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A review by abeerhoque
The Story of Forgetting by Stefan Merrill Block
4.0
I was given "The Story of Forgetting" by Stefan Merrill Block by a friend who knew I was writing a novel about memory loss. I've been loathe to read fiction on the subject for fear of being demoralised, and/or adding "consciously copying" to the unconscious copying I'm sure I'm already doing. Petty fears aside, I loved TSoF. Mr. Block read and referenced so much of what I've read over the last 2+ years, from case studies to family support guides to neuropsychology to memoir. What he's done with that work is fashion a beautiful moving book with a sense of humour and vivid characters.
Two protagonists, a misfit adolescent (Seth) and an elderly hunchback recluse (Abel) are bound together by a terrifying genetic condition. Mr. Block makes up the actual variant he uses in his book, but early onset Alzheimers (and really any Alzheimers condition) was and still is a tragic and fatal condition that tears families apart and has no cure or even respite.
As per my nerd bent, I love the research paper structure used for Seth's story, and how despite the "twist" of the story coming clear halfway through the book, Mr. Block still maintains tension and interest into the second half. I did feel the last chapter dragged a bit, with too much internal dialogue and explaining and scientific asides (though don't get me wrong - the science throughout delighted me). That last slowing down aside, TSoF was a great read, and astonishingly wise for how young Mr. Block is. I much look forward to his future books.
Two protagonists, a misfit adolescent (Seth) and an elderly hunchback recluse (Abel) are bound together by a terrifying genetic condition. Mr. Block makes up the actual variant he uses in his book, but early onset Alzheimers (and really any Alzheimers condition) was and still is a tragic and fatal condition that tears families apart and has no cure or even respite.
As per my nerd bent, I love the research paper structure used for Seth's story, and how despite the "twist" of the story coming clear halfway through the book, Mr. Block still maintains tension and interest into the second half. I did feel the last chapter dragged a bit, with too much internal dialogue and explaining and scientific asides (though don't get me wrong - the science throughout delighted me). That last slowing down aside, TSoF was a great read, and astonishingly wise for how young Mr. Block is. I much look forward to his future books.