Disappearing Earth

Phillips brings the motif of the seasons to the fore throughout the novel, inextricably connecting it to the passage of time. All but one of the chapters is named after a season, and the sixth chapter, “New Year’s,” marks the transition from one calendar year to the next.

Phillips conveys a strong sense of the seasons from the outset of the book. The reader meets Alyona and Sophia by the water’s edge on an “August afternoon [that] was warm enough to wear short sleeves” (4). The following chapter, “September,” opens with a light breeze and closes with a description of the warm sunlight. Rustling leaves and cracking branches characterize “October,” while the snow in “November” blinds Valentina as she walks across the parking lot of her doctor’s office. The action in Chapter 5, “December,” takes place entirely indoors, sheltering characters from winter’s bitter cold. Natasha and her family go ice-skating in “January,” Revmira’s husband dies rescuing a stranded skier in “February,” and Nadia’s trip to Palana is postponed because of a blizzard in “March.” The last three chapters also stress seasonal changes: the ground is muddy and the sky gray-pink in “April,” the air is warm enough to leave doors ajar in “May,” and “June” is temperate enough to host an outdoor festival. The changing seasons convey a sense of place, while also marking the passage of time. For Marina and Alla, time has not lessened the grief of losing their daughters.