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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
I received a copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is a very unique and intriguing story. Hope is a fascinating character, who uses her ability to be forgotten as soon as she is out of view to become a thief.
The horror of having everyone you have ever known and loved forgetting you exist and the mundanity of introducing yourself to people who ask the same questions day in day out is a fascinating part of the story. Dealing with one person who forgets you would be bad enough but imagine if it's the whole world!
The app Perfection is a great addition to the storyline, and frightening because it seems entirely possible.
A really great, thought-provoking story, I recommend this highly!
This is a very unique and intriguing story. Hope is a fascinating character, who uses her ability to be forgotten as soon as she is out of view to become a thief.
The horror of having everyone you have ever known and loved forgetting you exist and the mundanity of introducing yourself to people who ask the same questions day in day out is a fascinating part of the story. Dealing with one person who forgets you would be bad enough but imagine if it's the whole world!
The app Perfection is a great addition to the storyline, and frightening because it seems entirely possible.
A really great, thought-provoking story, I recommend this highly!
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Started and finished date - 20.04.25 to 22.04.25.
My rating - Three Stars.
I had mixed feeling about this book and the cover of book was fine. The writing was okay but it was hard to follow in beginning and the atmosphere was pretty good. The paced of plot was a little bit too slow for my liking and the plot did dragged a bit. I mixed feeling about the characters but I would like them to flash out bit more also The characters were fine but it hard connect them
My rating - Three Stars.
I had mixed feeling about this book and the cover of book was fine. The writing was okay but it was hard to follow in beginning and the atmosphere was pretty good. The paced of plot was a little bit too slow for my liking and the plot did dragged a bit. I mixed feeling about the characters but I would like them to flash out bit more also The characters were fine but it hard connect them
Claire North's collection of standalone novels all center around an introspective theme of the self, relationships and how one relates to the world. If I could summarise it for you leading up to her first:
(Some light spoilers ahead if you have not read any of the books)
Being trapped in a never-ending cycle, forced to relive your life over and over, having the ability to do things differently each time with some hope of salvation but always being brought back to the starting point - your death and birth? The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.
Being a ghost that flit between bodies, reduced to living through mimicry, never being the real you, loving your hosts but having to be resigned to knowing that your presence will harm them irrevocably? Touch.
Being an observer of the banality of life and death, yet somehow a guide to the dying, always looking from the outside yet intimately tied to someone in their last, vulnerable moments? The End of the Day.
Being trapped in a dystopian world where the cost of your humanity is reduced (even further so) to a monetary price and not being able to do anything about it? 84K.
Being haunted (literally - how clever!) by an horrible decision, and as a result, forced to be on the run, forced to sell your time and body to a corporation for protection, and rather poignantly, never connect to people the same way again, since you can't stay long enough before you know all their secrets. The Pursuit of William Abbey. I did not finish this one, unfortunately, because I found it too long and slow (! I'm so sad this is so).
And finally - another flavor of an accumulation of the above: a woman who people can never remember - parents, lovers, doctors, employers - someone unable to interact with others, living life never making meaningful connections. The ultimate prison - you're trapped by the sheer fact that you are unnoticeable. You cannot interact with society. You cannot hold down a job or seek medical treatment. You cannot put in work for something because it would be erased as soon as you are out of sight for a moment.
And yet, there are some who view this as the ultimate freedom - being able to do whatever you want, without consequence, without baggage, without having to plan for the future, because whatever you have done would be erased, there are no accumulation of results leading up to something.
This trope has been explored in many different mediums, and it reminds me strongly of a Black Mirror episode where a form of 'prison' for a criminal would be to blur them out, such that no one can interact with them. Similarly, Hope can't interact with anyone; she would be promptly forgotten.
It's typical for a Claire North story to be character-focused, with some novels employing a stronger, more thrilling plot line and some going completely plotless, showcasing the character's life in vignettes. It usually works on both ends of the spectrum. Which is why I am slightly surprised and disappointed that The Sudden Appearance of Hope felt like North couldn't make up her mind on what she wanted to do. It had a clear storyline with arcs and side-plots, however, it dragged on in many places, promising action and then not delivering. The book was far too long.
Sadly, the character of Hope did not capture me like North's other protagonists as well. I felt that she was not fully fleshed out - while the premise of her not being able to be remembered was captured realistically and poignantly, I couldn't relate to her in moments when I should. Loss, loneliness, and being unseen is
What struck me was, however, how North laid out the things we take for granted living in a society. If you go to a hospital, you will be served. If you need food, you can buy food or get it through other means. Because Hope can't be remembered, she has to resort to other ways to survive, such as stealing, and manipulating the doctors to attend to her all in one go, so that they don't forget her halfway through her treatment.
