The Forgetting by Hannah Beckerman
Genre: Domestic suspense, Domestic drama, Contemporary fiction
Read: 31st August 2023
Published: 1st April 2023
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
From the bestselling author of If Only I Could Tell You comes the story of two women feeling trapped and powerless. Can they find their way back to life?
When Anna Bradshaw wakes up in a hospital bed in London, she remembers nothing, not even her loving husband, Stephen. The doctors say her amnesia is to be expected, but Anna feels cut adrift from her entire life.
In Bristol, Livvy Nicholson is newly married to Dominic and eager to get back to work after six months’ maternity leave. But when Dominic’s estranged mother appears, making a series of unnerving claims, Livvy is sucked into a version of herself she doesn’t recognise.
A hundred miles apart, both women feel trapped and disorientated, and their stories are about to collide. Can they uncover the secret that connects them and reconstruct their fractured lives?
MY THOUGHTS:
How can you trust the present when you don't remember the past...?
What a delightful little gem this read turned out to be. It's certainly not a thriller though it does sit within that genre, but more of a drama with a touch of mystery and suspense. It has a slow unfold of events with a storyline that is both addictive and intriguing, enveloping you immediately. And believe me, you won't want to put this down.
The story unfolds in two separate threads and the perspectives of two women. Anna Bradshaw in London and Livvy Nicholson in Bristol. Throughout much of the tale the reader is puzzling over how these two women cross paths and how the two threads intersect. I suddenly got a light bulb moment and could see the entire thing play out to the point I detailed it all to a friend and then said I'm only halfway through but I'll let you know. To me, it just made sense...a perfect clever sense.
Anna wakes up in hospital with no memory of how she got there or even of who she is. The strange man standing beside her bed claims to be her husband Stephen but she doesn't recognise him. They were involved in a car accident with Stephen driving for which he blames himself as he walked away and she ended up with amnesia. After a couple of days of tests and observation, the doctor is happy to discharge her citing that the best place for her to be is at home in familiar surroundings. But as soon as Stephen guides her through the front door, Anna is immediately disoriented. Nothing at all feels familiar. Stephen tells them they have been living here a year but Anna finds herself hard pressed to envision herself in the stark white kitchen or any other room for that matter. She notes that their furniture doesn't seem to match the starkness of the home's decor and, while she feels the pale blue of their bedroom would be calming, she is shocked to discover that their chunky bed takes up most of it eliminating that tranquility that would be otherwise present. Stephen tells Anna that she worked as a librarian before being made redundant and that they have been married twelve years. Before he leaves for work each day, he places the books of what apparently were her favourite authors on the table for her to while away the hours. But she finds she cannot engage in the stories and cannot reconcile herself with choosing these for herself.
But then as the days turn into weeks, Anna begins to wonder about her life before. Where is her family? Why have they not visited? And what about friends? When she ventures out of the house after tiring of the same four walls day in day out, she meets Zahiera and her three year old boy, and it strikes her where are her friends. Why has no one called around to see how she is? And when Zahiera asks for her number, Anna says that she doesn't have a mobile phone. Why not? Everyone has a mobile...don't they? When she confronts Stephen with her questions, he bats them away with soothing overtures that she needs time to heal and that he'll order her a new phone since her one broke in the accident.
But with her need for answers, comes even more questions. And she continues to ask Stephen who is slow to remind her of her past. Why? What heartaches is he keeping from her?
Livvy never thought she would be a mum but when she fell pregnant at 37 just a few weeks into her relationship with Dominic, she feared she would be trudging this path alone. But her fears were unfounded because rather than dump her upon learning the news, Dominic proposed and the couple wed in a small ceremony before baby Leo entered the world in December later that year. Livvy cannot believe her luck. How did she manage to land such a perfect husband as Dominic? Now Leo is six months old and Livvy cannot imagine her life before him. But she is also itching to return to work at the end of her maternity leave.
As an engineer, Dominic received a four month contract in Sheffield which would take him away from them for four days of the week, coming home Friday afternoons to spend the weekend together. His tenure is due to finish at the time Livvy is due back from her maternity leave. Everything seems to be falling into place for her, especially when she is unexpectedly offered a promotion when she does return to work. This is when her picture-perfect world begins to show cracks.
After waving Dominic goodbye one Monday morning, she is shocked when Dominic's estranged mother turns up on her doorstep and pleas with Livvy to listen to her. She wants to reconnect with Dominic after the death of his father and build a relationship with her grandson but Dominic is having none of it. He cut off his parents three decades ago, confiding in Livvy about his difficult childhood. Livvy slams the door on her but despite this, Imogen continues to harass her. She follows Livvy to the park with baby Leo, calls her mobile and when Livvy refuses to take her calls, she texts her or leaves messages on the landline..but only when Dominic is away in Sheffield. Coincidence?
And then Dominic returns from Sheffield one day with a bombshell which is sure to change everything.
This is a very clever tale, expertly told and drip-feeding the reader with just enough information to keep them engaged and turning the pages, longing to find out more. The fact I correctly figured out the major plot twist didn't ruin my enjoyment of this wonderful tale. Because the enjoyment is in the telling, the unfolding, the ability to keep me engaged throughout. And Beckerman managed all of that. Of course, the major plot twist doesn't occur till around 88% and I'd figured out where it was heading about halfway. Just something I picked up on just clicked something inside my head and I thought "that's it!"
While it is a slow unfolding tale, it is not a slow paced one. The pace is steady throughout with the end of each chapter leaving us wanting more. And while we have the two stories of both Anna and Livvy unfolding, it is not difficult to keep pace with each individual story. They are both clearly marked, and Anna's in particular is in the first person while Livvy's is in the third. I wouldn't, however, rate this as a thriller. More of a contemporary fiction/domestic drama/suspense. But it was as intriguing as any thriller...probably more so than some I've read.
The characters are fairly easy to navigate, though not always entirely likeable. It soon becomes clear that there is a level of abuse in the form of gaslighting and coercive control taking place and, while some reviewers despaired over the characters' weakness and inability to take back control, it's not so easy as that in reality. That's what makes them so good at what they do; they are master manipulators and with every idea put forth, they appear welcoming and on board with it all but then reveal some concerns which in all honesty are quite valid but are also meant to seem as such in a way that then makes the other person re-evaluate things and end up agreeing. So really, the master manipulator has just engineered circumstances into the direction they have already predetermined but in such a way that makes the unsuspecting person think that they made the decision themselves. They are not called master manipulators for nothing. And quite honestly, both men displayed these passive-aggressive abusive traits which was indeed a worry for both women. They are quite clearly keeping their fair share of secrets, so how will it all unfold?
A highly emotive story, I cannot say enough wonderful things about this book. When I re-read the premise before starting, I did wonder why I requested it as it really didn't seem at all my thing. But I'm sure glad I did! It is by far one of my favourites. My only complaint is the ending is a little ambiguous. I would have preferred a more conclusive outcome rather than the promise of one. But it wasn't enough to shave anything off my rating.
A solid 5 stars.
I would like to thank #HannahBeckerman, #Netgalley and #LakeUnionPublishing for an ARC of #TheForgetting in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Hannah Beckerman is an author, journalist, event chair and broadcaster. After studying at King's College London and Westfield College, she worked with The Observer, The Guardian, the FT Weekend Magazine and The Sunday Express and has worked for twelve years in television. She also appears as a book critic on BBC Radio 2 and Times Radio. She regularly chairs at literary events and panels across the UK and has judged numerous book prizes including the Costa Book Awards.
Before becoming a writer, Hannah was a TV and film producer both in the UK and the US.
She lives in London with her husband and daughter.
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