whether it is Fahrenheit 451, V for Vendetta or The Handmaid's Tale, she acknowledges them within the novel as books stolen or burned. They're the books that inspired Clara's father and now inspire her. However, the novel at the heart of The Disappeared is Nineteen Eighty-Four. It is the novel Clara uses to inspire her students to quiet contemplation and from there almost open revolt. It is also the novel upon which The Disappeared is very clearly based and having only just read Orwell's masterpiece myself, the comparison didn't do Lord a lot of favours.

The premise of The Disappeared is strong. In a post-Brexit UK, a new government has established itself after terrorist attacks makes the general populace more fearful and therefore easier to control. Certain books have been banned and only government-approved writing makes it to the public. Clara's father is arrested after it is discovered he has a library stock-full of banned books. His arrest is a traumatic event for the young Clara, further intensified by the fact that the one doing the arresting becomes her step-father. Now an adult and professor in literature herself, Clara convinces her partner Simon to teach their students the truth. This decision brings with it consequences she may not be ready to face. I can't share more without spoiling, of course, but for those aware of Nineteen Eighty-Four there won't be many surprises. As I said, I liked the premise of The Disappeared and Amy Lord makes a number of interesting choices, but overall her novel suffers from weak dialogue and odd twists and turns. Clara is hard to understand at times. She seemingly makes her choices out of conviction, but then backtracks on them immediately. Her trauma in regards to her father is pushed to the extreme, making it almost uncomfortable at times. And the novel ends on an odd note that feels out of touch.

This is Amy Lord's first novel and that may explain some of the weaknesses of The Disappeared. The dialogue often falls flat or feels too casual for the tone of the novel. Characters aren't fully fleshed out, which means some of their actions seem out of character. There is also no clear timeline for the novel, which meant that for me some things happened surprisingly quickly, while others happened incredibly slowly. There are also some rather graphic violence in the novel, which actually grounded the novel quite well, explaining what was at stake for Clara and the other characters. One of the things that really interested me about The Disappeared, however, was how Lord doesn't just give us Clara's point of view, but also gives us a look into Major Jackson, the man who arrested her father, married her mother and now becomes her enemy as well. We see his disillusionment with his own job, as well as his disappointment in himself and the regime he supports. I would have really liked to see this worked out more. Lord did excel at the descriptions in her novel, creating some imaginative and memorable moments which were very promising. Overall I am interested to see what Amy Lord comes out with next.

The Disappeared captured my interest, even if it didn't always manage to hold on to it. Amy Lord set herself a hard task by trying to follow in the footsteps of Orwell and others, but there are some great moments in The Disappeared which hold promise.

Thank you to NetGalley and Unbound Digital for this ARC!

It pains me to say, but I truly could not finish this book. I requested it because I am a big fan of dystopian novels, and ones about books tend to pique my interest even more. But this novel is just not a good one for this genre, at least for me. I felt that the writing was very rushed, and that none of the characters were relatable. Clara and Simon's relationship moves insanely quickly, with no background, and the whole daddy issues plot was just off putting for me. I couldn't connect with the writing at all unfortunately, and there are too many other, better books that I want to spend my time reading.

The Disappeared is a dystopian novel by Amy Lord that is sure to give readers vibes of 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, without being derivative. Lord's written the book about the war on books for 2019.

Clara's father was taken away from her because of his teaching banned books to students. Following in her father's footsteps, Clara begins a resistance movement of her own. The question is what will the consequences be, and is her pursuit worth the risk.

Some readers may be put off by how prescient this dystopian novel feels - as in not quite far enough removed from reality. That, however, is what makes it important. It's a book for lovers of books and those who wish to protect the power of books.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Set in the U.K in the near future, Clara is haunted by the arrest of her father, Matthew, by agents of the Authorisation Bureau and Major Darius Jackson. He has disappeared.

Major Jackson becomes besotted by Clara’s mother, Lucia and to keep her family safe, she has her marriage to Matthew annulled and marries Darius. A violent, evil man to say the least.

The government controls what books can be read, or taught, that free thinking is dangerous and so just owning banned books is enough to be arrested.

As Clara grows, literature is her passion and like her father, she becomes a teacher. She meets and falls in love with Simon, and together they begin teaching a few select students from the banned books…will they be found out? Or will they too disappear?

This is a fraught, dystopian tale (reminiscent of George Orwell’s 1984, which does get a mention) that feels all too real in the current political climate of ‘fake’ news and hate.

This is full of fear, violence and tension, but also love and hope. Compelling and disconcerting writing by Amy Lord. A thought provoking read… I loved every minute…..

Thank you to The Author and NetGalley for a free ecopy of the book in exchange for my honest, unbiased review

"The Disappeared" is the "Nineteen Eighty-Four" for a new millennium. This dystopian novel takes place in a city in which most books are banned, most technology is banned, and a brutal government rules with an iron fist.

College professor Clare has experienced more loss than most since the new government took control. Her father was dragged out of their home and imprisoned for breaking the rules when Clara was a kid. Now, she struggles with teaching literature to college students when most literature is banned. When Clare decides to do what she thinks is right, her entire world changes.

This novel is powerful, scary, and frankly it seems not very far-fetched. I highly recommend it.

