Of course, there is plenty to be frustrated with in Big Bezos, our favorite company and man to complain about… But one of the more brilliant aspects of the business model is the parts where we are afforded gorgeous stories written by excellent writers for free – and MISSING is one such series of six stories where Amazon paid authors to write their perspective and interpretation on one topic, and give them away to Kindle owners (or even Kindle app readers) for free.
Missing is a motif that explores the many things that go missing in our lives and the way in which we are affected, each a nonfiction exploration of identity, language, pets, our anatomy, time, and even a parent. Some of them I enjoyed more than others, but all of them are beautifully crafted essays.
The Woman in the Strongbox by Maureen O’Hagan
An absurdly captivating family mystery, this piece explores the background of a wife and mother who committed suicide in 2010. After her passing, her family discovers a strongbox containing forged IDs and birth certificates, several clues as to the identity of the woman she became rather than the one she was born as, and a smattering of evidence proving her entire life had been fabricated. Not even her family or her husband knew her true identity. It is only through some genealogy digging, old photos, and following a deep paper trail back to her abusive upbringing in Pennsylvania that we learn who she truly was and why she hid. O’Hagan is a master storyteller and investigator in this short piece, revealing the intricate lies meant to hide a secretive, traumatic past and reinvent a life. As the first book in the series, it is a remarkably strong opener.
The Stones, The Crows, The Grass, The Moo n by Walter Kirn
Walter Kirn (author of Thumbsucker, Up in the Air, and Blood Will Out) is a favorite of mine, and perhaps my favorite aspect of his work is how transparent and emotionally vulnerable he can be. Frankly, his appearance on my friend Gil Roth’s podcast discussing Blood Will Out is a joy to revisit as he talks about his relationship with the murderer and con man Clark Rockefeller. It was great to see his name on this list.
In this quiet, more literary piece, Kirn explores his relationship with his father as he gradually disappears due to a dementia diagnosis. Each of the elements in the title serves as a memory touchpoint for Kirn, reflecting on a childhood growing up in Montana, grief, conversation, fathers and sons, and the unreliability of memory—especially under the circumstances of losing a parent and reconstructing the past. It is a beautiful meditation on time and the relationship we have with ourselves and our parents as everything gradually slips away. This was another favorite in the group.
The Button by Wednesday Martin
While it didn’t entirely appeal to me, Wednesday Martin explores an interesting history regarding medicine’s dark relationship with the clitoris (the titular “button” being a euphemism). This piece isn’t like the others; it isn’t a narrative as much as it is a history, anthropological study, and neuroscientific examination—not to mention it features plenty of feminism and personal anecdotal evidence to go around. It is completely clear through her work that we have a long way to go despite the clitoris finally being mapped and 3D printed. Women’s health, scientific bias, and global cultural taboos have only confounded something that has been a part of our bodies since the beginning. She makes this clear as she attempts to uncover how “misrepresented, misunderstood, disregarded, dissed, and disappeared” it really is.
After Words by Nina Mitchell
The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis states that “…we are all prisoners of our own language,” meaning our native language shapes our perception of the world to such a degree that it can limit our ability to fully understand concepts or experiences outside of its framework. It essentially acts like a “prison” that confines our thinking within its boundaries. But what happens when your ability to use language—to communicate, request, express, and interact—disappears little by little, warping and circumnavigating the crippling effects of stroke-related aphasia?
Another favorite in the series, this piece tells the story of the slow, painful recovery of the author as she struggles with aphasia—a writer’s worst nightmare. Language isn’t just a communication tool; it is an integral part of one’s identity.
Catching Murphy by Wilson Ring
The warmest, most sentimental of the collection, this piece is about what happens when Murphy (a dog) goes missing and a community comes together to find him. Anyone who has ever lost a pet understands a story like this. Through it, one learns that the journey is always about much more than simply locating an animal; it transcends the family to encompass the community, keeping hope alive, jury-rigging an effective trap, and perhaps even learning to let go. It is a beautiful, optimistic story.
Time Out by Claudia Rowe
Work, technology, aging, parenting, and everything happening at breakneck speed makes modern time feel as if it is slipping away, leaving us constantly feeling behind. The secret, as Rowe helps us understand, is recognizing that time cannot be recovered, and that we need to be more intentional with how we use it and where we go rather than lamenting how quickly it accelerates. Rowe is a master at exploring the psychology of how and why we feel that way, and how to accept direction rather than just trying to find more time. Of course, the old saw that it keeps on spinning, spinning, spinning into the future at an ever-faster pace is absolutely true, but we have the power to slow it down and treat every moment, every breath, and every recurring cycle with dignity.
Garrett Zecker 