Forgetting

by Sharon Cameron

Canaan is a quiet city on an idyllic world, hemmed in by high walls, but every twelve years the town breaks out in a chaos of bloody violence, after which all the people undergo the Forgetting, in which they are left without any trace of memory of themselves, their families, or their lives--but somehow seventeen-year-old Nadia has never forgotten, and she is determined to find out what causes it and how to put a stop to the Forgetting forever.

• ISBN13: 9780545945219
• Publish Date: 13 September 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 25 May 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Scholastic US
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[Beth C.]

What if you forgot everything every 12 years? You no longer remembered anything - your family, your children, your job...even your own name. The only way you would ever have a hope of becoming who you used to be was to keep a journal, writing down everything you did, everyone you knew, everything that made you who you were. Now - what if that happened to everyone around you, and you were the only one who could never forget? That is the story of Nadia, and of Canaan, the town she lives in. Until one day, Nadia learns the truth - about the Forgetting, about the town, and about their very existence.

The Forgetting was an interesting idea - what would it be like to forget everything every 12 years? For some, it might prove to be a benefit - a great time to switch partners, or to try a new job. For others, those whose journals no longer exist? It would be a curse, left to try and pick up the pieces of a life when you can't even imagine what the pieces might be. Cameron does a good job of showing both the pros and the cons, while conveying overall a subtle horror over losing your very identity - not once, but over and over again.

The setting is very similar to what one thinks an old town would have been like, without the electricity, or the internet, or any of the modern stuff. And yet - there are just enough little things that are off about this little slice of life to give a clue that all may not be as it first appears.

Nadia is the character from which we see the events of the book unfold. She is the one who does *not* forget, and it has scarred her. She knows that this isn't right, but she doesn't understand the cause and effect. She has an old soul, damaged from what she witnessed during the last Forgetting, and so she purposely holds herself apart. She's also strong, smart, and honorable - and she will need it all.

Overall, I found that I enjoyed The Forgetting more than I may have anticipated. It's a fairly quick read, and I would liken it to a beach read - something that will hold the reader's interest and keep them reading, but something that stands alone and provides an ending.

[reveriesociety_]

Deep stuff. It made me think a lot about so many things, and it was just so fullfilling! Can't wait for the companion book!

[lizarodz]

Quite the Novel Idea http://quitethenovelidea.com http://quitethenovelidea.com/liza-reviews-forgetting-sharon-cameron/Wow!  What an amazing story.  The Forgetting is such an unexpected story, it reminded me of the movie The Village that way.  I'ts one of those stories that stays with you for  along time.  It is my first read from author Sharon Cameron, but it shall not be my last.

What is The Forgetting?  Here we go:

"At the first sun rising of the twelfth year, they will forget. They will lose their memories, and without their memories, they are lost. Their books will be their memories, their written past selves. They will write in their books. They will keep their books. They will write the truth, and the books will tell them who they have been. If a book is lost, then so are they Lost. I am made of my memories. Without memories, they are nothing."

Clear as mud?  Well, I cannot divulge all the secrets, but basically, everyone in the "city" of Canaan keeps a diary of all their life so when the forgetting comes, they can find out who they are, what family they belong to, what is their profession, etc.  Can you imagine how awful this must be?  Waking up one day and don't have any memories at all?  This whole, unique story revolves around this terrible fact.

The story is told from Nadia's point of view in the first person.  Unlike the whole of Canaan, Nadia remembers everything.  The traumatic event of the last forgetting has turned her into a very quite, distrustful, careful, and curious person.  As the the next forgetting looms, she's in a race against time to uncover its cause to try to same her family.  Nadia is also fiercely loyal and very smart.  She starts jumping over the fence of the city out of curiosity and to find a sense of freedom and gets caught by Gray.

Gray, the glass blower's son, is an outgoing, popular and handsome young man.  He has his own secrets and tries to earn Nadia's trust and smiles.  It is really hard to make her talk, but Gray seems to have infinite patience.  He's sweet, very smart, open minded, resourceful and strong.

Gray and Nadia's romance is slow to develop.  It's wrongs very strong. It makes them both better people and better for each other.  It helps them grow and realize what is to care deeply about the future and the status quo.  A favorite couple for sure!

“We are supposed to write the truth, for no one to see but ourselves. But how easily that truth can be twisted. Bend a little here, omit a little there, make yourself into the person you wish you were instead of the person you are. How easy to cut the truth away, to throw it in a fire, open your eyes, and have the whole world remember nothing of who you are. Nothing of what you’ve done. When you will not remember who you are or what you’ve done.”

There is a big host of characters in The Forgetting, even though we see everything through Nadia's eyes.  Nadia and Gray's family, Rose, the bad people, Jonathan, neighbors.  Sorry that I can't remember them all right now, but the characterization is really good.  We can see their motivations, their choices, how their past and the forgetting change their personality.

Cameron's writing is a gem.  As you can tell the premise is original and well thought out.  It's like peeling an onion, with layers upon layers of why things happen.  I loved every single layer.  The pace is a bit slow at the beginning as the world building is developed, but it picks up quickly.  This book is part sci-fi, part fantasy, part romance, part thriller... all sorts of amazing.  

Overall, The Forgetting is an unforgettable trip to a world beyond. A story full of lies based on fear.  It is also a story of a love strong enough to defy memory, to incite change and to make the world better.  I cannot tell you how excited I am for The Knowing.



Thérèse Plummer did an amazing job.  There are a many characters in The Forgetting and she managed to make the voices all distinctive from each other. The pace was good, the acting with a cadence so full of feeling that you can't help but getting a kick in the feels.  Highly recommend the audiobook.This review was originally posted on Quite the Novel Idea

[Stephanie]

I did not like Cameron's previous book (that I was eagerly anticipating) Rook so naturally I was wary about picking this up. However, this had some crazy M. Night Shyamalan-esque twists pleasantly surprised me with how unexpected they were.

There was a lot in the ending (almost overwhelmingly so) but I really did love this. Dang, man.

[tweetybugshouse]

First off i really love the cover on this book it very eye catching with the gold and purple and really does express what at the heart of this book. I went in to this book with just the knowledge from the blurb. The blurb gave me kind of the feel of the giver quartet series where we think what we see on the surface all the rules and organization make for a perfect society but just like the giver the city of Canaan has it own dark secrets that are easily buried due to the forgetting that happens every 12 years where every citizen forgets and their books are what help them to remember but does every one forget you just have to read to discover what may not be forgotten.