Vanishing Acts

Andrew Hopkins, age 61, possesses an ageless charm with salt-and-pepper hair and a runner’s physique. A cornerstone of the community, he manages the senior center and holds a city council seat. Initially, Andrew garners only praise, but as the story unfolds, Delia, Eric, and even Andrew himself must confront a revised perception of him.

Formerly Charles Matthews, a pharmacist from Arizona, Andrew decided to protect Delia from her mother by kidnapping her, a secret he maintained for 28 years. Remarkably, he remains unapologetic about this act, expressing a willingness to repeat it if given the chance. Despite appearances, Andrew is a character of multifaceted change.

His protective nature extends to children, as seen in his care for Delia’s friends and his nurturing of Sophie. Driven by a protective impulse, he aids Concise in cooking meth and smuggling it into prison. Similarly, his seemingly gentle demeanor contradicts his violent prison altercations, driven by a determination to survive.

Above all, Andrew’s adaptability defines him. He engages in fierce battles, purchases new identities, relocates for safety, changes professions, and manipulates situations as needed. His moral ambiguity adds depth, portraying him as one of the strongest figures in Vanishing Acts.

Eric Talcott is a 32-year-old lawyer, Sophie’s father, and Delia’s fiancé. He is Andrew’s defense attorney after Andrew’s arrest for kidnapping Delia. Eric, dark-haired and blue-eyed, navigates many difficulties with the help of his good looks and easy charm. Unfortunately, he struggles with memories of his abusive mother who was addicted to alcohol, his relationship with Delia, and his own alcohol addiction. While Eric has many admirable traits—his charm, intelligence, and love for Delia and Sophie—his most notable weakness is his inability to take responsibility for his actions.

For example, when the judge threatens to disbar Eric for witness tampering, Eric internally blames Delia. It is her fault for badgering Eric for information, for insisting he takes Andrew’s case, and for saying too much to the prosecuting attorney. It is not Eric’s fault for feeding her the information without telling her what Eric risked by doing so. Likewise, when Eric speaks of his alcohol addiction, he states that “drinking was in my blood” and that his addiction resulted from missing Delia too much (34). When he gets caught drinking in Arizona, Eric blames the stress of the case and the strain on his relationship with Delia. Eric does not apologize for his actions, only blames others.

At the end of the story, Eric decides to stay in Arizona. While he claims this action is “the best thing for [Sophie’s] mother,” the action is more ambiguous (522). While Eric implies that he is staying to work on overcoming his addiction without burdening Delia, he also abandons his daughter. Additionally, if his previous arguments that distance from Delia caused his addiction are genuine, it is difficult to see how this separation will help him.

Fitzwilliam, “Fitz” MacMurray is a 32-year-old journalist and part of the Delia-Eric-Fitz love triangle. Fitz is a 6’4” redhead with a creative mind and a big heart. Fitz’s voice is heard the least of the main character narrators, despite the hint that Vanishing Acts is his novel. He is the quietest of his three friends and the rock they all lean on.

Fitz’s predominant character trait is his endless unrequited love for Delia. He is willing to do almost anything for her, whether laying a scent trail for Greta or driving hundreds of miles to pick Delia and Sophie up. Fitz lies to himself that anyone would do these things for a friend. In truth, he would only do it for Delia. Strangely, Fitz’s love for Delia does not negatively affect his relationship with Eric. Eric is aware of Fitz’s feelings yet still asks Fitz to help Delia when Eric cannot. At the end of the story, though Eric is upset over losing Delia, he talks it out with Fitz—the man he lost her to. Fitz’s understanding nature helps foster these forgiving relationships with Delia and Eric.

Although Fitz is generally honest, he still lies to Delia or omits information from her. He only tells Delia about the article he must write on Andrew’s trial once Eric rats him out. Fitz hides his firing until Delia asks him about the article. He hides Eric’s drinking from Delia as well. However, unlike the other characters, Fitz is honest and open when his lies are uncovered. He gives Delia time to process her anger and then explains himself, unlike Andrew and Eric, who generally respond with hostility and frustration. Although both Fitz’s job and his future with Delia are questionable at the end of the story, the story hints at a less ambiguous and more hopeful future for Fitz.

Sophie Talcott is the daughter of Eric and Delia, a dark-haired, blue-eyed, four-year-old whom both parents think favors the other. While Sophie is a person in her own right, she serves more as a plot device in this story. First, the presence of Sophie highlights the others’ character traits. For example, despite being motherless, Delia struggles to be a good mother herself. Andrew cares for Sophie when Delia works or needs a break or, on one occasion, when she accidentally leaves her daughter at home, illustrating Andrew’s caring nature. Ruthann cares for Sophie while Delia meets her mother, illustrating Ruthann’s creative, motherly character. While Sophie has a personality of her own, her character more often illustrates the personality of others.

Beyond that, Sophie is a plot device. Taking Sophie to school becomes a way to get Delia out of her reporter-swarmed house. When Sophie becomes ill, Ruthann reveals some Hopi traditions. Eric must choose between checking on Sophie or visiting Andrew in prison. He chooses Andrew and sends Fitz to help Sophie. When Sophie goes for ice cream with Victor, it forces Delia to experience the fear her mother must have felt. When Andrew accuses Victor of sexual assault, Delia worries that Victor was alone with Sophie. In general, Sophie serves more as a symbol or plot device than a character in Vanishing Acts. However, both roles are critical for character development and plot movement.

Elise Vasquez is Delia’s mother, a 47-year-old Mexican American curandera (folk healer) and bruja (witch). Upon first meeting, Delia is shocked at the physical similarities between them. Elise was only 15 when she had Delia though even then she had a documented alcohol addiction. This addiction worsened when Elise had a stillborn baby boy and could no longer have children. Elise states that losing her child caused her to drink, both to drive away Andrew and imagine she was still pregnant. This alcohol addiction led Elise to cheat on Andrew with Victor and neglect Delia. Only two years after the kidnapping, Elise stopped drinking altogether.

Andrew states that he continues to love Elise, but he also admits:

[T]he things I loved about Elise, the impulsiveness and the craziness and the spur-of-the-moment outlook, were not really a part of her personality, but a product of the alcohol. That when she didn’t drink, she was so insecure that nothing I said or did was enough to convince her that I loved her (264).

Elise seems to support this statement as she cautions Delia to “marry a man who loves you more than you love him. Because I have done both now, and when it is the other way around, there is no spell in the world that can even out the balance” (200). Even 28 years later, Elise doubts Andrew’s love for her even though she remarried and he did not. This insecurity makes Elise obsessively consult her los naipes (tarot cards) and lie. She works as a bruja (a folk witch) and curandera, but her husband disapproves. As such, they both pretend Elise no longer does these things. Elise tells Delia she is a curandera but not that she performs spells for things other than healing. When she hears that Victor was assaulting Delia, she refuses to believe it. Elise tries to convince Delia that Andrew’s memories are wrong, despite Delia having some of her own. Once again, she neglects Delia’s feelings to soothe her own. While Elise may have overcome her alcohol addiction, she still cannot be the mother that Delia needs.