'When just the right things come together, there is always a bit of magic. And when just the wrong combination of things do, there is tragedy.'

When Aila and her brother are sent to stay with her deceased mother's oldest friend they think they are going to find refuge. What they find instead is a town beset by a curse, and a population sure that their mother has something to do with it.

Every seven years something goes missing in this town: the stars, reflections, the ability to dream, the sound of music... And it is the eve of another 'disappearance'. As Aila struggles to find out what is happening, she finds that the truth is the answer to the town's woes, and facing that is where the future lies.

Set in the midst of a teenaged girl's mourning over the recent loss of her mother, The Disappearances is a mystery made up of literary clues, a mother's buried secrets, and a seven-year curse. Most of all, it is a story about finding beauty, hope, and magic in the world after losing someone to death - the most formidable Disappearance of all.