The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

Kitty states that she doesn’t know the date of her parents’ wedding, but she does know they married in India. She took something that belonged to someone else, perhaps her mother’s wedding dress, but her memory is unclear. Kitty’s husband Duncan purchases her an eternity ring, which symbolizes the birth of a child. The novel cuts to the past, as Kitty remembers the day her family posed for a portrait. Kitty spends hours dressing and is disappointed that she must stand behind Esme, who must be seated in a chair due to her height. When the portrait is returned, Esme’s mother refuses to display it, claiming Esme ruined the photo with her scowling expression. Kitty remembers her mother allowing the sisters to try on her wedding gown. Since Esme is tall, the dress doesn’t suit her, but it fits Kitty perfectly and her mother says she could wear it on her wedding day. Kitty also recalls a day in India when Esme suddenly screamed. She claims, “There was always something, always some reason, however strange, with her, but you couldn’t have guessed what it would be” (144). Still, Kitty notes that Esme always loved to make her laugh. As she stretches out her hand, Kitty says she can no longer see her ring and calls out to the nurse in her room, who doesn’t answer.