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A review by themaddiest
The Art of Forgetting by Camille Pagán
3.0
Marissa Rogers has always played second fiddle to her beautiful and magnetic best friend Julia Ferrar. When Julia is hit by a cab, she walks away with few surface injuries, but the damage done to her brain impacts her memory and changes her personality. As Marissa reluctantly realizes that she may have to take charge of her own life as well as Julia’s she also learns what it means to forget, forgive, and ultimately grow up.
Camille Noe Pagan’s debut novel could fall into the trap of being considered run-of-the-mill chick lit. Some readers will read the synopsis and look at the pretty (but ultimately generic) cover and do just that. Those that actually sit down with Pagan’s novel, though, are in for a pleasant surprise. It rises above a lot of its peers and presents an in-depth, compelling look at a complicated female friendship and what it means to finally grow up (even if you’re thirty before you get there). It isn’t a perfect read by any means, but it’s deeply satisfying and surprising when you least expect it.
Pagan has created a fairly typical everygirl in the form of main character Marissa: she’s smart but not too smart, she struggles with her weight, and she’s good at her job but doesn’t love it. There’s nothing about Marissa that’s exceptional, but her tendency to bow to Julia’s every whim is both aggravating and understandable. Most women have had that friend in their lives at some point: the one who seems too beautiful and too wonderful to be real, let alone be their friend. The problem with Julia, of course, is the problem with many of these types of characters in novels: she’s supposed to be charismatic and charming, but most of what she does seems selfish and manipulative, and that makes it difficult to identify with Marissa’s struggle to stay loyal to Julia even after she begins to act erratically. More than once while I was reading, I was reminded of the character of Caitlin in Judy Blume’s pretty epic novel Summer Sisters. Same sort of thing happening there, minus the traumatic brain injury.
There are other complications that help propel the plot forward. The reintroduction of Marissa’s college-sweetheart and possible love-of-her-life Nathan confuses her and puts a strain on her relationship with the loving (and a little boring?) Dave. At the urging of her boss, Marissa takes a volunteer gig coaching an after-school program for elementary school girls that incorporates running with anti-bullying lessons. She finds that she really enjoys the program and also starts to see her own friendship with Julia mirrored in what the girls are learning about each week. As Marissa inches closer to becoming an actual grownup, Julia seems to regress further into her childhood. This juxtaposition is nice, and Pagan mostly carries it off.
The novel’s strongest moments occur when Marissa spends time with her boss (who becomes a friend) and when she spends time with the girls she’s coaching. There’s an authenticity here that’s refreshing, and the story doesn’t feel as strained as it does when Marissa is grappling with Julia’s manipulations or her own almost crippling doubts about her relationship with Dave. Overall, though Pagan’s debut novel is enjoyable and memorable.
Recommended to fans of fiction featuring complicated female friendships.
The Art of Forgetting hits bookshelves on June 9, 2011.
The Art of Forgetting by Camille Noe Pagan. Penguin: 2011. Electronic galley received from publisher for review.
Camille Noe Pagan’s debut novel could fall into the trap of being considered run-of-the-mill chick lit. Some readers will read the synopsis and look at the pretty (but ultimately generic) cover and do just that. Those that actually sit down with Pagan’s novel, though, are in for a pleasant surprise. It rises above a lot of its peers and presents an in-depth, compelling look at a complicated female friendship and what it means to finally grow up (even if you’re thirty before you get there). It isn’t a perfect read by any means, but it’s deeply satisfying and surprising when you least expect it.
Pagan has created a fairly typical everygirl in the form of main character Marissa: she’s smart but not too smart, she struggles with her weight, and she’s good at her job but doesn’t love it. There’s nothing about Marissa that’s exceptional, but her tendency to bow to Julia’s every whim is both aggravating and understandable. Most women have had that friend in their lives at some point: the one who seems too beautiful and too wonderful to be real, let alone be their friend. The problem with Julia, of course, is the problem with many of these types of characters in novels: she’s supposed to be charismatic and charming, but most of what she does seems selfish and manipulative, and that makes it difficult to identify with Marissa’s struggle to stay loyal to Julia even after she begins to act erratically. More than once while I was reading, I was reminded of the character of Caitlin in Judy Blume’s pretty epic novel Summer Sisters. Same sort of thing happening there, minus the traumatic brain injury.
There are other complications that help propel the plot forward. The reintroduction of Marissa’s college-sweetheart and possible love-of-her-life Nathan confuses her and puts a strain on her relationship with the loving (and a little boring?) Dave. At the urging of her boss, Marissa takes a volunteer gig coaching an after-school program for elementary school girls that incorporates running with anti-bullying lessons. She finds that she really enjoys the program and also starts to see her own friendship with Julia mirrored in what the girls are learning about each week. As Marissa inches closer to becoming an actual grownup, Julia seems to regress further into her childhood. This juxtaposition is nice, and Pagan mostly carries it off.
The novel’s strongest moments occur when Marissa spends time with her boss (who becomes a friend) and when she spends time with the girls she’s coaching. There’s an authenticity here that’s refreshing, and the story doesn’t feel as strained as it does when Marissa is grappling with Julia’s manipulations or her own almost crippling doubts about her relationship with Dave. Overall, though Pagan’s debut novel is enjoyable and memorable.
Recommended to fans of fiction featuring complicated female friendships.
The Art of Forgetting hits bookshelves on June 9, 2011.
The Art of Forgetting by Camille Noe Pagan. Penguin: 2011. Electronic galley received from publisher for review.