'Acts of Violet': A famed magician vanishes midact. Can those left behind solve the mystery?
Author Margarita Montimore follows up her 2020 breakout novel "Oona Out of Order" with the equally imaginative and slightly more complicated "Acts of Violet" (Flatiron, 336 pp., ★★★ out of four, out now). While "Oona" is a deep dive into our own identities, "Violet" is a glimpse into the lives of others.
Legendary yet reclusive illusionist Violet Volk hasn't been seen for 10 years since vanishing midact, and the anniversary of her disappearance is upon her small hometown of Willow Glen, New Jersey. Will the famed magician, pop culture darling and self-help author finally reappear and make a triumphant return to her legion of fans and family? The town is filled with a cast of characters invested in her reappearance.
More: Review: Margarita Montimore's 'Oona Out of Order' puts delightful slant on the age-swap genre
There is Violet's sister Sasha, who has been seen by many as either a victim or villain when it comes to her sister's disappearance, along with her husband Gabe and their daughter Quinn. There is podcaster Cameron Frank, whose podcast Strange Exits delves into Violet's life and disappearance through interviews with her ex-husband, former friends and colleagues – and, he hopes, Sasha.
Montimore focuses on Frank, who wants to get an interview with Sasha and the stories of both Sasha and her sister Violet. Violet's story is pieced together through podcast episodes, newspaper interviews, magazine articles, emails and the recollections of those she left behind. Sasha's story is told through her experiences and memories in the week leading up to Violet's memorial. Frank is attempting to recreate Violet's life while trying to be let into Sasha's.
The chapters alternate between stories, emails and missives about Violet and the podcast, and Sasha's day to day. The patchwork way in which the story is told makes for a quick read. Sasha is dead set against appearing on the Strange Exits podcast. Questions about whether Violet will return after all these years appear to get in the way of Sasha and her family finding some kind of closure. And it seems that Sasha's expectations of Violet and the town's expectations of Sasha are diametrically opposed.
The book's depth is revealed by what at first feels like a shallow dive into each woman's life. What the definitive story of an individual is – is hard to say. Is it what we say our story is or is it a culmination of experiences told by others? Or a mixture of both? Should we project our own expectations on others while asking others to not project their own on us fair?
Montimore's novel is a combination of those questions, which the reader is left to contemplate long after the novel's end.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Acts of Violet': Margarita Montimore surprises with fresh twists
