Rules for Vanishing

Gr 7 Up–Find a partner. Find a key. Find the road. Play the game. Sara’s sister, Becca, did exactly that last year and hasn’t been seen since. Now, the phantom of Lucy Gallows, the infamous girl who walked the mysterious forest road decades ago before disappearing, is calling Sara to play. To recover her sister, Sara and eight others heed Lucy’s invitation. However, the road does not like to leave survivors, and while some are ready to tempt fate, the consequences of mistakes made on the path soon turn deadly. Marshall delivers a haunting tale about a childhood game that twists into a disturbing rescue mission. Told through written testimonies, video recordings, message transcripts, and interviews, Sara and her friends’ attempt to save Becca becomes an insidious incident filled with eerie imagery and captivating revelations. As Sara’s story unfolds, layers of uncertainty come to light, resulting in a cast of delightfully unreliable characters, whose intimate connections leave devastation when tragedy strikes. The cost of each choice Sara makes weighs heavily on her hazy memories, leaving readers to ponder how every action affects more than just a single person.