The Disappeared

An Argentine family is ripped apart by the country’s Dirty War in Sanford’s memorable debut. In 1976, Buenos Aires housewife Lorena Ledesma and her husband are kidnapped and tortured by the military junta, leaving behind their toddler son, Matías, to be raised by Lorena’s mother, Esme. As Esme’s efforts to track down her daughter and son-in-law prove futile, she’s wracked with sadness and desperation but no less resilient, and a few months later, she joins an underground group dedicated to discovering the whereabouts of missing children taken by the government. She soon learns her daughter gave birth to a girl named Ana while imprisoned, igniting a desire to unite Matías with the sister he’s never met. A parallel narrative set in 2005 New York City follows Rachel Sprague, 28, who was raised in the U.S. by adoptive parents and is shocked to learn she was born in South America. With the help of her adoptive parents, she searches for records of her birth family and learns about the impact of the Dirty War. As Sanford links the story lines, she portrays Rachel’s cathartic discoveries in commanding and poetic prose. It’s a resonant and historically rich tale. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds Literary. (July)