The Disappearance of Irene Dos Santos [Paperback]

Margaret Mascarenhas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 19, 2009

Irene dos Santos disappeared at age 15. Believed to have drowned while on holiday with her best friend, Lily Martinez, her body was never found. Now, years later, she appears ghostlike in Lily's dreams, prompting a quest for the truth behind her disappearance. Mysteriously, Lily, eight-months pregnant with her first child, slips and falls on the same day that the statue of Maria Lionza, Patron Saint of their Venezuelan town, cracks in two. Confined to her bed, Lily is surrounded by her family and closest friends, who agree that a Novena to Maria Lionza will guide the baby's spirit safely into the world. Together, through their nine nights of prayer, each offers a story to entertain Lily and her baby. What emerges is a vivid picture of Venezuela during a time of revolution and uncertainty-and the unraveling of the mystery behind Irene dos Santos.



"The Disappearance of Irene Dos Santos is an intricately woven tale of love and memory from a deeply talented writer."
--- Laila Lalami, author of Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits and Secret Son

"Mascarenhas uses a 15-year-old girl's disappearance to spin a multilayered history of a Venezuelan family, incorporating folklore, political intrigue and magical realism...This family epic is immersive; no character or event is left unexplored from multiple perspectives. Indeed, the conclusion is like the final piece of an intricate puzzle." --Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her second novel, Mascarenhas (Skin) uses a 15-year-old girl's disappearance to spin a multilayered history of a Venezuelan family, incorporating folklore, political intrigue and magical realism. Charismatic and rebellious, teenage Irene Dos Santos goes missing while on vacation with her best friend, Lily Martinez, and her parents; she's introduced through Lily's meandering memories, which seem at first like a convenient exposition dump. However, Mascarenhas sticks to the shaggy dog style, passing her close third-person narration from Lily to eight other characters, including Lily's parents and a seemingly unrelated boy named Efraín. Other recurring themes tying together disparate plot strands: an underground political struggle, the legend of unofficial saint Maria Lionza, telenovela screenwriting and the act of storytelling (a Martinez family obsession). At times overwhelming in its breathless explosions of information, this family epic is immersive; no character or event is left unexplored from multiple perspectives. Indeed, the conclusion is like the final piece of an intricate puzzle. (June)
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Review

"Engaging and intricately woven....Whether dreams or real life, these are lyrical tales of love and the determination to survive in a country always on the verge of upheaval." (Booklist )

"The Disappearance of Irene Dos Santos is an intricately woven tale of love and memory from a deeply talented writer." (Laila Lalami, author of Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits and Secret Son )

"Mascarenhas uses a 15-year-old girl's disappearance to spin a multilayered history of a Venezuelan family, incorporating folklore, political intrigue and magical realism...This family epic is immersive; no character or event is left unexplored from multiple perspectives. Indeed, the conclusion is like the final piece of an intricate puzzle." (Publishers Weekly )

"In a book teeming with people, [Mascarenhas] manages to fix identities very firmly, with a fine sense of irony." (Indian Review of Books on Skin )

"This debut novel is an engrossing tale of stories within stories, myths, dreams, legends, skeletons in closets." (Elle India on Skin )

"Skin is a good book and Margaret Mascarenhas a writer whose prose has this superb ability to keep you shackled to the book to its very last page." (India Today on Skin )

"Powerfully adventurous in technique and style, intriguing and exotic in locale and history, this novel appeals to the sense like the passion flower that Mascarenhas uses metaphorically throughout the novel." (ChampagneLiving.net )

" Exploring the tangled relationships binding mothers and daughters, best friends and lovers, Mascarenhas' magical novel is inhabited by an eclectic cast of characters whose lives are inexorably altered by the missing Irene dos Santos." (BookPage.com )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Original edition (June 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446541109
• ISBN-13: 978-0446541107
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,046,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

MARGARET MASCARENHAS is a consulting editor, columnist and novelist, the author of the diasporic novel, Skin (Penguin India) and The Disappearance of Irene dos Santos (Grand Central USA)set in modern Venezuela.

An American citizen of Goan origin who grew up in Venezuela, she currently lives in Goa and is the Director of the Goa Centre for the Arts. She is working on her third novel, Just Another Car Bomb (working title) set in Beirut, as well as on collections of her columns, short stories, and poetry. She teaches creative writing to inmates at the Central Jail in Goa.

Her agent is Ellen Levine (Trident Media Group, 41 Madison Avenue, 36th Floor NY, NY 10010)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking Novel, July 12, 2009

By 

Julie Peterson "Booking Mama" (Central PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Disappearance of Irene Dos Santos (Paperback)

I have to admit that I have been procrastinating the writing of my review for THE DISAPPEARANCE OF IRENE DOS SANTOS by Margaret Mascarenhas. It was, without a doubt, a beautiful novel that I really enjoyed reading; however, I'm a little intimidated to be writing my thoughts down. I found the story to be quite interesting and the writing was fabulous, but I have a feeling that some of the nuances were lost on me. That's not to say that I didn't understand the book (or at least I think I did) but I'm not sure that I fully appreciate the blend of myth, dreams and reality that occur in some South American literature.

