The Forgetting - Sharon Cameron
Synposis
The city of Canaan is a peaceful place, but every twelve years, it delves into chaos during the Forgetting, where everyone forgets everything: who they are, who everyone else is, what they've done. The only way to remember is to write everything down in their Books. Except Nadia remembers. As the next Forgetting nears, can she solve the secrets of the Forgetting, and protect the ones she loves?
Review
Cameron creates a very interesting and believable world with such a fascinating question: What if society restarted every twelve years? People don't know anything besides what is written in their books. It doesn't delve too deep into a discussion, but definitely promoted thoughts for me about why we do things the way we do in society. In Canaan, because it's the way things are they assume it's the way it's always been, since no one can remember otherwise. But do we see the same patterns in society today? What would happen if everything got erased and we had to start completely from scratch? What if you only knew what you had written down yesterday? In a way, history has developed this way--The only "truth" we know about what has happened before is essentially what is left behind, mostly in the written record. As an archaeologist and historian, these questions genuinely engaged me in this story.
This was really well-done science fiction. I felt that the story was a little slow getting into everything, but it needed that build-up for the ending. Truthfully, the mystery of Canaan and why the Forgetting happens was so intriguing I tried looking it up online. Luckily I didn't find any spoilers, and I resisted further urges to skip ahead to find out! It was glad when I finally got to the end that I had let it happen naturally (I'm really impatient!). The plot builds gradually, the bits and pieces you need to solve the puzzle were well-timed and kept the story moving smoothly.
I really liked Nadia as a main character. She had quiet strength and bravery, being the only person in her entire world who could remember what the world was like before the previous Forgetting. Her flaws and insecurities were believable and subtle. I understood her craving to get out and explore, to see more of the world and to make it better in some way. Her relationship with Gray felt very natural and, while it was prominent in the story, didn't overpower the rest of the plot. Gray himself was an interesting character and his character development, experienced through Nadia's eyes, went from not especially likable to a brave, trusting man. The other secondary characters felt mostly well-rounded and not cliché. Probably only the villain, revealed towards the end, felt slightly cliché in their actions, but their backstory gave plausible cause.
Synposis
The city of Canaan is a peaceful place, but every twelve years, it delves into chaos during the Forgetting, where everyone forgets everything: who they are, who everyone else is, what they've done. The only way to remember is to write everything down in their Books. Except Nadia remembers. As the next Forgetting nears, can she solve the secrets of the Forgetting, and protect the ones she loves?
Review
Cameron creates a very interesting and believable world with such a fascinating question: What if society restarted every twelve years? People don't know anything besides what is written in their books. It doesn't delve too deep into a discussion, but definitely promoted thoughts for me about why we do things the way we do in society. In Canaan, because it's the way things are they assume it's the way it's always been, since no one can remember otherwise. But do we see the same patterns in society today? What would happen if everything got erased and we had to start completely from scratch? What if you only knew what you had written down yesterday? In a way, history has developed this way--The only "truth" we know about what has happened before is essentially what is left behind, mostly in the written record. As an archaeologist and historian, these questions genuinely engaged me in this story.
This was really well-done science fiction. I felt that the story was a little slow getting into everything, but it needed that build-up for the ending. Truthfully, the mystery of Canaan and why the Forgetting happens was so intriguing I tried looking it up online. Luckily I didn't find any spoilers, and I resisted further urges to skip ahead to find out! It was glad when I finally got to the end that I had let it happen naturally (I'm really impatient!). The plot builds gradually, the bits and pieces you need to solve the puzzle were well-timed and kept the story moving smoothly.
I really liked Nadia as a main character. She had quiet strength and bravery, being the only person in her entire world who could remember what the world was like before the previous Forgetting. Her flaws and insecurities were believable and subtle. I understood her craving to get out and explore, to see more of the world and to make it better in some way. Her relationship with Gray felt very natural and, while it was prominent in the story, didn't overpower the rest of the plot. Gray himself was an interesting character and his character development, experienced through Nadia's eyes, went from not especially likable to a brave, trusting man. The other secondary characters felt mostly well-rounded and not cliché. Probably only the villain, revealed towards the end, felt slightly cliché in their actions, but their backstory gave plausible cause.
On the whole, I really enjoyed this story and have thought about it quite a bit since finishing! It was unique and well-written. Definitely recommend.
Rating
I give this book 4 stars
Details
Genre: YA, Science Fiction.
Sex: Some kissing, but that's it.
Violence: Some violence and blood, but not super graphic.
Language: None.
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