What do you think?
Rate this book
Everything She Forgot
Published in the UK as: Redemption Road
Lisa Ballantyne, international bestselling author of The Guilty One, delivers a compelling domestic thriller with impeccably observed characters and masterful edge-of-your-seat storytelling in a novel that leaps between past and present with page-turning finesse
They’re calling it the worst pile-up in London history. Driving home, Margaret Holloway has her mind elsewhere—on a troubled student, her daughter’s acting class, the next day’s meeting—when she’s rear-ended and trapped in the wreckage. Just as she begins to panic, a disfigured stranger pulls her from the car just seconds before it’s engulfed in flames. Then he simply disappears.
Though she escapes with minor injuries, Margaret feels that something’s wrong. She’s having trouble concentrating. Her emotions are running wild. More than that, flashbacks to the crash are also dredging up lost associations from her childhood, fragments of events that were wiped from her memory. Whatever happened, she didn’t merely forget—she chose to forget. And somehow, Margaret knows deep down that it’s got something to do with the man who saved her life.
As Margaret uncovers a mystery with chilling implications for her family and her very identity, Everything She Forgot winds through a riveting dual narrative and asks the question: How far would you go to hide the truth—from yourself…?
Lisa Ballantyne, international bestselling author of The Guilty One, delivers a compelling domestic thriller with impeccably observed characters and masterful edge-of-your-seat storytelling in a novel that leaps between past and present with page-turning finesse
They’re calling it the worst pile-up in London history. Driving home, Margaret Holloway has her mind elsewhere—on a troubled student, her daughter’s acting class, the next day’s meeting—when she’s rear-ended and trapped in the wreckage. Just as she begins to panic, a disfigured stranger pulls her from the car just seconds before it’s engulfed in flames. Then he simply disappears.
Though she escapes with minor injuries, Margaret feels that something’s wrong. She’s having trouble concentrating. Her emotions are running wild. More than that, flashbacks to the crash are also dredging up lost associations from her childhood, fragments of events that were wiped from her memory. Whatever happened, she didn’t merely forget—she chose to forget. And somehow, Margaret knows deep down that it’s got something to do with the man who saved her life.
As Margaret uncovers a mystery with chilling implications for her family and her very identity, Everything She Forgot winds through a riveting dual narrative and asks the question: How far would you go to hide the truth—from yourself…?
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 8, 2015
561 people are currently reading
4579 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Ballantyne
9 books252 followersLisa Ballantyne was born in Armadale, West Lothian, Scotland and studied English literature at University of St Andrews. She lived and worked in China for many years and started writing seriously while she was there. She now lives in Glasgow.
The Guilty One published to critical and commercial acclaim in 2012. Redemption Road is Lisa's second novel.
The Guilty One published to critical and commercial acclaim in 2012. Redemption Road is Lisa's second novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 517 reviews
October 12, 2023
Margaret Holloway is 35, a deputy head teacher at a nearby academy, a wife, a mother, and a mentor to a young student who is struggling to pull himself up from his family’s low beginnings. She has a full life but her memory has a large gap. She can’t seem to remember much from the age of 7 and earlier. That begins to change after she is in a major highway pileup, and is pulled from her about-to-go-boom wreck by a mysterious scarred man. There is something about him that is disturbing. The lost time begins seeping back into her consciousness, sparking her to begin opening doors to her long hidden past.
Big George McLaughlin is a gentle giant of a man with the misfortune of having been born to a physically brutal and criminally inclined Glaswegian family, with little tolerance for his more tender inclinations. When teenage George gets the girl he loves pregnant, he wants to do the right thing. Her parents would rather not have her form an alliance with such an infamous family. George gets to hold his new baby for only a moment, before the mother and child move to the farthest reaches of the country. But it is long enough for him to fall in love with their wee lassie, too.
Kathleen Henderson is desperate. Her daughter has been abducted by some strange man, and the police seem to be making no progress in finding her. She is terrified that her daughter has run afoul of a serial child killer at large in Scotland.
Angus Campbell is a journalist with a heart several sizes too small, an inflated sense of his merits, an extreme and hypocritical attachment to what he sees as moral rectitude, and a streak of cruelty that he applies liberally to his wife and daughter. Through dogged research he believes he knows what has become of the missing girl and goes about trying to locate her, convinced that this heroic undertaking will gain him the national notice he merits. For a person of diminutive stature, he somehow manages to look down his nose at practically everyone.
