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Arden A. (Longboat Key, FL)
The Un-Memory Game
She is a teenager, brutally raped at a teenage party, and her parents choose to use a drug treatment to have the memory of the rape erased from her memory bank. But, doesn't that leave a void, an inability to deal with the act or to move forward, not to mention hamper the police in the capture of the deviant who committed the crime?
Written in the first person of the psychiatrist who helps those given the "treatment" to regain their memory, it relates the experiences of both the rape victim and a soldier as they go through their sessions with the psychiatrist, as well as the psychiatrist's own issues and decisions he makes bordering on the unethical. The memory-erasing "treatment" is an interesting concept, and the author has created a tangled web of a tale, that moves along a a good clip, gradually bringing all the characters to an unexpected conclusion.
Erica M. (Chicago, IL)
All is Not Forgotten
The well-constructed ending - one I found difficult to anticipate - was preceded by an overlong setting of the stage. At 100 pages in, I would have given up, but for the fact that I had a review to write. I am glad that I stuck with it. The tension between family loyalty and professional obligation is well-cast in this novel of a psychiatrist attempting to help a young woman and her family get past the trauma of her rape. When a "treatment" is used to wipe out her memory of the event, there are far-reaching consequences in the inability to identify her attacker.
Vivian_H
Intriguing Psychological Thriller
This is an intriguing psychological thriller involving a psychiatrist's hubris as he schemes to assist a rape victim and a survivor of an AED explosion in the Middle East attempt to recover their memories that had been wiped by pharmaceuticals.
The therapist, Alan, employs techniques of questionable ethics and envisions himself a savior, more brilliant than all, and tries to justify his manipulations of the investigation of the rape. I started to question whether the story was supposed to focus on the struggles of the rape victim, the torment and vigilantism of her father, or the ethics of the mental health professional.
It is evident the author conducted research into treatment for trauma victims. The concept is solid. But most of the characters are not likeable.
I would compare this book to "Gone Girl", which for me worked better as a movie than a novel. I liked the book. But I didn't love it. That said, I will give Wendy Walker's other stories a try.
Betty B. (Irving, TX)
What Happened That Night in the Woods
From the first page we know what happened that night in the woods. What we don't know is who the perpetrator is, and who the narrator is. You will hate to put this book down until the final page and it should make a great movie. I would have given it 5 stars except I was so put off by the narrator who becomes a puppeteer pulling the strings in the lives of characters I came to care about. I think this is a great book for book clubs and for readers who like mystery and suspense.
Kathy S. (Monroeville, AL)
All Is Not Forgotten
This book was a little different than my usual read. As a parent the emotions of the book hit close to home and made me wonder how I would feel and what I would do. There is such a mix of good and evil. It makes one wonder and hope that those who have so much control over another human will chose good. I didn't figure out how it would end until it was happening.
Carol R. (Foster City, CA)
Interesting Angle
Wendy Walker came up with an interesting angle for her novel "All Is Not Forgotten." The story is narrated by a psychiatrist treating victims of trauma. At times, the writing is almost boring as the narrator dispassionately tells the story. This is odd as the narrator is heavily involved in the story and manipulates characters in the book. Yet what a tangled web! You can't help but be drawn to the story as it twists and turns. I almost always like books better than movies but I can envision liking this story better as a movie.
Daniel A. (Naugatuck, CT)
All is Not Forgotten
Overall, I thought the book was good, and I didn't have too much trouble with the writing style except for the italicized words which denoted a person telling their version of a story. Sometimes I didn't know who was talking, but that was towards the beginning of the book. It was better written the last hundred pages or so.
Jane D. (Cincinnati, OH)
The Treatment
There is lots to be disturbed about in this novel and while I usually pass all of my books on to fellow readers, I would be careful who I would recommend this to - It is not for the feint of heart. It is an interesting but difficult read. The first sentence gets right to the subject matter - the brutal rape of a 15 year old girl ( Jenny) who runs off from a high school party after being ignored by the boy who invited her. She runs into the woods where she is brutally raped for over an hour by someone in a black ski mask who actually seemed to be enjoying it all. The graphic details are hard to take in. Even harder to take is the self absorbed psychiatrist Dr Alan Forrester who has been hired by her parents. The good doctor seems to think he has the ability to fix everyone he comes across and in this small town he has plenty who need to be fixed.
Shortly after the rape a somewhat controversial treatment was given to Jenny to induce amnesia and erase the trauma from her mind. " While she had no memory of the rape, the terror lived on in her body" " A type of monster " that eventually led to a suicide attempt. At this point her parents hire Dr Forrester to reverse the damage done by the treatment. The problem is that the solution is equally damaging to all those in his path. So who is the true monster here?
The doctor is the narrator and by his own admission a braggart of sorts who loves his wife even tho he says she is not particularly skilled in anything and he is intellectually superior to her. She is simple and he believes she would never hide a secret from him, she is also attractive and lets him make all decisions - thus he loves her. But you get the point - the author does a great job through out the book of building a case against this egotistical jerk! The worst is yet to come when the doctor gets worried that the evidence in the rape points to his son . He abandons all to protect his son by manipulating evidence and planting it in the mind of Jenny when he is in therapy sessions with her. He works out his diabolical plan which ends up being a disaster for all those in its wake.
This is not a book that makes you feel good after reading it but it is ripe for discussion for book groups. I found it to be an emotional read which would lead to lively discussion. Moral dilemmas abound and bad choices are made all around. The characters are all damaged and drag their childhood baggage around with them - and of course the good doctor is quick to point out all of their problems come from their childhood. As a parent this always makes me a little nervous, wondering what I have inflicted on my own children! Just a little warning - if you start this book I doubt you will be able to abandon Jenny even if you don't like the book. I know I couldn't - I had to see it through to the end.
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