The minute that I finished this novel, I wanted to discuss it with someone. I wasn't sure that I totally "got it" and I had a few questions. I immediately started tweeting with Kathy (aka Bermudaonion) about her impressions, and I admit that I felt a little better after "talking" with her. Some parts of the book were very ambiguous to me, and I had my own ideas of what happened and why -- I was a little worried that I just wasn't smart enough to understand this book. After reflecting on this book for a few weeks, I realize that I did "get it" in my own way, and this book was actually written for a great deal of interpretation on the reader's part. I found myself thinking about this book for a very long time and I really do recommend it as an ideal book for discussion!

I always like it when I'm able to learn something about a book, and THE DISAPPEARANCE OF IRENE DOS SANTOS introduced a lot of new things to me. I do not have a strong background on South American history or literature, so please keep that in mind. I was not at all familiar with the icon of Maria Lionza and her cult-like status with some people in Venezuela. Maria Lionza is a mythogical Indian princess/goddess who has hundreds of thousands of followers. She is a symbol of national identity and her cult has been officially recognized by the democratic governments of Venezuela. She usually is depicted in two forms: Yara, a naked woman who is riding a tapir and holding a human pelvis or Maria, a Virgin Mary type character. I found the entire myth surrounding her and all the conflicting things she represents to be fascinating; and I thought the author did an amazing job of incorporating her as a recurring symbol throughout the novel.

I also really enjoyed learning more about the culture of Venezuela including the radio and television novellas that are so popular there. I found it very interesting that they use these basically soap operas as ways to educate and inform the viewers on topics such as health issues and social change. Again, I thought the author did a wonderful job of working these novellas into the novel; and I loved how she was able to blur the lines between reality and these stories.

If your book club enjoys reading literary fiction or South American literature, then you might want to consider choosing THE DISAPPEARANCE OF IRENE DOS SANTOS for a future meeting. One thing is for sure -- there will be a great deal to discuss; and I can pretty much promise that you are going to want to talk about this book with someone after you finish reading it! There is are some interesting features in the back of the book, including some essays as well as a reader's guide (both in English and Spanish), that will definitely enhance your discussion. (Note: I couldn't find a link to the reader's guide at this time.) Some examples of topics to discuss are: the symbolism of Maria Lionza in the novel, whether or not the characters in this novel are real or fictionalized, dreams versus reality, and the themes of revolution and resistance. It is a very deep and thought-provoking novel to say the least.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Family saga full of symbolism, June 26, 2009

By 

BermudaOnion (South Carolina) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Disappearance of Irene Dos Santos (Paperback)

Irene Dos Santos is the new girl in school and Lily has been assigned to show her around. The girls come from very different backgrounds. Irene's family is wealthy and she is given lots of freedom by her stepfather and gunrunning mother. Her mother is rarely home and she doesn't have much of a family life. Lily comes from a family that is closer to being middle class, leads a structured family life and is close to her mother. Despite their differences, the girls become best friends.

Irene is not the best influence on Lily and teaches her to French kiss when the girls are thirteen. When one of her teachers tells Lily's mother, the girl's friendship is severed and Lily is sent to a Catholic boarding school. The girls do manage to get together a few times through the years without their parents knowing about it.

A few years later, Lily is allowed to invite one friend on a family trip to the jungle. When she chooses Irene, her family reluctantly agrees. While on the trip, the girls go swimming in a lake but only Lily comes out. There is no trace of Irene anywhere, and Lily doesn't seem to have any memory of the event.

Fifteen years later, as Lily is about to give birth, she discovers an old letter from Irene and hopes to discover what happened to her old friend.

Since The Disappearance of Irene Dos Santos by Margaret Mascarenhas is full of characters and is told in a non-linear fashion from different points of view, I had some trouble getting into it. The writing is beautiful and the underlying themes of Venezuelan myths and revolution are fascinating, though, so I was quickly reeled into the story. I would like to read more about Venezuela after reading this book. The ending of the book, however, left me wanting, and kept me from totally loving the book. I did enjoy it; I just didn't love it. This book is full of symbolism and I'll readily admit that I didn't understand all of it.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great read, June 19, 2009

By 

Z. Jaffery (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Disappearance of Irene Dos Santos (Paperback)

I picked up this book just based on the great title, and I'm so glad I did. It is a gorgeously written story that blends social history with personal narrative. I was totally engrossed by this novel. I hope to read more by this author!