Again, this is where North works her magic. Does this sound familiar? Hope, to me, represents 'invisible' people in our society. You can very well be invisible to a system that doesn't serve you. If you are homeless, it's harder to get a job. When you are unemployed, it's harder to secure a place to stay. There are still racial and gender discrimination in healthcare. If you are a woman, you are less likely to be heard. The bureaucracy of social services means that some people fall through. The feeling like you are not part of society can be very real.
Overall, a great story, but not the first of her works that I would recommend to someone.
(Some light spoilers ahead if you have not read any of the books)
Being trapped in a never-ending cycle, forced to relive your life over and over, having the ability to do things differently each time with some hope of salvation but always being brought back to the starting point - your death and birth? The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.
Being a ghost that flit between bodies, reduced to living through mimicry, never being the real you, loving your hosts but having to be resigned to knowing that your presence will harm them irrevocably? Touch.
Being an observer of the banality of life and death, yet somehow a guide to the dying, always looking from the outside yet intimately tied to someone in their last, vulnerable moments? The End of the Day.
Being trapped in a dystopian world where the cost of your humanity is reduced (even further so) to a monetary price and not being able to do anything about it? 84K.
Being haunted (literally - how clever!) by an horrible decision, and as a result, forced to be on the run, forced to sell your time and body to a corporation for protection, and rather poignantly, never connect to people the same way again, since you can't stay long enough before you know all their secrets. The Pursuit of William Abbey. I did not finish this one, unfortunately, because I found it too long and slow (! I'm so sad this is so).
And finally - another flavor of an accumulation of the above: a woman who people can never remember - parents, lovers, doctors, employers - someone unable to interact with others, living life never making meaningful connections. The ultimate prison - you're trapped by the sheer fact that you are unnoticeable. You cannot interact with society. You cannot hold down a job or seek medical treatment. You cannot put in work for something because it would be erased as soon as you are out of sight for a moment.
And yet, there are some who view this as the ultimate freedom - being able to do whatever you want, without consequence, without baggage, without having to plan for the future, because whatever you have done would be erased, there are no accumulation of results leading up to something.
This trope has been explored in many different mediums, and it reminds me strongly of a Black Mirror episode where a form of 'prison' for a criminal would be to blur them out, such that no one can interact with them. Similarly, Hope can't interact with anyone; she would be promptly forgotten.
It's typical for a Claire North story to be character-focused, with some novels employing a stronger, more thrilling plot line and some going completely plotless, showcasing the character's life in vignettes. It usually works on both ends of the spectrum. Which is why I am slightly surprised and disappointed that The Sudden Appearance of Hope felt like North couldn't make up her mind on what she wanted to do. It had a clear storyline with arcs and side-plots, however, it dragged on in many places, promising action and then not delivering. The book was far too long.
Sadly, the character of Hope did not capture me like North's other protagonists as well. I felt that she was not fully fleshed out - while the premise of her not being able to be remembered was captured realistically and poignantly, I couldn't relate to her in moments when I should. Loss, loneliness, and being unseen is
What struck me was, however, how North laid out the things we take for granted living in a society. If you go to a hospital, you will be served. If you need food, you can buy food or get it through other means. Because Hope can't be remembered, she has to resort to other ways to survive, such as stealing, and manipulating the doctors to attend to her all in one go, so that they don't forget her halfway through her treatment.
Again, this is where North works her magic. Does this sound familiar? Hope, to me, represents 'invisible' people in our society. You can very well be invisible to a system that doesn't serve you. If you are homeless, it's harder to get a job. When you are unemployed, it's harder to secure a place to stay. There are still racial and gender discrimination in healthcare. If you are a woman, you are less likely to be heard. The bureaucracy of social services means that some people fall through. The feeling like you are not part of society can be very real.
Overall, a great story, but not the first of her works that I would recommend to someone.
slow-paced
And it's another win from Claire North!!! I really couldn't put this down. At first I thought it was going to be a very point A to point B novel but it took a few interesting turns along the way.
Hope is a woman that everyone forgets. Every time she meets someone she's meeting them for the first time. For them, anyway. She's learned to work with this really well and it's incredibly interesting to see her get out of scrapes based on her experience with how this works.
But what do you do when nobody remembers you? You can't have a job, an apartment, a friend, a lover... What do you do when your parents forget you exist and you're still under age? Hope becomes a thief mostly out of necessity. Then along comes Perfection. Perfection is a highly disturbing app that pushes people more and more towards the maker's goals. You get points for buying the perfect clothes, getting the perfect haircut, eating the right foods, etc. But when someone that Hope cares about (that doesn't remember her, of course) commits suicide, Hope starts to specifically target Perfection. Things get a bit complicated and messy because she doesn't quite know what she's trying to do; it's more like she's figuring out along the way. In the process she gets involved with other people with other agendas. This is fascinating because they can't remember her. Every conversation vanishes in their mind. They can record it and take notes but they still have no memory of their interactions with her.
