The Forgetting by Hannah Beckerman

                                                   

Paperback:  331 pages                                                                                   

Genre:  Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Domestic Drama, Psychological Thriller. 

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing  April 2023

Source: Tywyn Public Library

Review Quote: “A compelling, claustrophobic story…I finished it in one huge gulp, excusing myself unilaterally from any family responsibilities I was so desperate to finish it.” ―The Observer

Favourite Quote: 'My parents always warned me: be careful who you have kids with. Mortgages, joint bank accounts, marriages - you can extricate yourself from all of it. But have a child with someone and you're linked to them for the rest of your life.'

First Sentences: When I open my eyes, nothing is familiar. Light falls in parallel strips across the ceiling. Square white tiles, puckered with small black holes, form neat grids. A metal railings above me, curved like the broad sweep of an arm.

My Opinion: 

This is the third book I have read by this author and I was looking forward to starting. Wow, once I did I raced through this story that makes for compulsive reading, I was hooked from the start.

Anna Bradshaw and Livvy Nicholson, the protagonists are two young women who are both in relationships where they feel trapped. We are told in the book blurb that their stories are going to collide, but how is that to be? Told from the points of view of both women the disturbing story unfolds.

Absolutely devoured this very moving and scarily realistic novel about coercive relationships and domestic violence. Highly recommend to all fans of the genre. 

Previous Review:  If Only I Could Tell You.  The Impossible Truths of Love

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

From the bestselling author of If Only I Could Tell You comes the story of two women feeling trapped and powerless. Can they find their way back to life?

When Anna Bradshaw wakes up in a hospital bed in London, she remembers nothing, not even her loving husband, Stephen. The doctors say her amnesia is to be expected, but Anna feels cut adrift from her entire life.

In Bristol, Livvy Nicholson is newly married to Dominic and eager to get back to work after six months’ maternity leave. But when Dominic’s estranged mother appears, making a series of unnerving claims, Livvy is sucked into a version of herself she doesn’t recognise.

A hundred miles apart, both women feel trapped and disorientated, and their stories are about to collide. Can they uncover the secret that connects them and reconstruct their fractured lives?

Author Profile and Photo From Amazon: 

           

Hannah Beckerman is a bestselling author and journalist whose novels have been translated into more than a dozen languages worldwide. She is a book critic and features writer for a range of publications including The Observer and the FT Weekend Magazine, and has appeared as a book pundit on BBC Radio 2 and Times Radio. She chairs literary events across the UK, interviewing authors and celebrities, and has judged numerous book prizes including the Costa Book Awards. Prior to writing her first novel, Hannah was a television producer and commissioning editor for the BBC, Channel 4 and the Discovery Channel, and for two years lived in Bangladesh, running a TV project for the BBC. She now lives in London where she writes full-time.

Her About Me on her Website makes an interesting read. 

Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Profile    Official Website - Hannah Beckerman.  Twitter Profile

Instagram Profile    Facebook Profile

The Impossible Truths of Love by Hannah Beckerman

                                      

Paperback: 282 pages                                                                                   

Genre:  Fiction

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing 2021

Source: Tywyn Public Library

Review Quote: “WONDERFUL. I read The Impossible Truths of Love by Hannah Beckerman in one gulp. The intrigue at this book’s heart genuinely ‘got’ me.” —Marian Keyes, Author. 

First Sentence: The baby in the cot beside her cries, shattering the silence.

My Opinion: 

Just like her previous novel 'If Only I Could Tell You' that I have read by this author she has once again written a thought provoking novel that is full of grief. Yet somehow I still found myself wanting to know more.

A dual timeline story with Nell telling us her story 'Now' and her mother Annie relating her story of 'Then' 35 years ago. The storyline pivots on Nell's father's declaration to her, causing her to probe into childhood memories that have aways haunted her.

A highly emotional storyline, which is not always an easy read. Recommend doing so though if you can cope with your emotions whilst reading. 

Previous Review:  If Only I Could Tell You

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

From bestselling author Hannah Beckerman comes a moving story about memory, secrets, and what it really means to feel that you’re one of the family.

When Nell’s father makes a deathbed declaration that hints at a long-held secret, it reignites feelings of isolation that have plagued her for years. Her suspicions about the family’s past only deepen when her mother, Annie, who is losing her memories to dementia, starts making cryptic comments of her own.

Thirty-five years earlier, Annie’s life was upended by a series of traumas—one shock after another that she buried deep in her heart. The decisions she made at the time were motivated by love, but she knew even then that nobody could ever understand—let alone forgive—what she did.

As the two women’s stories unravel, a generation apart, Nell finally discovers the devastating truth about her mother’s past, and her own.

In this beautifully observed and emotionally powerful story of identity, memory and the nature of family, Hannah Beckerman asks: To what lengths would you go to protect the ones you love?

Author Profile and Photo From Amazon: 

           

Hannah Beckerman is a bestselling author and journalist whose novels have been translated into more than a dozen languages worldwide. She is a book critic and features writer for a range of publications including The Observer and the FT Weekend Magazine, and has appeared as a book pundit on BBC Radio 2 and Times Radio. She chairs literary events across the UK, interviewing authors and celebrities, and has judged numerous book prizes including the Costa Book Awards. Prior to writing her first novel, Hannah was a television producer and commissioning editor for the BBC, Channel 4 and the Discovery Channel, and for two years lived in Bangladesh, running a TV project for the BBC. She now lives in London where she writes full-time.

Her About Me on her Website makes an interesting read. 

Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Profile    Official Website - Hannah Beckerman.  Twitter Profile

Instagram Profile    Facebook Profile

If Only I Could Tell You by Hannah Beckerman

 

‘If Only I Could Tell You’ is not a novel that I can say I enjoyed, as it is about a family that face one tragedy after another, quite harrowing. There is absolutely nothing positive about it and I found it an upsetting read. I am glad that I did read it, but had I realised in advance just how tragic it was I may not have done.

Told from the perspective of each of the three main characters, Audrey and her daughters Jess and Lily. The storyline is very traumatic as not only has Audrey been diagnosed with terminal cancer, but also her daughters have been estranged for many years. Their children are not even allowed to meet up with each other. Audrey’s last wish is that her family should be reconciled before her death.

Well written and worth reading if you feel you can cope with the reality and tragedy.