Jessica
What happens if you can randomly disappear without a trace? That is the state the world is in, in the book Absence. People are popping, also known as Spontaneous Human Absence. The only thing you hear before a person disappears is a loud pop, and then they are gone. This has caused chaos, including cults, mass suicides, and an uptick in murders and kidnappings. However, one of the people who is trying to control the chaos is Harvey Ellis, who works night shift for the Bureau of Depopulation Affairs. It is a government agency that investigates people who are believed to be Absence. If they are truly Absence, the Absence’s remainders get government stipends in an effort to boost morale in the country.
One day, Harvey is given an unexpected assignment: a claim of a Return. In Dawnville, Kansas, a woman who was thought to be Absent is claiming to have returned from the void. She is spreading the word that there is a life after popping. However, can Harvey truly trust the story the woman is spreading, or is she just another rising prophet looking for a flock? Harvey and his partner, Shonda, head to Dawnville to find out.
How would people randomly disappearing out of existence change society? It is an interesting concept that the novel explores. Being alone is considered a dangerous option. If you are alone and you pop, no one would know. There would be no way to tell if you disappeared of your own volition, kidnapped, or popped. It causes people instead to use monitoring systems on themselves so they can constantly update loved ones of their continued existence.
It was also interesting to see how technology changed during this. Transportation had to be automated, including planes, trains, buses, and cars, because if someone popped, there would be no one to control the vehicle. There are still transportation systems that could be run manually, but you couldn’t work it alone. You have to travel at least in pairs.
There is also the concept of a skeptic versus a believer. With people continuously disappearing at a rapid rate with no end in sight, people are looking for answers. In the book, Harvey came across a person who worshipped every known religion just in case one of them would prevent him from popping. In regard to the current case that Harvey is on, he constantly fights with Shonda over the woman who claims that she returned from the void. Harvey desperately wants to believe the woman because there is hope in her story that there is something beyond the popping. However, Shonda believes that the returned woman is pulling the wool over their eyes. The constant back and forth throughout the book illustrates the hope we put on people, especially when it is dealing with the unknown.
One of the things that I found fascinating in the book is how religion changed. People understand the concept of death, but how do you explain the concept of sudden disappearance? Do you treat it like a death or something unexplained? In the book, many different religions are explored. Some new religions are created to explain Absence. Cults had an uprising. Religions like the Catholic Church splinter off into smaller groups, not liking the original teachings. It is interesting to see people’s faith shaken and looking for answers anywhere they can get them. It is more about what makes a person feel safe versus what is right or wrong.
Overall, I really like the book. It makes you wonder how you feel safe in a world where you could randomly disappear without any warning, whether it's through community, religion, or technology. In the spirit of the book, I have the following question: How would you continue to live life with people randomly disappearing out of existence?
Originally posted at jdavismallory.substack.com.
What happens if you can randomly disappear without a trace? That is the state the world is in, in the book Absence. People are popping, also known as Spontaneous Human Absence. The only thing you hear before a person disappears is a loud pop, and then they are gone. This has caused chaos, including cults, mass suicides, and an uptick in murders and kidnappings. However, one of the people who is trying to control the chaos is Harvey Ellis, who works night shift for the Bureau of Depopulation Affairs. It is a government agency that investigates people who are believed to be Absence. If they are truly Absence, the Absence’s remainders get government stipends in an effort to boost morale in the country.
One day, Harvey is given an unexpected assignment: a claim of a Return. In Dawnville, Kansas, a woman who was thought to be Absent is claiming to have returned from the void. She is spreading the word that there is a life after popping. However, can Harvey truly trust the story the woman is spreading, or is she just another rising prophet looking for a flock? Harvey and his partner, Shonda, head to Dawnville to find out.
How would people randomly disappearing out of existence change society? It is an interesting concept that the novel explores. Being alone is considered a dangerous option. If you are alone and you pop, no one would know. There would be no way to tell if you disappeared of your own volition, kidnapped, or popped. It causes people instead to use monitoring systems on themselves so they can constantly update loved ones of their continued existence.
It was also interesting to see how technology changed during this. Transportation had to be automated, including planes, trains, buses, and cars, because if someone popped, there would be no one to control the vehicle. There are still transportation systems that could be run manually, but you couldn’t work it alone. You have to travel at least in pairs.
There is also the concept of a skeptic versus a believer. With people continuously disappearing at a rapid rate with no end in sight, people are looking for answers. In the book, Harvey came across a person who worshipped every known religion just in case one of them would prevent him from popping. In regard to the current case that Harvey is on, he constantly fights with Shonda over the woman who claims that she returned from the void. Harvey desperately wants to believe the woman because there is hope in her story that there is something beyond the popping. However, Shonda believes that the returned woman is pulling the wool over their eyes. The constant back and forth throughout the book illustrates the hope we put on people, especially when it is dealing with the unknown.
One of the things that I found fascinating in the book is how religion changed. People understand the concept of death, but how do you explain the concept of sudden disappearance? Do you treat it like a death or something unexplained? In the book, many different religions are explored. Some new religions are created to explain Absence. Cults had an uprising. Religions like the Catholic Church splinter off into smaller groups, not liking the original teachings. It is interesting to see people’s faith shaken and looking for answers anywhere they can get them. It is more about what makes a person feel safe versus what is right or wrong.
Overall, I really like the book. It makes you wonder how you feel safe in a world where you could randomly disappear without any warning, whether it's through community, religion, or technology. In the spirit of the book, I have the following question: How would you continue to live life with people randomly disappearing out of existence?
Originally posted at jdavismallory.substack.com.