Author Katy Yocum's debut novel Three Ways to Disappear is a rich and compelling read. It deftly intertwines themes of family, the connections between humanity and the balance of nature, and the impact secrets can have on relationships, whether they be between family members or sweethearts. It took me two days after finishing this book to gather my thoughts and feelings into coherency, because by the end of the book I was so emotionally invested in these characters and what would become of them. I felt the most connected to the younger sister, Sarah. While I could empathize with Quinn, I could not always admire her as much as I could Sarah. This might have been the author's intention. Quinn is a smart, talented, sensitive soul. But she has been conditioned to suppress her emotions and cope with the unfairness of the situations she is dealt without really questioning them. There were many places in this novel where I really became frustrated with her over how passive she could be.The very people who are supposed to love her most, often took advantage or her or sometimes treated her with open contempt. While I know the reality is that too many women probably allow others to dictate far too much how they should feel or react to conflict or heartbreak, it is still maddening to read about a character allowing this to happen in a work of fiction. For that reason, Sarah makes a very refreshing contrast to her sister. She is not perfect as a character and she admittedly makes some poor decisions throughout her version of the story, but she is resilient, curious, smart, and tremendously brave. In her own way, she too hides from the tragedies of her past that tore her nuclear family apart when she was a child by constantly traveling and never truly settling down until she decides to give up her career in journalism. When she finally does start to settle and tentatively put down roots as an ambassador for an NGO organization seeking to save the endangered tigers of India, she does so in a way that is essentially forbidden and risks making her an exile and an outcast from the very place she has begun to think of as a home. Still, I loved Sarah. I loved the fact that she questioned things. I admired her courage, especially the fact that she never blamed others for what happened to her throughout the story, but she always took responsibility for her own actions. I also found the romance between her and her forbidden lover to be touching and fun to read. But I appreciated the fact that Yocum made the romantic elements of the story secondary to the overall plot of the novel even thought it later becomes a central part of the tension and suspense surrounding Sarah and her story. Most of all, I was captivated by her connection to the tigers throughout the story, and I loved that this connection carried through to the very end.It amazed me how Yocum was able to make all of these characters so real and life-like, even the tigers. Her characterization, plot and setting were all vibrant and lovely. She makes it seem effortless the way she captures the beauty and complexities of India and makes the setting as much a part of the story as the people and the animals she characterizes. The prose was also beautiful and thought provoking.My only real complaints about the book were the ending and the way the chapters were broken down. I was caught completely by surprise by the ending of this novel. Without giving away any spoilers, I can only say that the way it ended brought to mind novels by another author who is well-known and popular and who has had several books adapted into movies. I can't even say which author I mean because that in itself would be a spoiler. While I concede that the ending is very plausible and could happen in real-life, I didn't completely believe that this is the way the story needed to end. I felt that other scenarios would have made for an equally plausible ending and that is as much as I will say about that. In terms of the way the chapters were broken down, it might be that if I'd read a paper copy of this book it wouldn't have bothered me to have each chapter titled by the sister's name only, without also numbering each chapter. But because I received a free copy of this novel on Netgalley to read and review, having the chapters formatted in this way made it harder for me to gauge my progress through the novel. This is mainly a pet peeve on my part. I gain a sense of real satisfaction when I can in some way measure how far I've progressed in a book as I am reading it. This is harder to do anyway with a digital copy, but not having the numbered chapters made it even more difficult.Overall, I give this book four out of five stars. I really enjoyed reading it and had no trouble finishing it. It kept my interest all the way through to the end. I found the premise to be unique, and even though it is a work of literary fiction, it still often kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I feel anyone who loves books inhabited by rich and complicated people, who loves animals and is concerned by environmental issues and the protection of endangered species, and/or who is fascinated by India, will enjoy this novel. I will say there are a few steamy love scenes in it, but if you don't mind some romance thrown into the mix you will fully appreciate Three Ways to Disappear