Release date: June 7, 2011
Publisher: Little, Brown
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover
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Each night when 16 year-old London Lane goes to sleep, her whole world disappears. In the morning, all that's left is a note telling her about a day she can't remember. The whole scenario doesn't exactly make high school or dating that hot guy whose name she can't seem to recall any easier. But when London starts experiencing disturbing visions she can't make sense of, she realizes it's time to learn a little more about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future.
I've been excited to read
Forgotten for quite a while now. I first heard about it when I read that Hailee Steinfeld, of True Grit fame, was signed on to the in-production movie. The super short blurb about the book sounded intriguing, so I looked it up. It had good reviews, so I added to my to-be-read list. When I saw it at the library a couple of weeks ago, I snatched it up, and I am so glad I did!
First, the concept is fantastic. It's such an interesting idea, and one that I loved exploring through London's eyes. The most fun parts were seeing people and things London had met or interacted with days before, but didn't remember since they weren't important enough to include in the notes she left herself each night. It was also interesting how she could make herself forget certain things. If she didn't like something that had happened one day, she could just not write it down that night, and she'd be none the wiser the next day.
I felt like London's views of the future would be much more of a burden than not remembering what had happened before, though. I can't imagine knowing my friend's futures, what they were going to do after high school, their successes and failures. I also thought it was fascinating how she used her knowledge of the future to help her present. She could remember instances in the future where she would walk to class, open her locker, know the route to the store, and use those to help her that day. It's something I'd never think of, yet it makes perfect sense in the context.
London is a rather perfect heroine for this book. She's a perfectly normal teenage girl to everyone but her best friend, Jamie. London fights with her mom, has mortifying moments, deals with catty girls, and cries a lot, just like every other teenager. But somehow she does all this without remembering a single instance of her past. She heavily relies on Jamie to get through the days in high school. Jamie can save her when she's forgotten something or remind her of instances she may not have written down. I, personally, was not a fan of Jamie. She made terrible decisions and left her best friend to fend for herself for months on end, when all London did was give her good advice. I'm glad she's not my best friend.
While the story focuses a lot of its attention on the relationship between London and Luke, and as interesting as watching that unfold is, there is a lot more going on. It's only hinted at during most of the book, but you can't help but wonder why London is the way she is. We learn that through the revelation of a whole lot more, completely unexpected. When Forgotten took this route, I was hooked even deeper. In the exploration of this, we also learn why London can't see Luke in her future.
Forgotten is a fascinating and lovely story of a girl growing up and taking control of her future, all while learning her past.
Risk a paper cut? This is not a story you'll easily forget. Even if you're London Lane. I promise. :)
