Reviews

I'm confused about two things.

1. Why is no one talking about this book? I don't understand why I'm not hearing about it endlessly. I don't understand the negative reviews. I DON'T UNDERSTAND.

2. Why is everyone saying this starts out slow? What? Where? When? What?

Seriously, why aren't we talking about this book?

I heard about this because it was in a subscription box, possibly OwlCrate. I saw an unboxing video of it, and was intrigued by the premise, so when I saw the audiobook available, I figured I'd give it a shot. I was ill prepared for how much of my ass this kicked.

The blurbed plot is simple enough. This is YA dystopia, something I haven't read in almost a year (the world is a little too dystopian for it, at the moment). Your basic "world behind a wall" trope, with the added twist of the entire population forgetting everything about their lives every 12 years.

The idea itself is pretty horrifying, but the details are even worse. Forgetting your children, your spouses, your friendships. Having to believe a book that appears to be in your handwriting, but names and descriptions that make no sense to you. The book says you love this person. The book says this is your family. This is your life.

Nadia doesn't forget, though. Nadia knows who her family is. She knows who is supposed to be her family, who is supposed to be her friend. She knows the damage the forgetting does, the things people do because they can. And she will do everything in her power not to let The Forgetting destroy everything.

I do not find this slow at all. I think the world building is so well done, so brilliantly put together. I don't have questions about how this happened. I don't have questions about what came first. When the twists started, and oh how they started, I wasn't confused. I got even more into this story, had my breath catch so many times I felt asthmatic.

This is not your average "behind the wall" trope. Far, far from it. This takes that idea and just chucks it straight out the window.

I like all of the characters. I like characters we don't get to meet. I like characters who have forgotten that they are that character. I don't understand why we aren't talking about this book.

Another confusing thing is why there's a sequel. But it appears it's same world, different time frame. Maybe future time frame? I'm very interested in that one, as well.

Seriously, this is top ten of the books I've read this year. So good.