Wow. Just wow. Just finished this morning. I found this troubling - in a good, thought provoking way, so had to stop early on to gather myself and come back to it. One bonus was that I could fly through the chapters! I’m not quite sure it was what I expected from the blurb, but the story actually surpassed my expectations and I absolutely loved it. The writing is so captivating and the story - and the thought of this happening here in the UK - really hooked me. The moral questions this poses about who decides what is ‘good’ - terrorist vs freedom fighter - really does make me think carefully about the current political climate which, sadly, may make this fiction a reality sooner rather than later. Fantastic work Amy and I sincerely hope this flies off the shelves. Thanks as always to Pigeonhole for the read.

I’m actually a fan of Unbound Publishing. Normally I might be somewhat questioning the quality control of self (kinda sorta) published work, especially one supported by fans, I’ve had enough experience on GR alone with rabid fans of crappy authors and books, but…something about Unbound really works and well. The quality of their books is consistently on par with major publishers and this book is no exception. To be fair, I would have wanted to read it even if it didn’t come from Unbound, because I love, love, love a good dystopian story. And actually that’s what you get here…a good dystopian story. Maybe all the more so (major kudos to the author) by not taking the well trodden road of reproduction related situations and instead going straight for the bleak totalitarian sort of tale straight out of the much mentioned within the book Orwell. I mean, I read a lot of dystopias and can’t even think the last time a female author wrote one that didn’t have something to do with baby making. Which isn’t to say it isn’t an important subject, it is a huge important subject, especially in the present political climate. But books don’t seem to be having any effect there, are they? No matter how magnificent Atwood’s long awaited sequel might be or a myriad other books in the same vein, things seem only to be getting consistently crappier for women’s rights (at least in this new America made great), so why not have some reading variety at least. And anyway, this book takes place in Britain. Another country that used to be great. In this fictional near future military junta took over and instilled a brutal regime straight out of Stalin (or insert a socialist dictator of your choice) playbook. People are forced to live in fear and privation, their basic freedoms oppressed and basic rights denied. It is in this forbidding political climate that a college teacher, who father was disappeared by the government years ago, decides it’s time to make a difference by educating the young minds in her charge. She enlists the assistance of her partner, a fellow teacher, but whether for one or for two, the undertaking is still much too dangerous, especially when there is a renegade guerilla group making a stand of its own against the powers that be. And on top of it all, the man who arrested, disappeared and replaced father is no other than a Major within the Authorization Bureau and its most feared and brutal interrogator. So the entire time this daring act of defiance is as terrifying and claustrophobic and the world that inspired it. It creates for great dramatic suspense, the characters are interesting and well developed, nuanced even, especially the terrible Major. The ending seemed slightly rushed, but worked. For a novel with a fairly straight forward black and white premise, there are terrific moments of moral complexity, such as the casual indifference to the value of individual lives displayed (horrifyingly enough) by both side. Something about the end justifying the means and all the heavy implications of that. But the main protagonists carry a finely tuned moral compass and strive, always, for the greater good. Because, of course, evil is what takes place when good people do nothing. So yeah, read this book and find out how it all plays out. Read it to contemplate modern politics that are all too often stranger than fiction. Read it simply because it’s a powerhouse of a story about a frighteningly plausible future. One that was and is a reality in some areas of the world today. Really good book and a most auspicious debut. Not to mention a refreshingly gender neutral estrogen free work of dystopian fiction. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

I liked the Disappeared, but did not love it. It was a good solid premise, and I liked Clara. Her relationship with her mother, Simon and Will were all well done. The author also had me hating her stepfather, and he had few (if any) redeeming qualities. But it felt a bit rushed at parts, and there were times when I went, "Wait a minute, why are you being so careless?" There is an all powerful and corrupt government that is not following rebels when they're being obvious, a teacher teaching forbidden subjects, and Clara is often wandering to meet people she shouldn't be meeting and not being cautious. It also ends with a rescue that made me go, "Oh well of course," and things get tied up a bit too neatly. But like I said, I liked it. I appreciated the opportunity to read this through Netgalley!

This book calls on dystopian classics like 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, and while it's not quite up there with Ray Bradbury it did do an effective job of evoking what it might be like to live in that kind of authoritarian society. It was nice to have a dystopian work set in England, as most deal with America as their subject. Especially in our current political climate, it was easy to see how the author was signalling this as a potential future. While the main story was engaging, I did feel there was a lack of depth to it - I would have liked more information or back story about how the dictatorship came to be (what there was felt quite expository) and I would also have liked to hear from more characters - perhaps someone from the Lumiere group as a POV, for example. This may have been a purposeful move by the author though, as it very much felt like we were landed in the regime without much information, which is presumably how the characters were meant to feel. However, I did think that the Major's POV lacked balance - it felt like the author was trying to get us to sympathise with him in places, but without giving us a back story he just landed as pure evil, which hardly anyone ever actually is. Overall I enjoyed the book - to be honest most of my criticism is that I'd just have liked more time in the world!

I actually enjoyed this book. It was interesting. The main character is CLara and she lives with her family with this dystopian world that's impoverished and militarized. Her father gets arrested one day because he owned a private collection of books. From that point, persecution becomes a big stress for them, There;s referral to 1984 in this book.
I liked the writing, the idea and characters. I wish events and characters were a bit more fleshed out, but overall I enjoyed this book.

Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine a book that combines Fahrenheit 451, 1984 and Children of Men, that’s what this book reminded me of, my only complaint is that in a world full of failing politics I’m not sure I want to escape to more politics, good read though