The Vanishing [Hardcover]

Tim Krabbe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 24, 1993

When Saskia Ehlvest, a young Dutch girl, disappears from a rest stop along a highway in rural France, her lover, Rex Hofmann, cannot accept her disappearance and embarks on an obsessive search for her that spans years. Movie tie-in. 20,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Published in the Netherlands in 1984, this devastating exercise in psychological horror was the basis for an acclaimed Dutch film and a recent American remake that may have prompted the novel's long-overdue publication in English. Veteran Dutch author Krabbe works with an economy that only reinforces the terror inspired by his scarifying tale. En route from Holland to a vacation in the South of France, freelance writer Rex Hofman and his girlfriend Saskia Ehlvest bicker, make up and stop at a gas station, where Saskia goes to get soft drinks and never returns. Eight years later, Rex is engaged to be married, though he still feels helpless and desolated and remains obsessed with the disappearance. Almost halfway through the book, Krabbe introduces Frenchman Raymond Lemorne, a married high school teacher whose attempts to abduct a young woman are shown but not explained. Responding to ads placed by Rex in French newspapers, Lemorne first writes and then visits the bereaved man, using Rex's by-now-crazed curiosity to lure him to France. The decidedly unhappy ending makes use of a shocking twist. The portrait of Lemorne, who shoots two teenage campers to death then calmly resumes his role as an indulgent paterfamilias, is a chilling study of the banality of evil. This deceptively simple novel packs a wallop that will send readers reeling. Author tour.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In this finely wrought short novel, Dutch author Krabbe captures the texture of nightmares. A couple motoring in southern France stop at a roadside station; the woman heads off to the ladies' room. The man never sees her again. Years later, a stranger approaches him. The stranger admits to kidnapping her; he promises to show what happened to her if the young man puts himself in the stranger's hand. The evolution of the kidnapper from normality to madness is skillfully depicted; family and neighbors detect no hint of the monster he has become. This is a cunningly efficient tale of obsession, told in a flat, disinterested tone that makes the horror it narrates all the more chilling. A good Dutch film was made from this story; an American remake with Jeff Bridges and Kiefer Sutherland has just appeared. Recommended for general collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 12/92.
- David Keymer, California State Univ., Stanislaus
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 108 pages
• Publisher: Random House; First US Edition edition (August 24, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067941973x
• ISBN-13: 978-0679419730
• ASIN: 067941973X
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,418,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful and disturbing masterpiece, March 9, 2003

By 

Geert Daelemans (Leuven Belgium) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Vanishing (Hardcover)

Rex Hofmann and his girlfriend Saskia Ehlvest, a young Dutch couple, are on their way to the South of France. At a Fina gas station they stop to stretch their legs and have something to drink. Waiting for his girlfriend to return, Rex decides to take a picture of the gas station. He does not know that this picture will be the only clue as to what happened to Saskia at that same moment. Years later he still cannot comprehend her disappearance and embarks on an obsessive search for her.

This rather short story has a really sharp edge to it. The very well written plot builds up to suspenseful finale, where the reader is enticed to a dance with his own conscience: Can not knowing the truth become an obsession that drives you to the extreme? One thing is certain: this story will not leave your mind easily. It is a disturbing little bugger, but one you cannot but love for its genuineness.

This novella, written in 1984 by the Dutch writer Tim Krabbe, is titled "Het gouden ei" (The Golden Egg) and has been made into a Dutch movie "Spoorloos" (Untraceable) in 1988. This movie is sometimes even more disturbing that the original story, because the scenario, also written by Tim, is more elaborate and the characters seem to have obtained more depth. In 1993 an American remake "The Vanishing" was created, starring Jeff Bridges, Kiefer Sutherland, Nancy Travis and Sandra Bullock. But, believe me: you better skip this monster of a movie.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A suspenseful tale about obsession..., May 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Vanishing (Hardcover)

The book, The Vanishing, is a gripping, easy to read story about the formation of intense obsession and how it drives two men in their separate quests. Rex Hofman is a man who is deeply obsessed with trying to find out what happened to his girlfriend, who disappeared at a gas station during their vacation. This obsession is fueled by the intense need to know what happened to her, and it takes over his life, making it impossible for him to maintain relationships with other women. Raymond Lemorne, on the other hand, is a seemingly normal family man who wants to determine the extent of his evilness. When the obsessions of these men bring them together, the ending produced is unforgettable and truly disturbing. It is a unique ending for those who are tired of the predictability that is found in many suspense stories and it explores the limits of how far one will go to find the truth.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite Dutch book, February 15, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Holland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vanishing (Hardcover)

Krabbe wrote an amazing, unorthodox story. The book is one of the most horrifying I ever read, but at the same time it's a beautiful love story. A real pageturner and something to think about. One can really empathize in the main character's feelings. When he's about to make a deal with the 'devil', the reader feels the same dilemma: take the risk and find out the truth, or live in the agony of ignorance. But in fact there is no other choice than to turn to the next page.