Forgetting

by Sharon Cameron

[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.