Those Who Vanish - Patricia Grace King

Durham's own Patricia Grace King's collection of short stories is the 2026 recipient of the prestigious Drue Heinz Literature Prize. Why not join us for a book club discussion on the collection - and with the author, Patricia - at 7.30pm, Wednesday 18 November? FREE but please get in touch to sign up!

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Taking place during the decades-long civil conflict, Those Who Vanish follows the stories of Guatemalan citizens and North American expats set on a collision course by war.

Martyrs and missionaries, guerrillas and gringos are thrown together amid political violence. A peace worker shelters a rebel fighter. An exile returns to confront the legacy of her parents’ murders. The Virgin Mary begins appearing above an elderly woman’s stove. Set in a world of daily disappearances, the collection addresses a vital question: When all certainties are snatched away, what remains of lives, of memory, of faith?