The House of Forgetting

by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

At seven, Gloria Santos accepts a ride with a charming stranger--and loses the only world she has ever known. Abducted and kept hidden by a respected academic for twenty long years, Gloria is raised in the shadow of her captor's dark, disturbed mind. She enters womanhood believing that life demands servitude, love means obsession, and fear is all-encompassing.

Driven to violence to free herself, Gloria is caught between a world she hates and one she does not know. Now she must find the strength to bury her twisted past--or risk losing her newfound freedom forever. . . .

Genres: Fiction, Adult Fiction, Mental Health

377 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 25, 1997

About the author

Benjamin Alire Sáenz (born 16 August 1954) is an award-winning American poet, novelist and writer of children's books.

He was born at Old Picacho, New Mexico, the fourth of seven children, and was raised on a small farm near Mesilla, New Mexico. He graduated from Las Cruces High School in 1972. That fall, he entered St. Thomas Seminary in Denver, Colorado where he received a B.A. degree in Humanities and Philosophy in 1977. He studied Theology at the University of Louvain in Leuven, Belgium from 1977 to 1981. He was a priest for a few years in El Paso, Texas before leaving the order.

In 1985, he returned to school, and studied English and Creative Writing at the University of Texas at El Paso where he earned an M.A. degree in Creative Writing. He then spent a year at the University of Iowa as a PhD student in American Literature. A year later, he was awarded a Wallace E. Stegner fellowship. While at Stanford University under the guidance of Denise Levertov, he completed his first book of poems, Calendar of Dust, which won an American Book Award in 1992. He entered the Ph.D. program at Stanford and continued his studies for two more years. Before completing his Ph.D., he moved back to the border and began teaching at the University of Texas at El Paso in the bilingual MFA program.

His first novel, Carry Me Like Water was a saga that brought together the Victorian novel and the Latin American tradition of magic realism and received much critical attention.

In The Book of What Remains (Copper Canyon Press, 2010), his fifth book of poems, he writes to the core truth of life's ever-shifting memories. Set along the Mexican border, the contrast between the desert's austere beauty and the brutality of border politics mirrors humanity's capacity for both generosity and cruelty.

In 2005, he curated a show of photographs by Julian Cardona.

He continues to teach in the Creative Writing Department at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Reviews

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, and was engrossed in the story. This is the second book I have read by Saenz, and leaves me wondering...why is he not famous or popular? His books are better than most "bestsellers" I have read.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The House of Forgetting was a captivating book. I'm not even sure how I came about owning this. It was simply in my drawer and the next thing I happened to put my hands on. I'm very glad that I did. This book is especially relevant considering simlilar real life situations that have come to light in the last few years.

Gloria is a chanllenging charicter to read. After being kidnaped she had a tough life but still remained a kind and caring person. However, her attachment to her captor was uncomfortable - if not something that was excusable.

This was a very good read and I would definatly recomend it.

[Robert Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing tale of being a prisoner without realizing same. Kidnapped from her home in El Paso, Gloria Erlinda Santos (called Claudia by her captor Thomas Blacker a professor at U of Chicago) has not been off his property in over 20 years, has met no one else, has no friends and knows nothing of the world except what she has been told or read in the books she is allowed to see. Despite all the blatant evidence of selfishness & egomania, the Stockholm Syndrome still exerts a major influence. With the help of Jenny (Genevieve) Richard, Murph or Sandy (Alexander) Murphy and George, Bessie & Charlie they manage to overcome influence from high places, bent cops, an unscrupulous lawyer, hired hoods and that attachment to the warder.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Benjamin Alure Saenz as a writer but I seem to enjoy in young adult novels, short stories, and poems a little more than his adult novels. I did love how this story was set in Chicago where I live. The story was not bad, if a bit creepy, but in my opinion, it was not as good as say Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe or The Inexplicable Logic of my life.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This kept me on the edge of my seat!! I experienced so many emotions while reading this book: empathy, hatred, love, anticipation, anger, fear, and happiness. I loved being involved in all the character’s points of view. I picked up this book from a gas station in a very small town while on vacation, and I’m so grateful to have found it.

