A review by carriewoodward
We Came Here to Forget by Andrea Dunlop

3.0

We Came Here to Forget follows former Olympic skier Katie Cleary as she lives in the wake of a family tragedy. Although we do not know exactly what occurred in Katie’s family, we know from the start of the book that she is the second daughter of loving and supportive parents, grew up close friends with her older sister, and for some reason has fled her life in the United States to take up tango in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Told on two timelines, We Came Here to Forget tells the story of what happened in Katie’s family, and how she begins rebuilding her life anonymously in Argentina with a group of expats who seem to also be fleeing mysterious pasts.

The first book I read by Andrea Dunlop, She Regrets Nothing, was such a fun and decadent thriller that I was surprised to find that We Came Here to Forget took an entirely different, though moving and suspenseful, tone. From hearing interviews with the author prior to reading, I knew that the book would be exploring a family tragedy and a specific condition/mental illness experienced by a member of Katie’s family, but I would say that the author keys you into some specific clues early on, so that the illness is not as much a surprise as there is suspense on how it will all turn out. I found the descriptions of Katie’s life in Buenos Aires to be helpful relief and mildly interesting, and I appreciated the relationships she developed with several other expat women, though her romantic choices remain questionable. Learning the history and reading the descriptions of the city certainly made me want to travel to Argentina! Overall, I would call this one an enjoyable though not remarkable read.