Seven Ways to Disappear – The Book Within The Book
While writing his novel, André C. Wade wanted to create an element of his story that his characters share in common and also existed on its own. That’s how he came up with the idea for another book – Seven Ways to Disappear: The Book Within the Book. After 20 years in the making, it’s now published and ready for reading!
The novel-in-process, also titled Seven Ways to Disappear, shares the story of four characters, set in L.A. the weekend before September 11th, told from each point of view. Wade shared that he was looking for something to connect them and help propel the story forward.
“What was it about what was happening in their lives that ‘d make them feel they needed to do something drastic because of 9/11?” Wade explained. “The idea for ‘Seven Ways to Disappear: The Book within the Book’ was as a plot device to encourage that movement of the story. It’s a book they’d randomly found in a place like Urban Outfitters, with a positive but subversive, catchy title that the characters pick up and want to read while they dealt with something more dark and urgent in their respective lives.”
More than that, he wanted to create something that, even without the main book, would also capture people in our own world and meet them where they are in their own lives.
The Inspiration for the Book
The inspiration for his initial story comes from his own feelings and responses to the events of September 11th.
“When 9/11 happened, it was a weird numbing sensation watching this massive event happening on TV. Although I was in L.A. and it was happening thousands of miles away in New York, you still felt that it was something happening to all of us collectively,” Wade said. “There was this fear of the unknown mixed with uncertainty and sadness. We realized that day that we weren’t prepared for something like this.”
The events of 9/11 and people’s reactions around him got Wade thinking about all the ways that people disappear into their lives for various reasons.
As he worked on the main novel over the years, the idea of creating the book within a book also grew. After the pandemic began in 2020, Wade said that the push from friends and family to work on Seven Ways to Disappear is what set him in motion to sit down to finish writing it.
After nearly 20 years in production, his ‘Book Within the Book’ was self-published in June of this year.
Writing Seven Ways to Disappear
As he contemplated the idea over the years, Wade brainstormed many different ideas for what to include as ways to disappear.
“I had to think of ways that we disappear literally, symbolically, and metaphysically. There are hundreds of ways to disappear, but I wanted to identify things that people already do daily that are relatively accessible,” Wade said. “Originally, the chapter on invisibility was more science-fictiony, so I wanted to make it something that we already do, without taking extra steps or tools.”
Moreover, Wade had to keep in mind the time setting of the main novel while writing the supplemental book.
“September 11th feels like such a long time ago now. I had to remember not to mention things people might disappear into these days that weren’t factors 20 years ago,” he said. “For instance, social media wasn’t as pervasive as it is now, so for a book set in 2001, it wouldn’t make sense to include that.”
Using his own experiences and ways he disappears, Wade found inspiration within himself when pinpointing the main disappearing acts people make and ways in which his characters would resonate with.
“Around the time I wrote the book, I was battling depression. I would be hiking in the afternoon with friends and just felt like wanting to go home and sleep,” he said. “I realized that people use sleep to avoid the day.”
Sharing more ways he disappears into his own life, Wade added that he would include the act of disappearing into music, as it helped him feel what he felt even stronger or to lift a mood. He then realized this was a factor of a more encompassing disappearing act.
“This was a form of isolation which I used a lot to disappear,” he said. “There are days where I won’t answer texts or calls and just disconnect from the outside world entirely. It’s temporary and satisfying, and it’s the easiest way to disappear for those with depression.”
In the end, Wade narrowed the list down to seven ways people disappear: Reinvention of Self, Withdrawal Into Yourself, Drugs and Alcohol, Isolation, Sleep, Invisibility, and finally, Death.
Putting the Seven Ways To Disappear in Order
Seven Ways To Disappear is a short read, quick and to-the-point, with only about 40 pages. And the order in which the disappearing acts are placed was intentional. Wade creates literary sandwich that provides the most extreme ways to disappear at the beginning and the end, with the general, everyday acts many of us can relate to right in the middle. More or less written in a “this is how it’s done” way without acting as an instruction manual, each chapter briefly explains the why and how of the different disappearing acts.
Reinvention of Self
The first of which, Reinvention of Self, creates a full stop for the reader as it explains the disappearing act of running away to start a new life with a new name in a new place and never looking back. We all fantasize about what it’d be like to do something drastic like this. But few do, given the circumstances involved.
