Claire, a globetrotting freelance journalist, contracts
encephalitis which has her experiencing seizures and memory loss. In fact she has lost most of her memories
from after the age of 17 so the second half of her life is a black hole. Charlie, her husband, asks for the help of
Rachel, the friend with whom he and Claire lived while in graduate school. Charlie and Rachel look after Claire who
becomes increasingly frustrated with the limitations placed on her by her
condition. Claire relies on them to help
her regain her memories, but it becomes obvious to her that there are secrets
and resentments that they are not sharing with her.
One of the issues with the book is its glacial pace. I kept hoping for something to happen but it
never does. Instead, there is needless
repetition: there are 4 discussions of
ice cream flavours and 3 references to lemon curd! And there is background information that
seems irrelevant; for instance, the family histories of all three characters
are given but these detailed backstories serve little purpose. The reader expects some great reveal at the
end since the author uses a number of suspense techniques. For example, both Charlie and Rachel speak of
a need for revenge. Yet nothing happens. Then the ending, when it finally arrives, is
too far-fetched to be credible considering Claire’s condition.
Another problem with the book is that none of the characters
is really likeable so after a while I didn’t care what happened. Claire is described as “the one who took
charge and made decisions and rescued everybody else.” Charlie remembers “her willfulness, her
confidence, her courage and sharpness” and Rachel sees her as “shimmering,
fearless, proud, defiant.” One can sympathize
with Claire because she feels “like a stranger in her own skin”: “Where am I, Claire, the actual person, in
any of this?” But it is revealed that
she has forgotten “the slights and the deceit and the silences” of which she is
guilty, all of which negatively impacted the relationships. To me, she comes across as selfish and
self-centred. Yet Charlie and Rachel put
their lives on hold to look after Claire despite what she did to them? Charlie and Rachel are both cowards, as they
both acknowledge; as a consequence, it is difficult to admire them.
This book was not for me.
Its description is deceiving: “But
still she senses a mystery at the center of all these fragments of her past, a
feeling that something is not complete.
Is Charlie still her husband? Is
Rachel still her friend?” These are not
questions that Claire ever considers. I
found the book a very slow read with its lack of plot and its microscopic focus
on three characters, none of whom is likeable or memorable.
Note: I received a
digital galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
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