I loved every second of this book and could not put it down. The audio was also absolutely excellent. Also, I was recently complaining about a character where the word "fuck" was thrown in thoughtlessly and it was stupid. In this case the author does this brilliantly. When the character says Fuck fuck fuck fuckitty fuckitty fuck, which is quite possibly one of my favorite quotes, you know exactly why she's doing this and I felt like I was venting with her. Her frustration at these moments was very tangible.
I just love this author.
Hope is a woman that everyone forgets. Every time she meets someone she's meeting them for the first time. For them, anyway. She's learned to work with this really well and it's incredibly interesting to see her get out of scrapes based on her experience with how this works.
But what do you do when nobody remembers you? You can't have a job, an apartment, a friend, a lover... What do you do when your parents forget you exist and you're still under age? Hope becomes a thief mostly out of necessity. Then along comes Perfection. Perfection is a highly disturbing app that pushes people more and more towards the maker's goals. You get points for buying the perfect clothes, getting the perfect haircut, eating the right foods, etc. But when someone that Hope cares about (that doesn't remember her, of course) commits suicide, Hope starts to specifically target Perfection. Things get a bit complicated and messy because she doesn't quite know what she's trying to do; it's more like she's figuring out along the way. In the process she gets involved with other people with other agendas. This is fascinating because they can't remember her. Every conversation vanishes in their mind. They can record it and take notes but they still have no memory of their interactions with her.
I loved every second of this book and could not put it down. The audio was also absolutely excellent. Also, I was recently complaining about a character where the word "fuck" was thrown in thoughtlessly and it was stupid. In this case the author does this brilliantly. When the character says Fuck fuck fuck fuckitty fuckitty fuck, which is quite possibly one of my favorite quotes, you know exactly why she's doing this and I felt like I was venting with her. Her frustration at these moments was very tangible.
I just love this author.
I wanted to like this book more. The scenario, characters and plot were all interesting but I found in too many places it went of into the thoughts of Hope, which were too long and rambling. It could have done with a serious trim.
I wanted to like this book so so bad. But then I only liked it a bit, sadly.
The premise (a girl is forgotten by everyone around her after some minutes) sounds very promising, and it is! The whole "How can Hope live her life when everyone forgets her?" (including parents, doctors and being in a restaurant) is very interesting and also chilling. Also how she deals with this situation and how she uses this gift-slash-curse was a thing I really enjoyed and found most interesting in this story.
But then, the story isn't just about Hope. It's also about Perfection, a creepy "Big-Brother-Is-Watching-You"-company who tries to make everyone perfect(tly boring). And don't get me wrong, this also is a interesting concept and read like something right out a BlackMirror-episode.
And there is also my problem - there is TOO MUCH going on in the story. I would have loved both to be independent stories, but together it's just... feels like there isn't enough space for either of them?
The ending was also a bit underwhelming. And I had a problem with the writing style. I love a bit stream-of-conciousness, but here it was just a bit too much. But maybe that's just me, I already have a busy and annoyingly loud brain so reading about someone whose head is also jumping from one thought to another and whole stories in the past felt just too close to home, if you understand what I mean :,D
The premise (a girl is forgotten by everyone around her after some minutes) sounds very promising, and it is! The whole "How can Hope live her life when everyone forgets her?" (including parents, doctors and being in a restaurant) is very interesting and also chilling. Also how she deals with this situation and how she uses this gift-slash-curse was a thing I really enjoyed and found most interesting in this story.
But then, the story isn't just about Hope. It's also about Perfection, a creepy "Big-Brother-Is-Watching-You"-company who tries to make everyone perfect(tly boring). And don't get me wrong, this also is a interesting concept and read like something right out a BlackMirror-episode.
And there is also my problem - there is TOO MUCH going on in the story. I would have loved both to be independent stories, but together it's just... feels like there isn't enough space for either of them?
The ending was also a bit underwhelming. And I had a problem with the writing style. I love a bit stream-of-conciousness, but here it was just a bit too much. But maybe that's just me, I already have a busy and annoyingly loud brain so reading about someone whose head is also jumping from one thought to another and whole stories in the past felt just too close to home, if you understand what I mean :,D
Riveting. What an interesting concept. Perhaps Perfection is not as far fetched as one initially thinks. Society is changing, we live in a Big Brother world, and not enough people realise it. This book, along with Nosedive (Black Mirror), and the emergence of social credit systems (China, for example) only prove that we are not as in control of our lives as we might wish to believe.
stupid
Stupid. This book.
Facts. Pointless.
Perfection storyline, unneeded.
I just didnt understand this boo, the point of view or writing style.
Stupid. This book.
Facts. Pointless.
Perfection storyline, unneeded.
I just didnt understand this boo, the point of view or writing style.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes