The Unavoidability of the Past

Author Kate Moretti argues that the past cannot be avoided forever in The Vanishing Year. The past is very much a part of one’s life in the present, no matter how much one tries to suppress the past or hide from it. Zoe’s entire present life is predicated on hiding from the past, but she must eventually come to face that past.

In the past, Zoe was abandoned as a baby at the hospital, only later to be adopted by Evelyn. Following Evelyn’s death, Zoe dropped out of college, fell in with Mick, did and sold drugs, and then later turned witness for the state to break up a child sex ring. For this, Zoe was kidnapped and beaten, only to later go into hiding to avoid having anything to do with her past – though she did not actually...