Remember to Forget

by Jonny Gibbings

Richard, a successful businessman, is deep in a coma. Unknowingly to all, he can hear everything said around him. He has no choice but to listen as his wife Anna and daughter Ella long for his passing. He also has a son that no longer acknowledges his existence. His family lay in waste, the fallout of his selfish life spent pursuing money and excess. Frustrated by what he has now learned about his family, he wishes someone could hear him so he could apologize. Just as all is lost, a voice, inside his conscious says, I can hear you. "

74 pages, ebook

First published March 28, 2014

About the author

Born to extremely violent alcoholic parents, from the age of 10 Jonny was working till 11pm peeling potatoes for chip shops to help pay the bills. Walking home by 12am, to be up at 6am, to walk for 30 minutes to catch a coach for an hour long drive to a school. In and out of care homes, and exhausted from working or beatings form parents, he was placed in a 'remedial' classes at school because they thought he was learning disabled.
Homeless at 14 he lived by breaking into caravans and petty crime.Not being able to get 'No fixed Address' benefit till 16, crime was the natural alternative. Jonny has lived in squats in big cites and in rural areas, with crack heads and all number of low life companions, Further life choices of the bad kind had him involved with a crime syndicate that ultimately ended with a stay in prison by 18. Learning to read and write in prison, Jonny has a vibrant approach to literature.
His debut novel Malice in Blunderland now has a cult following has a distinctive style, scattered with deliberate errors that enhance the content, while his Novella Remember to Forget has a flowing lyrical and crafted beauty.

Reviews

[Wesley Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, just wow. Having been one of the first to have read his first book 'Malice in Blunderland' I was very lucky to have been offered a chance to read Gibbings new book before published. Gibbings had me laugh till I cried, this time Gibbings had me crying my heart out. What a beautiful, emotional and amazingly wonderfully crafted little book it is. The story takes you from the bedside of Richard in a coma, able to hear his family in tatters. Helped by what I think is one of the darkest and best incarnations of what an angel could be, they set about trying to repair his family. Death, love, loss and how we lose sight of what is important. This is truly a beautiful, uplifting and touching book.
I think this novella will cast Gibbings in the realms of the talent he deserves, this is one skillfully and lyrically written book.

"The heaviness of the small, empty word worried little about his armour, overwhelmingly crushing him as it fell from his daughter’s lips. He was a vessel, his family his cargo that he selfishly sailed into oceans of isolation and regret only to foolishly run aground. His family now waited on the shore for him to sink from view so they could profit from what flotsam and jetsam would wash ashore. He wanted to open his eyes and look upon his wife. She was the star he once navigated by. He wasn’t foolish, he knew just as all stars, what he saw and what is, were not the same. The distance between him and his star so vast that the love that once shone so bright died so very long ago. Even if he were able to open his eyes they were taped down to protect them from drying out. Not something he
needed to fear now. Two tiny globes of tear formed in the cusp of each eye."

If you are a mother, father, been through good and bad times,have strained relationships, this book will touch you quite deeply

[Maria Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and precise. This book starts with a family broken and shattered, with the reason for that state lying in hospital in a coma. You wince as the mother and daughter are clearly only visiting out of duty, not love. The book unfolds as the hurt wrought by a careless man on his family is revealed and stripped back. Can he be guided by a 'voice' to put right his wrongs?

Enter Gabriel into their lives, he helps reveal the wounds in order to heal them, and make this family whole again. Does he succeed? Well read it for yourself and find out. I enjoyed it immensely.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Struck me as a little saccharine but maybe I’m just in a mood. Still want to read his other book.

[Chris Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the writer of Malice in Blunderland comes this unexpectedly heart-warming novella about a husband and father winning back the love of his family. It’s very well written, well paced and just like his first novel could easily be turned into a film. However, while Malice in Blunderland would be an edgy satirical flick, Remember to Forget reminds me of one of those afternoon made for TV movies that pulls on the strings of your more sensitive emotions, of love and happiness and what the really important things in life are. A guilty pleasure, you’re unable to switch over and are welling up by the end of it. I thought this novel made a beautiful statement about the gifts that family and partnerships have to offer and Gibbings should be extremely proud of what he has achieved. But I also missed the hedonistic laugh out loud storylines from his first novel and the angry political righteousness of his blog. The versatility of Gibbing’s writing nevertheless suggests that there is plenty more to come, and that he is an author to watch out for.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard once loved his wife Anna and two little children, Sam and Ella, but as Richard became more successful and made more money, the cycle of making money and wanting more took over his life, abandoning his family. As Richard lies in a coma in an hospital bed, aware of the cruel voices of his wife and daughter, he hears another voice, one he thinks may be his conscience or an 'angel'. This 'angel', Yama, gives Richard a chance to rebuild his family but all doesn't go as Richard expects.

Jonny Gibbings has a talent for storytelling and this, one of his first published short stories, is testament to that. It is written loosely in the style of Mitch Albom and reminded me of For One More Day and also of Thierry Cohen's Still with Me.

If you have a moment, look at the note about the author higher up this page (near product description), - an amazing person well worth giving a chance. This Kindle edition has no typos and is well set out, which is always a bonus with an e-book.

[Laramore Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a guy who tends to stay within the realm of dark humor, this was a surprising read from Jonny. It's quick and to the point, making you think of all the things you can let go of to improve your life. The premise of the book I believe is something many people have thought up, but Jonny expands on the idea leaving it stained in your mind.

If we could actively pretend to have forgotten the horrors of our lives and those we inflicted on others, who would we be?

I suggest this to read as well: http://thunderdomemag.com/stories/wor...

[Jason Donnelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gibbings reinvents himself in this quick read. While exploring new grounds, he shows us that life is fragile, love is deep, and stories are told to teach the reader something. It may be titled "Remember to Forget" but this one will stick with you for days. So happy I got to read this!

[Troy Roadhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written with amazing twists through out, it's one of those books that come along every now and then that you feel you don't want to end. Gibbings is definitely one to watch out for in the future.