“I resonated with this first one the most. Whether we do it or not, we think, “wouldn’t it be great to start over and meet new people and be a new person?” Wade said. “This chapter was the most fun to write; everything else just fell into place.”
Beginning the list with this disappearing act makes the reader pause and contemplate the problems and other things in their life that encourage this idea to escape and start over. It’s an enticing thought that few attempt, let alone will ever follow through on successfully.
As the end of this chapter explains, it’s recommended that one changes their name, appearance, and their very behavior, and pattern of thinking. It makes one think if that were so easy, would we not be able to better address the problems in our life? Or better yet, if it were so easy, would people do this more frequently?
“Your journey will be long and arduous, and at times lonely, but the result of disappearing into your new life will be well worth it. Do it well enough, and you will soon forget that old person and old problems you left behind,” the chapter closes with.
The suggestion is so direct, as if it’s a given, that it makes one realize that we can’t simply run away from our problems or our lives. Starting a whole new life won’t address our issues; it’s just a way to attempt to disappear from them.
The Middle of the Literary Sandwich
The meat and cheese between the bread, as it were, are five general ways in which any of us might easily disappear into.
For starters, we might withdraw into ourselves, whether in the form of daydreaming and exploring the endless possibilities of our imagination or into the despair of our own thoughts that consume us. We try to run from our problems by ignoring them, or we allow our problems to devour us whole and cloud our actions, and hinder our attempts to change our situation.
Some withdraw from their lives into the dangerous embrace of addiction, particularly in the form of drug and alcohol abuse. While the periods of intoxication may be temporary, the prolonged, ongoing and frequent use of these substances creates a cushy but potentially damaging or deadly fallback from our problems while creating new ones for one to deal with when they sober up.
Others may isolate themselves to disappear. Everyone has their reasons for this disappearing act, but especially those dealing with mental illnesses. Shutting ourselves off from the world gives us a sense of security; if we don’t go out or don’t talk to others, we don’t have to face our problems and worries, and no one can hurt us. And, if we don’t engage or interact with the outside world, we don’t have to feel worried or fearful about what’s happening. It’s a comfort we all crave, to some degree. And while spending time with ourselves is important, shutting ourselves off completely from the world and others only worsens our problems.
Perhaps one of the easiest and most used ways people disappear is to sleep. As Wade writes in this chapter, “Sleeping is like pressing the pause button.” The problem is that we can’t sleep all day or forever, so it is yet another temporary escape from reality.
The last of the general five is invisibility, the act of disappearing in which we hide our true selves from those around us, from the world, and even from ourselves. To some extent, we all wear different masks, obscuring who we are and pretending to be someone else or even pretending to be something we’re not. As Wade says in this chapter, we “put on a show.” It makes the reader wonder just how genuine we truly are in our interactions with others. How do we present ourselves differently to our family, friends, coworkers, and strangers? In most cases, we probably act as social chameleons depending on who we’re talking to. At what point do we put a mask on ourselves, becoming invisible to ourselves?
Death
The final and shortest of the chapters, Death is also the final act of disappearing.
Wade writes, “…the thing about death is that it will eventually happen to all of us, so there is no need to hurry it along,” adding that other ways to disappear allow one to at least continue experiencing life.
“Death is permanent and irreversible; therefore, it should not be attempted.”
Wade added that he wants people to understand that he doesn’t want people to take the last chapter literally and wasn’t sure if he should include it. At the end of the day, he realized that it was a part of the art and creativity that ultimately led to the book being written.
“It’s a balance of not wanting to censor yourself while wanting to respect your artistry,” he said.
A Book to Transcend the Times
Seven Ways to Disappear successfully accomplishes the original need that led to its creation: be something that connects people in a way that shows us that we all have something in common–the act of escaping the problems in our lives and the world around us.
Whether in the fictional story that Wade is writing about real-world events or in today’s post-9/11 world during an ongoing global pandemic, Seven Ways to Disappear is a book that anyone can pick up to read and find commonality with. Despite the relative simplicity of the book, it’s literature that can be applied in profound ways to anyone in any situation at any point in time.
