The Vanishing of Margaret Small: An uplifting and page-turning mystery

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Marga was an incredibly principled and ethical person, and we often had long discussions about the human implications of some seemingly-arbitrary piece of bureaucracy, and would bring our problems to each other to talk through and solve. She did many years of unglamorous but highly important work on the university’s ethics committee, considering the ethical implications of research projects across a whole range of areas, and I can’t think of anybody better qualified to have weighed in on these matters. Marga supported me informally but invaluably through things like promotion applications, study leave applications, and grant applications, but we often made time to talk about non-work topics, such as classical music (a shared love), our families, politics, anything and everything really. When I recently took up choral singing again after a long break, Marga and Joel made the trek from Rugby to hear our performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in Lichfield Cathedral, and when Richard Cust retired after more than 40 years in the History Department, it was Marga who invited the early modernists to a pre-Christmas gathering at her house. As a natural introvert, I was full of admiration for Marga when she told me how happy she was to have recently moved into her and Joel’s grand new home in Rugby, because she’d always wanted to have enough space to have the kind of welcoming home where anybody in need could feel as though they were welcome to just stop by unannounced: and she certainly put this into practice, offering support to friends and their children in difficult circumstances, and of course hosting a Ukrainian family following the Russian invasion in 2022.

In recent years, especially since the pandemic, our paths crossed less frequently. When we did meet, she was invariably the most rewarding of companions: always interesting and interested, perceptive, generous and kind. I regret not seeing her more often, and deeply regret all those future conversations we’ll never have. I cannot imagine what her family must be going through, and I send them all my most heartfelt sympathies.Publishing director Jane Snelgrove acquired world English language rights from Rowan Lawton at the Soho Agency, along with a second work, with The Vanishing of Margaret Small scheduled for publication in October 2022 and the latter for spring 2023.

Marga was also an extremely dedicated and inspirational teacher, who delighted in taking her students (and, indeed, her colleagues) on amazing, virtual voyages to worlds long gone. That one of Marga’s modules was called ‘Piracy, Plunder, Peoples and Exploitation: English Exploration in the Tudor Period’, conveys something of her ability to capture the imagination of students while also provoking deep thought around historical injustice and its continued presence in the world today.It is no surprise that it was often to Marga that we turned for Admissions talks to prospective students, a task she relished and delivered with characteristic aplomb to hundreds of young historians-in-training at open days and visit days. I wont tell you why and how long Margaret ended up in the children’s institution but the way this aspect is incorporated into the plot is marvellous. It isn’t a case of writing a character with a disability just to fit in with the current trend in fiction but forgetting to use it after some casual mentions. On the contrary, the author thoughtfully makes use of this aspect of Margaret’s personality in almost every chapter. A wonderful book that everyone should read. And please don't forget to read the author's note at the end. It is enlightening. All in all, this is a book that is heartrending and heartwarming at the same time. If you want to read the touching story of a loveable old lady, definitely give this a go.

LoveReading Says

A tender, thought-provoking and totally gripping novel from a wonderful storyteller…deserves to be a huge hit!’– Matt Cain, author of The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle Imagine also my surprise when I discovered that this is a debut work. It is far more complex and nuanced than many of the established works I have read. In a Nutshell: An unusual story. The title and cover makes this debut novel appear light and easy-going, but it gets quite intense at times. Definitely worth reading for its quirky protagonist and its character-oriented storyline. Marga was one of the first people I met on campus when I moved here from the US in 2016. She was kind then and was consistently so throughout the time I knew her, even when my mood or personality does not always invite kindness. I work with my door open and Marga would pass it on the way to her office. Increasingly over the last couple of years, she would stop in just to say hi and we would chat about work or family. She was so proud of her children, who I also met some years ago at a Christmas party. I was so impressed with them when I met them – their creativity and intelligence, their kindness and openness – and was convinced that this was the product of a combination of their own intrinsic loveliness and their upbringing by caring, loving parents. Marga and I would also talk about cycling, about trying to manage our workload, and, increasingly, about our experiences with Covid and long Covid. Close to the end, we were told Margaret’s birth date. I’d like to think this is why I felt that she was so special to me. My own daughter was born on Margaret’s birthday.

Present-day Margaret is a creature of habit and I love the simplistic life she lives. You have to admire the life she has built for herself, considering her institutional life. When the letters and gifts start appearing I immediately want to know who it is. This level of mystery grabbed me straight away and kept me listening. I had a few theories running through my mind and after one or two surprises we finally learn who the mystery sender is. I was pleasantly surprised and felt that this gave the story a lovely ending worthy of Margaret. There are some plot points, mainly about Margaret’s younger years, that are brushed off hastily. I would have loved some more details on these gaps. This is where Margaret remains until, at thirty-two years old, she's told she can leave St. Mary's to live in a small group home while receiving guidance from an assigned Support Worker. After hearing her wonderful siblings speak so beautifully about Marga, her passions and her principles, at the funeral service, it hits home what an absence her passing leaves behind for all who knew her. My condolences to her family, friends, and (the many) wider communities of which she was such an integral part.The chapters are short, adding to the pace of the novel. (I was a bit apprehensive to see eighty-seven chapters at first! Needn’t have worried.) Aldington is MARVELLOUS! Her voices and her emotions are spot on. The personality she creates with her voice not just for Margaret but for all the characters she voices is so good that you feel; like you are hearing a multi-cast performance. Dystopian Fiction Books Everyone Should Read: Explore The Darker Side of Possible Worlds and Alternative Futures I was taught by Margaret in my 2ndyear of undergraduate study, when around 10 of us would cram into an academic’s office for our seminars. The module was ‘Blood and Steel’, about the conquest of the Aztec and Inca Empires, and sparked a passion that later took me on an adventure to Peru. In no small part this was fuelled by Margaret’s gentle enthusiasm and the images she conjured through her teaching. When filming for an MA project two years later with a fellow UoB History grad, she bumped into us in the city centre and willingly gave her opinions on Marmite to camera with no qualms, as did her husband. Her kindness was always evident, not least when I returned to the Arts Building as an employee, based in what was then the ACS office on the 4 thfloor, as we would often bump into each other and she always made the time to say hello and chat about family as well as work. In 2015 I told her that, inspired by her teaching, I was finally going to Machu Picchu and she excitedly requested photo from the trip on my return. While I can’t claim to have known Marga well, I will miss our cheery, intermittent meetings, and I send my sincere condolences to her family and friends. She was lovely.