Review: The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron

Release date: September 13, 2016
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 403
Format: ARC
Source: Traded
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

What isn't written, isn't remembered. Even your crimes.

Nadia lives in the city of Canaan, where life is safe and structured, hemmed in by white stone walls and no memory of what came before. But every twelve years the city descends into the bloody chaos of the Forgetting, a day of no remorse, when each person's memories – of parents, children, love, life, and self – are lost. Unless they have been written.

In Canaan, your book is your truth and your identity, and Nadia knows exactly who hasn't written the truth. Because Nadia is the only person in Canaan who has never forgotten.

But when Nadia begins to use her memories to solve the mysteries of Canaan, she discovers truths about herself and Gray, the handsome glassblower, that will change her world forever. As the anarchy of the Forgetting approaches, Nadia and Gray must stop an unseen enemy that threatens both their city and their own existence – before the people can forget the truth. And before Gray can forget her.

It's no secret that I looooooooove Sharon Cameron's books. I'm still obsessed with Rook, and it's been...awhile...since I read it. So, when friends told me The Forgetting was her best book so far, I was excited, and a little scared. Honestly, I don't know how something could compare to Rook for me, so The Forgetting isn't her best book in my mind--however, it is excellent.

In Nadia's world, what isn't written down didn't happen. The Forgetting happens every twelve years, so people rely on their books to tell them about their pasts. But Nadia remembers. She's only experienced one Forgetting, but she knows what happened before, and the knowing is a danger to her and her family. She wants to know why they forget and why they have walls, just what they are hiding from.

Finding out these whys and whats alongside Nadia is a treat. Being in her head is fascinating, because Nadia is racing against the clock, fighting for the people she loves. She knows her world could emerge completely different after the Forgetting, and she's unwilling to let that happen. And the answers we get? COOL. It's not something you expect, and even once we know, there's more! You'll be guessing all the way through.

And it's not a Sharon Cameron book if I didn't love the romance! Gray is a bit of a mystery at first, but as he and Nadia get to know one another, their romance is a pleasure to read.

Don't take my saying The Forgetting is not my new favorite Sharon Cameron book as a negative! (I'm really thinking it's more genre-related than anything. I can't resist a retelling of a classic, especially one set in a world than feels like it's from the past but it's really the future!) That doesn't discount that The Forgetting is a truly excellent science fiction novel that'll keep you guessing till the end.

About the author:

Sharon Cameron was awarded the 2009 Sue Alexander Most Promising New Work Award by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators for her debut novel, The Dark Unwinding. When not writing Sharon can be found thumbing dusty tomes, shooting her longbow, or indulging in her lifelong search for secret passages. She lives with her family in Nashville, Tennessee.