One part that stood out is right at the beginning, in the introduction. It’s a line that really captures the timelessness of the need to disappear.
“Disappearing is easy. We do it all the time. We disappear into ourselves or our vices, into our jobs or into our relationships, into our fears or into our hatred, or into our depression or into our dreams. We also disappear by packing up and leaving others, with the goal of leaving our troubles behind.”
All of these are things people throughout history have disappeared into. One, in particular, was highlighted in the interview. Elaborating on the concept of people disappearing into their hatred and why he explicitly mentioned it, Wade shared that inspiration came after hearing interviews of people involved with hate groups.
“I saw how they’d become brainwashed into this mentality and how it overtook and consumed them. They disappeared into it, and that’s what they become all about until they come out of it,” he said. “It’s something we must be mindful of when we give ourselves too deeply to anything, especially when it’s negative.”
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Disappearing Amid the Pandemic
Discussing the relationship between disappearing and the COVID-19 pandemic, Wade shared that while he can’t say whether people are disappearing more these days because of the pandemic, he said that the pandemic allowed us to see what it’s like when the world disappears.
“We suddenly saw this surreal world with no cars on the Strip and no one at usually bustling places like the Eiffel Tower. If you looked around it seemed like people had disappeared from the face of the Earth,” he said. “Without social media, we wouldn’t be able to experience it all together simultaneously. It would have been so ominous otherwise just a few decades ago.”
Wade added that he feels that with everything going on in the world, these feelings people developed have not gone away.
“[The pandemic] gives people more reason to disappear, unfortunately,” he said. “What the larger story gets at indirectly is that if we had stronger interpersonal connections, if we had each other, would we want to disappear when times get tough?”
The Journey of Publishing the Book
Wade shared that creating his book is something that took up space in his brain for 20 years.
“It’s something that I’ve held onto because it’s important, and it’s a project I didn’t want to put down and never wanted to give up on,” he said. “Then, the pandemic happened, and people started telling me I had to finish it. I came up with the idea of pulling out the “book within a book” and publishing it to have a sense of accomplishment. And I got it done. I didn’t care if only nine people bought it, I followed through on it, and now it’s real; it exists.”
Going through the self-publishing process, Wade was paired with a marketing consultant who suggested doing things like promotional campaigns, a book launch, and even creating a blog.
“I decided to use the blog to give background and context to the book because it’s out of context,” he said. “I found that the blog was cathartic because I was able to give history about the “why” for the book, the process, what it means to me, and what I intend to do with it. I also created a playlist for it.”
Wade added that he has one message he wants to get across to people–it’s never too late to get that thing you’re working on done. No matter how much time has passed, get it out into the world; give it life and opportunity.
“I was hesitant to do everything for myself, but this is my project, my work,” he said. “I’m going to do what I can to give it the life it deserves.”
Since its publishing, many people have shared their reactions and experiences of reading the book with Wade. “I enjoy the process of talking to people; it’s like a dream,” he said. “It’s been fantastic overall.”
#GetinMotion with André C. Wade and the Book ‘Seven Ways to Disappear’
There are several ways to help support Wade and help grow the success of his book. Those wanting to read Seven Ways to Disappear can purchase this amazing local author’s book through Bookshop.org, Archway Publishing, and Amazon.
Wade also encourages people to follow the book’s accompanied blog and Spotify playlist. Additionally, you can follow André C. Wade and the page for the book on Instagram.
Wade is also hosting his book launch for Seven Ways to Disappear on Saturday, September 10th. This event will be free, located on the second floor of the Nordstrom in Fashion Show Mall from 11 am to 1 pm. Wade will do a live interview and a short book reading, followed by a Q&A session. Refreshments will be provided, and people may buy the book at the event. RSVP here.
Lastly, the best way to support Wade is by following his journey as both an author and an advocate. While he works on the book that Seven Ways to Disappear is set within, which he hopes to complete in the next couple of years, he added that he has many more writing projects in mind outside of that story.
As the state director of Silver State Equality, Wade shared that he is also working on a nonfiction book about working in LGBTQ+ advocacy.
“I also have different projects through work, writing articles for newspapers and magazines,” he said. “No matter what I’m writing about, I love being able to exercise the muscle of writing.”
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