A review by haley_b
The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

 This mystery follows Janie, a single mother trying to her son whose intense fear of water and persistent crying for another mother resist simple explanation. She soon meets Dr. Jerome Andersen, a doctor whose progressing aphasia has put an impending deadline on publishing his life’s research on the “science” of reincarnation.

This book’s blurb asks a lot of questions and makes a lot of promises that the book just doesn’t deliver. Perhaps in another genre a similar story could be more meaningful, but as it stands, The Forgetting Time is a mystery ultimately confused as to whether it’s anti-spiritual or anti-scientific. On one hand, Andersen’s “research” is meant to convince us of the legitimacy of reincarnation irrespective of spiritual regard for the idea. On the other hand, we’re also supposed to believe that the evidence-based psychiatric care that Noah receives prior to encountering Dr. Andersen is not, in fact, what’s best for him. This confusion also comes with a view of Asian cultures that is eurocentric at best and orientalist at worst. 

As others have observed, the writing itself is amateurish. This makes the book a quick and easy read at the expense of true investment in the character. I don’t have to put myself in characters’ shoes to understand their motivations because the prose will tell me outright. 

Upon finishing The Forgetting Time, I was initially inclined towards 3 stars. Finally sitting down to write a review a few months later has reminded me of its many flaws and few strengths, which I feel reflect 2 stars.