Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance

How does Espach’s use of a second-person narrative addressed to a deceased character transform the conventional bildungsroman structure to explore memory and identity formation in the wake of trauma?

Examine the relationship between Sally and Billy and the ways it demonstrates The Intersection Between Love, Guilt, and Shared Trauma. How does their shared and secret guilt over Kathy’s death function as both the foundation of their profound intimacy and the primary obstacle to their future together?

Trace the motif of water throughout the novel, analyzing how Espach uses the town pool, the ocean at Watch Hill, and Hurricane Kathy to chart the progression of Sally’s grief and her relationship with Billy.