The story moves back and forth between today, 2013, in which Margaret struggles to recall her past and identify her mystery savior, and 1985, when George took Molly, the latter being when most of the action takes place.
Lisa Ballantyne - from her site
Lisa Ballantyne has a penchant for focusing on the difficulties children experience in families. This was central to her wonderful first novel, The Guilty One, an Edgar Award nominee, which paralleled the lives of a possibly sociopathic young boy accused of murder with his attorney, a man whose childhood had been extremely challenging. Family ties come in for a close look in Everything She Forgot as well. Of course you might want to look away, as some of these families are the kind where the best thing you could do, were you a member, would be to flee, as early and as far as possible. George’s father was a sadistic brute. Angus treats his wife and daughter with none of the tenderness he reserves for his favorite cow. But the ties that bind are still there. And even though George has not seen his daughter since she was piping hot, he feels an undeniable connection. So when chance presents him with an opportunity, he grabs it, follows his heart to the highlands and goes a-questing. Maybe this time, his lost love will agree to marry him. Maybe this time he can be a proper father to his daughter.
Things do not go as planned and George winds up abducting his child and becoming the object of a nation-wide manhunt. If you get the impression there is a strong journey of self-discovery motif here it bears knowing that the title of the UK release of this book was Redemption Road. The journey itself goes, literally, from one end of the UK to the other, from John o’Groats at the northeasternmost point of the Scottish mainland to Land’s End at the southwestern tip of Cornwall, a distance of well over eight hundred miles, allowing the travelers time to get to know one other. (No, George doesn’t walk)
Can George slay his familial dragons? Can he ever be a father to his lost child? Is it even possible that his daughter will acknowledge, let alone accept him? Will the police catch him? Will Angus? Will Molly be returned to her mother?
There are some elements in Everything She Forgot that you may or may not want to remember. First is the degree of Margaret’s amnesia. It seemed to me to extend well beyond the psychologically damaging event that generated her particular manifestation of PTSD. Second, there is an adult character who is unable to read or write. Not some feral person raised by a colony of Orkney voles, but someone who abandoned school as a teen. I suppose it is possible for someone to attend classes into adolescence and still find the funny curved markings on paper indecipherable, but it struck me as a bit of a stretch. While on their journey of mutual discovery George and Molly find shelter when an ex-girlfriend of George’s just happens be ok with him crashing at her flat while she is out of town. But then there are many who cling to a belief in a locallake loch beastie of note, so who am I to gainsay a bit of credulity-stretching? Finally, there are two events in the book that involve harm to animals by the beastly. They are appropriate in their illustration of the characters’ character. But be forewarned, in case this sort of thing is a deal-breaker for you.
There are larger themes permeating the novel. Is DNA destiny? Where does nature leave off and nurture take over? The core of this tale, though, is George and Molly’s reintroduction and growing together. George is an engaging sort, with a heart far bigger than his circumstances would have predicted. You will want him to come to a good end, somehow. Molly is a spunky kid and you won’t want anything bad to happen to her. Her biological father may come from a household of career criminals, but she can feel that there is good in him, that he truly cares for her. Lisa Ballantyne’s sophomore effort offers a journey worth taking. Once you meet and spend some road time with George and Molly you won’t forget them.
Publication - 10/06/2015
Review first posted – 10/02/2015
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal, Twitter and FB pages
Big George McLaughlin is a gentle giant of a man with the misfortune of having been born to a physically brutal and criminally inclined Glaswegian family, with little tolerance for his more tender inclinations. When teenage George gets the girl he loves pregnant, he wants to do the right thing. Her parents would rather not have her form an alliance with such an infamous family. George gets to hold his new baby for only a moment, before the mother and child move to the farthest reaches of the country. But it is long enough for him to fall in love with their wee lassie, too.
Kathleen Henderson is desperate. Her daughter has been abducted by some strange man, and the police seem to be making no progress in finding her. She is terrified that her daughter has run afoul of a serial child killer at large in Scotland.
