Disappearing Act

July 3, 2023
A white and Jewish teen struggles to cultivate her own identity after her father is imprisoned in this striking verse memoir by Castle (All His Breakable Things, for adults). Thirteen-year-old Jiordan Castle’s father is arrested for involvement in “a conspiracy to defraud the United States” the summer before her freshman year of high school. Through lyrical text, Castle highlights the pain felt and challenges faced by her two older half sisters, her mother, and herself after the FBI raids her home searching for her father. Carefully worded poems depict Castle’s everyday insecurities—such as high school conflicts and difficulty navigating her first romantic relationship—alongside concerns about her father’s safety in prison (“In movies they say don’t drop the soap./ They say sleep with one eye open”). Though rendered primarily in verse, the novel features varied narrative formats, including redacted poems that emphasize the absences Castle feels in her life: “I’m trying to hide this story in plain sight. I’m trying to fill in the blanks.” This moving account is an intense meditation on mental health and the prison system, as observed by Castle, who, according to an author’s note, crafted this story “for the other children of
prisoners.” Ages 12–up. Agent: Ashley Lopez, Waxman Literary.

July 15, 2023
Poet Castle's father was first imprisoned for fraud when she was 12, leaving her burdened with a heavy secret. Jiordan deals with the significant fallout of her father's actions while also navigating the usual challenges of adolescence--starting high school, struggling with more advanced schoolwork, dating for the first time, and making sense of changing social dynamics. She must sell many of her most prized belongings when her family moves to a smaller house. Jiordan worries about her father's physical safety and grapples with feelings of relief that she, her mother, and her older half sisters no longer have to contend with his pill-popping, suicidality, and cruelty. The author, who is white and Jewish, grew up on Long Island. She mentions in her author's note that for years she sought books for kids whose parents were in prison but could not find them; she wrote this verse memoir to help fill that void. The abrupt ending will leave readers with many questions about Castle's current relationship with her father, later pursuits, process of healing and making sense of her childhood, and more. However, her accessible poetry is appealing. The occasional use of blank lines in place of words asks readers to guess what she is trying to say, bringing them into the narrative in an interesting way. All in all, verse is an unusual and rewarding format for telling this story. Thoughtfully recounts the challenges of growing up with an incarcerated parent. (Verse memoir. 12-18)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from June 1, 2023
Grades 8-11 *Starred Review* Looking back on her early teen years, Castle (All His Breakable Things, 2020) explores--from practical and emotional perspectives and with plenty of introspection--the events around her father's arrest and incarceration. Told through compelling and accessible verse, Disappearing Act primarily offers young Castle's perspective, though occasionally sees adult Castle speak to her younger self. Alongside thoughtful dissection of her feelings around her father's actions and consequences, the text also dips into consideration of her Jewish background. Caught between her parents, Castle often heightens tension by describing her role as a middleman in their interactions, as well as her sisters' relative absences. In an author's note, Castle describes her motivation for writing the book being in part about offering representation and reflection for the many children of incarcerated parents. In this, she's a success, offering enough detail to be true to her story while still presenting the view of a child who does not know or understand the specifics of her parent's crimes. Meanwhile, Castle explores her interest in writing as an art, much like Robin Ha uses art as a mental way out of her circumstances in Almost American Girl (2020). Fans of Jennette McCurdy's I'm Glad My Mom Died (2022) will also appreciate this candid memoir of a parent-child relationship.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2023

Gr 8 Up-Castle's memoir in verse focuses on her father's incarceration for fraud. The narrative moves back and forth from the formation of her family to their current life. Of her father's bizarre and erratic behavior and its impact on her family, she writes, "For so long I've thought of my dad at the center of our home planet-navigating the rough realities of his moods and medications." Buoyed by her best friend, Maya, Castle navigates the changes to her family. Selling their home: "[A]nd my mom says simply, we can't afford to keep our house." Her father's suicide attempt: "There was no envelope left for my sisters or me." Even in prison, her father shadows her life with tense phone calls and prison visits, creating a constant low-level dread in the background of their lives. Castle feels jealous when Maya spends time with their mutual friends, fearful of losing her strongest advocate. When Castle starts dating Chris, this adds tension to her relationship with Maya. The text makes good use of white space. Some poems are written with blank lines in the sentences that readers can fill in with their own thoughts. The author's note provides more background on the timing of these events and why Castle wrote her story. VERDICT An interesting narrative about the impact of incarceration on a middle-class family as well as an examination of the author's various relationships. A good general purchase.-Tamara Saarinen

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.