How to Disappear

You want to disappear from society; you want to erase yourself. When your mediocre life in Bondi forces you to contemplate your own insignificance, escaping seems like the perfect fix— especially when your past isn’t even worth remembering. But after travelling from paradise to paradise, stealing things that aren’t yours and rejecting things that are, you come to realize that no one can hide from ghosts, not even you. You hate yourself. You will also come to find that you love yourself. It is merely a matter of accepting your roots. Written entirely in second person by debut author Bruna Gomes, How to Disappear follows a nineteen-year-old girl, ‘You,’ as she loses her job, robs her friend, ditches her ex-boyfriend, and on a whim, catches a flight to New York City. She’s a thief haunted by ghosts. No matter where she goes, she feels the past chasing after her—until she finally learns to accept herself. In this cyclical voyage common to teens everywhere, filled with death, tears, and haircuts, love becomes something so foreign, yet so familiar, that it’s hard—yet not impossible—to grasp.

At 18 years of age, Bruna Gomes is already an award-winning writer. How to Disappear is her debut novel. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia. She has received awards in various Sydney-based writing competitions, including the 2020 Mosman Youth Awards in Literature, and runner up in the Northern Beaches Young Writers Competition. When Bruna isn't writing, she enjoys traveling, reading, and time at the beach.