Ways to Disappear Summary
Idra Novey

Ways to Disappear Overview

Ways to Disappear is a novel by Idra Novey. It is told in a linear fashion with a frequently changing point of view. Its main protagonist, Emma Neufeld, is a professor and translator who goes to Brazil after an author named Beatriz Yagoda disappears. Emma is Beatriz’s friend and an American translator. Working with Beatriz’s son and daughter, Emma searches for Beatriz. Beatriz appears to have fled from a loan shark from whom she borrowed exorbitant amounts of money to finance her gambling addiction. Ways to Disappear explores themes of love, family, literature, danger, and personal fulfillment.