[Evelyn Liebowitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book many years ago I don't even remember where I got it from, I think it may have came from my mother. But this book has stayed in the back of my mind over the years. Very well written, but not for the faint of heart.

[Tanja Keay · Rating 3 out of 5]

very dark

[Diana Petty-stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young girl is kidnapped by a college professor. For twenty-three years she is held captive, never allowed to leave the house and her every move closely observed. Interesting and intriguing.

[Alyssa Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

what i love so much about benjamin alire saenz is that everything he writes is so real. love stories have been done before. missing girl stories, kidnapping stories, stockholm syndrome stories, friendship stories... all been done before. most of the ones i have read are somewhat interchangeable. not this one. saenz' language is poetic as always and his characters, from their minor gestures to their life changing actions, are as real as my next door neighbor. these characters didn't always make the right decisions, and they didn't always make the predictable ones either; they did things that any real human would do. i don't understand how he gets into the minds of each character he creates and brings them to living breathing life in front of me like no one else i've ever read. and of course his ever present mentions of my hometown will always tug at my heart.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A facinating story that dwelled very little on the physical abuse and instead delved into the psychological abuse and consequences resulting from twenty-three years of captivity. The recent true life story of a kidnap victim living in a tent made this seem more real. How Gloria overcomes her lack of socialization is a page turner. Jenny and Murph were great supporting characters, characters being the key word. And Thomas is indeed a cruel villan who doesn't believe he has done anything wrong even after the discovery. I highly recommend this sleeper.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book. It had me hooked not 20 pages in!
The characters all had their own baggage, but the interaction and levels of each of them were magnificent. Each and every one of them was well developed. I have to say my favorite character was Sandy (Alexander Murphy), but Jenny and Gloria came a close second.
The story was amazing, I was gripped by it. It was fantastic and fabulous- I'm going to recommend it to my book club for next month :)

[Mmars · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a fascinating start, but for me, just didn't hold up. What started as a psychological study ended up a more typical crime novel. I could tear it up more, but typically, I'm not a crime novel reader so let's just say I was disappointed that that the police and detective segments seemed so stereotypical faced with a story line that certainly was not.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I expected. We don't get to hear very much about Gloria's time in captivity; most of the story focuses on Gloria's getting adjusted to the outside world and her lawyer and police lieutenant.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished this book against my better judgment. It is so full of cliches and bad similes that it hurt to go on. The characters' thoughts are constantly rehashed as if the author could think of nothing new to write. Thumbs down.

[Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty engaging although not terribly original. I did like the characters and felt they really propped up the slow-moving plot. The ending could've been more substantial. It felt abrupt and rushed to some degree.

[Mei-Amadis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un excellent thriller, fascinant, dont la tension va en crescendo. Benjamin Alire Sáenz réussit une fois de plus à dépeindre des personnages complexes qui sonnent juste, qu'on les aime ou qu'on les déteste. Un presque coup de cœur !

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not my usual book, but I think it has a lot to say about what love is.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Psychological thriller that was worth the effort. I thought all the characters were well developed. Overall an interesting read.

[Hectaizani · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise was really interesting, but there wasn't really enough action. Large sections of the book dragged. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood.

[Vani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creepy Guy, yeah he was a lunatic. I loved that part of this book takes place in El Paso. I liked the story, an easy fast read. I won't forget it.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read.

[AbbyJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed learning about Stockholm syndrome and how it affects victims, family members, and society. Loved the quirky and stoic characters.

[Hillary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a good story. Typical creeper as a kidnapper. All the characters had predictable reactions and the ending felt like it was rushed and ended abruptly.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Enjoyed this book a lot but think Saenz is capable of more.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting book

[Kay Marley-Dilworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunting and thought-provoking tale of a kidnapping victim, beautifully written.