Reviews

All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker

ehaigh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

bookph1le's review against another edition

1.0

I absolutely hated the narrator of this novel. It was so slow in the beginning, and he came across as such a pedantic snob that I had a hard time getting into the book. I thought if I soldiered on, it would get better. It didn't. Minor spoilers ahead.

The crime in this book is brutal and horrifying, but the narrator creates this icky sense that he's kind of grossly fascinated by it whenever he brings it up. The fact that he's also a misogynist makes this book additionally hard to read. Who wants to think about a female rape victim being treated by a man who systematically belittles and undermines every female character in the book? Not to mention he's very fond of slut-shaming, which I found especially egregious.

I'd also just like to touch upon his appalling lack of professional integrity. This is a man whose license would be yanked faster than you could say "quack" were officials to find out what he'd done.

The ending wasn't what I thought it would be--in fact, the actual ending is far worse in many ways than how I thought the book was going to end. By the time I put the book down, I was entirely disgusted with the narrator and didn't want to hear any more from him.

micheled_utah's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

3.25

jen_jacob's review against another edition

1.0

Hated this book. The narrator (a therapist) is one of the most negative, self serving characters I have ever encountered. As someone who has a degree in Human Services and has taken extensive mental health and ethics classes, this is not the portrayal of a therapist that should be included in any literature (and I use that term loosely with this book). He has violated every code of ethics known, chooses to play God with the life of his patient, a rape victim, and her family and in the process gets someone killed. Not to mention the issues that I have with the author's portrayal of mental illness, specifically axis II disorders. She could have done more research, and really, left out some of what are clearly her opinions on the disorders. She makes Borderline Personality Disorder out to be an illness that leads individuals to become obsessed with others, that these individuals are apt to rape and kill, and that they are the worst of the worse. Yes, there are those individuals who do fall on that spectrum. However, there are many, probably many more than most of us know, who function so well that most can't recognize it. This is not in an effort to deceive others, as the author would have everyone believe. BPD can and is treated and those who have it learn to cope with it, many leading perfectly normal lives. They don't commit crimes, they don't deceive, they don't become fixated on other people and stalk them. At the very least, she should have added some information as a part of her authors note to highlight the fact that she was focusing on those with BPD who tend toward the sociopathic and that not all individuals act and react in this manner. Thank you to Wendy Walker for setting the mental health field back via her portrayal.

I found this book to be nothing but maddening between the narrator and the author.

hgullegrogan's review against another edition

3.0

The book jacket implies that the story will be centered around Jenny. In actuality, the book is centered around Jenny's psychologist, who has poor decision making and questionable morals. I had hoped that this novel would delve into Jenny's story and mental health following the "erasure" of her memory of her rape. That being said, I enjoyed the writing, but the ending was very disappointing.

amandareads70's review against another edition

It was exceptionally slow and felt like nothing was happening after the initial trauma 

cecarson's review against another edition

3.0

Started off slow and I thought the narrator was introduced too late where I didn’t know who was telling the story for awhile. The middle clenched me for a bit and then the ending just felt lack luster.

chandlcl3590's review against another edition

3.0

3/5. Going to try a review without giving any spoilers in case it’s on any of y’all’s to be read. This one was far too graphic in narrating disturbing tragedy for one. Book took a bit to get into, didn’t care for the unique narrator who is anonymous at first, timeline jumps around a bit, and frankly it sends a message that those we go to seeking help with mental illness may have ulterior motives as well. Not an arena that needs any further stigma attached to it.

lit_with_linds's review against another edition

2.0

This book is super upsetting. Takes thriller to a level I don’t think anyone wants to be at. You’ll immediately need a pick-me-up after reading this. Although, it won’t take you long to get through, super quick read.

fictionvictim's review against another edition

DNF @ pg. 50. I can't get past the family's reactions and what does Charlotte's situation have to do with this?