The Artist Vanishes by Terry Westby-Nunn

​    What initially appears to be yet another thriller is actually a first rate literary novel, albeit one with a mystery at its center.
    The Artist in the title is Sophie Tugiers, someone who becomes famous, positively notorious for controversial exhibits and then becomes notorious, positively infamous for being named as the culprit in the death of one of her subjects.
    But first Sophie was a nobody, a proverbial (though not quite) starving artist dreaming of fame and fortune. Then she got a huge corporate sponsorship and sold out. Because, of course, she did. The carrot is front of her was just too irresistible.
    Then Sophie was bathing in all the recognition, adulation and prestige.
     And then the waters got murky. Morally challenging. Complex. Messy. And so she completed the title and vanished.
     So a classic three act story in a way.
And then there’s James. A man who unwittingly stays in Sophie’s old apartment and, through his daughter who is a fan, becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Sophie. James is a washed up and tired documentary maker, freshly divorced and drinking about it. Sophie, in a way, becomes a road to redemption for him. Even if he doesn’t find her, he might just find himself, buried somewhere underneath all that booze and self pity.
     So a very compelling drama, albeit with many thriller presets, such as split timeline, plot twists, etc.
     What really makes the book is its commentary or, more accurately, its indictment of the art scene. But also it mediates on the high cost of fame, selling out, the near impossibility of maintaining personal integrity in a scene that has very strict rules and conditions for its love. There  is a fascinating intersectionality of art and social commentary, not just in Sophie’s art, but in the novel’s themes. The fleeting attention spans or the easily distracted, the quick to snap blame finger. There’s plenty of food for thought here.
    The South African setting is a welcome bonus too. I love reading internationally whenever possible. Took me a moment to appreciate the ending, but it worked well.
      I don’t know if I especially connected with any of the players here, but a good book doesn’t actually require that. If the characters are well rendered and developed, it’s more than enough. So really it is a testament to the quality of writing that one can enjoy this book without necessarily emotionally engaging with either Sophie or James. Which is to say…good read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.