Angus Campbell is a journalist with a heart several sizes too small, an inflated sense of his merits, an extreme and hypocritical attachment to what he sees as moral rectitude, and a streak of cruelty that he applies liberally to his wife and daughter. Through dogged research he believes he knows what has become of the missing girl and goes about trying to locate her, convinced that this heroic undertaking will gain him the national notice he merits. For a person of diminutive stature, he somehow manages to look down his nose at practically everyone.
The story moves back and forth between today, 2013, in which Margaret struggles to recall her past and identify her mystery savior, and 1985, when George took Molly, the latter being when most of the action takes place.
Lisa Ballantyne - from her site
Lisa Ballantyne has a penchant for focusing on the difficulties children experience in families. This was central to her wonderful first novel, The Guilty One, an Edgar Award nominee, which paralleled the lives of a possibly sociopathic young boy accused of murder with his attorney, a man whose childhood had been extremely challenging. Family ties come in for a close look in Everything She Forgot as well. Of course you might want to look away, as some of these families are the kind where the best thing you could do, were you a member, would be to flee, as early and as far as possible. George’s father was a sadistic brute. Angus treats his wife and daughter with none of the tenderness he reserves for his favorite cow. But the ties that bind are still there. And even though George has not seen his daughter since she was piping hot, he feels an undeniable connection. So when chance presents him with an opportunity, he grabs it, follows his heart to the highlands and goes a-questing. Maybe this time, his lost love will agree to marry him. Maybe this time he can be a proper father to his daughter.
Things do not go as planned and George winds up abducting his child and becoming the object of a nation-wide manhunt. If you get the impression there is a strong journey of self-discovery motif here it bears knowing that the title of the UK release of this book was Redemption Road. The journey itself goes, literally, from one end of the UK to the other, from John o’Groats at the northeasternmost point of the Scottish mainland to Land’s End at the southwestern tip of Cornwall, a distance of well over eight hundred miles, allowing the travelers time to get to know one other. (No, George doesn’t walk)
Can George slay his familial dragons? Can he ever be a father to his lost child? Is it even possible that his daughter will acknowledge, let alone accept him? Will the police catch him? Will Angus? Will Molly be returned to her mother?
There are some elements in Everything She Forgot that you may or may not want to remember. First is the degree of Margaret’s amnesia. It seemed to me to extend well beyond the psychologically damaging event that generated her particular manifestation of PTSD. Second, there is an adult character who is unable to read or write. Not some feral person raised by a colony of Orkney voles, but someone who abandoned school as a teen. I suppose it is possible for someone to attend classes into adolescence and still find the funny curved markings on paper indecipherable, but it struck me as a bit of a stretch. While on their journey of mutual discovery George and Molly find shelter when an ex-girlfriend of George’s just happens be ok with him crashing at her flat while she is out of town. But then there are many who cling to a belief in a local
There are larger themes permeating the novel. Is DNA destiny? Where does nature leave off and nurture take over? The core of this tale, though, is George and Molly’s reintroduction and growing together. George is an engaging sort, with a heart far bigger than his circumstances would have predicted. You will want him to come to a good end, somehow. Molly is a spunky kid and you won’t want anything bad to happen to her. Her biological father may come from a household of career criminals, but she can feel that there is good in him, that he truly cares for her. Lisa Ballantyne’s sophomore effort offers a journey worth taking. Once you meet and spend some road time with George and Molly you won’t forget them.
Publication - 10/06/2015
Review first posted – 10/02/2015
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal, Twitter and FB pages
February 9, 2017
This book is classed as a thriller but for me it is more of a family drama, and there wasn’t that much that I liked about it in all honesty. 36 year old Margaret has always known about the large gaps in her memory that stem from when she was a child but she has never dwelled on them until now. It takes being rescued from a motorway pile up by her own guardian angel to give her the impetus to find out what happened in her past to cause that memory lapse.
It is a story that is quite predictable. It doesn’t take long to realise who the guardian angel is and what happened to her as a child and yet you read on waiting for those twists to come, and they just don’t arrive. What you see is what you get.
