{"product_id":"9781923023550","title":"Department of the Vanishing","description":"Author: Johanna Bell\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781923023550\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Transit Lounge\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 01 Mar 2026\u003cbr\u003ePages: 320\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eBefore the Anthropocene, the air pulsed with birdsong. Now, a silence is falling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAva spends her days at The Department, rebuilding lost species from the remaining fragments of art and scientific data. Her dying mother thinks she should quit. So does her lover, and the sex workers who loiter outside her apartment. But when a ghost from her past shows up, Ava is compelled to follow its broken song deep into the archives  uncovering a secret that could reverse the age of silence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet in a time of mass extinction, \u003ci\u003eDepartment of the Vanishing \u003c\/i\u003eblends documentary poetry, archival image, and narrative verse to explore the vital questions: Can we live in a world without birdsong and is it possible to create a new opus with the fragments left over.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Rare and resplendent. A full-bodied roar at the crimes of extinction and a psalm for the wonder of the living world.'  Jennifer Mills\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A sexy, compelling and beautifully crafted elegy not only to birds but to feeling itself. The denouement is spectacular; I cheered and wept.'  Angela O'Keeffe\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Simultaneously fragile and furious, intimate and immense,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDepartment of the Vanishing\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e is a remarkable achievement.'  James Bradley\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Surprisingly seductive and at times deeply sad,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDepartment of the Vanishing\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003ebrilliantly explores what it takes to live life with grief for lost family and a vanishing wild.'  Jane Messer\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The narrative moves at a cracking pace and the play with poetic form dovetails beautifully with the urgency of the story.'  Toby Fitch\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46688055787678,"sku":"ADS-9781923023550","price":34.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9781923023550.jpg?v=1775631395","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9781923023550","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}