The characters themselves seem pretty dull and lifeless with one exception. Angus, a religious local reporter with dreams of becoming an investigative reporter is the only one who seems to shine here. I really liked the way that he is shown to be someone who lives his life by the letter of the Lord, but not the spirit. Margaret is of course the main character, but even she doesn’t stand out. Most of the story is told through flashbacks going back to the 1980s when she was a child and from various viewpoints from that time. However, none of them are Margaret herself and the times we do see her, in the present, are relatively few and far between. I never felt therefore that I got to know her at all, and she just seemed to have no personality whatsoever.
The story meanders from the plot quite a lot and it frustrated me at times. For instance, if someone is going into the kitchen to prepare food, I do not need an itemised list of what is in the cupboards!
In short, it is a story with promise, but just doesn’t deliver, for me at any rate. Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
It is a story that is quite predictable. It doesn’t take long to realise who the guardian angel is and what happened to her as a child and yet you read on waiting for those twists to come, and they just don’t arrive. What you see is what you get.
The characters themselves seem pretty dull and lifeless with one exception. Angus, a religious local reporter with dreams of becoming an investigative reporter is the only one who seems to shine here. I really liked the way that he is shown to be someone who lives his life by the letter of the Lord, but not the spirit. Margaret is of course the main character, but even she doesn’t stand out. Most of the story is told through flashbacks going back to the 1980s when she was a child and from various viewpoints from that time. However, none of them are Margaret herself and the times we do see her, in the present, are relatively few and far between. I never felt therefore that I got to know her at all, and she just seemed to have no personality whatsoever.
The story meanders from the plot quite a lot and it frustrated me at times. For instance, if someone is going into the kitchen to prepare food, I do not need an itemised list of what is in the cupboards!
In short, it is a story with promise, but just doesn’t deliver, for me at any rate. Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
January 19, 2016
“Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.”
----Spencer Johnson
Lisa Ballantyne, an international best selling author, pens her new thriller, Everything She Forgot that unfolds the story of three characters in three different locations, each unraveling a mystery of their own, finally leading them to meet each other on the crossroads of self-realization. The story revolves in so many time frame and from London to Glasgow o Wick in Scottish Highlands with three different mysteries with no connection with one another, yet keeps the readers guessing till the very end to find that one tiny thread of connection between these three stories.
Synopsis:
They’re calling it the worst pile-up in London history. Driving home, Margaret Holloway has her mind elsewhere—on a troubled student, her daughter’s acting class, the next day’s meeting—when she’s rear-ended and trapped in the wreckage. Just as she begins to panic, a disfigured stranger pulls her from the car just seconds before it’s engulfed in flames. Then he simply disappears.
Though she escapes with minor injuries, Margaret feels that something’s wrong. She’s having trouble concentrating. Her emotions are running wild. More than that, flashbacks to the crash are also dredging up lost associations from her childhood, fragments of events that were wiped from her memory. Whatever happened, she didn’t merely forget—she chose to forget. And somehow, Margaret knows deep down that it’s got something to do with the man who saved her life.
As Margaret uncovers a mystery with chilling implications for her family and her very identity, Everything She Forgot winds through a riveting dual narrative and asks the question: How far would you go to hide the truth—from yourself…?
In London, Margaret, a head teacher and a mother, is saved from a deathly car accident by a stranger who vanishes into thin air after saving her life. Lying in hospital bed, Margaret takes a trip down in memory lane when she was a child that makes her questions about the secrets that not only her parents are hiding from her but also herself.
In Glasgow, George, a tender yet a dangerous criminal, is unfortunate enough to be born into one of the most famous criminal families of the city, but when this young man becomes a father with no plan, things go haywire and finally changes his life thus questioning him the choices he made for the future of his child.
In Wick, Kathleen, a desperate mother, is trying hard to cooperate with the local Scottish police to help them find her abducted daughter. Meanwhile, an irrational and a cranky journalist, begin an investigation to find Kathleen's abducted daughter, which makes him point finger to each and everyone he meets in the process.
The first story occurs in the present day, whereas the second one, which is the central part of the main story line, occurs in 1985 followed by the third one. The reader traverses back and forth from one location to another and from one time frame to another, each unfolding the story of children born in distressed family and what kinds of problems are faced by them.
The book falls in the category of mystery/thriller, although the story revolves around a mystery, the outcome of which is a family drama or rather say a bit predictable one with lots of drama. The writing is extremely fantastic layered with suspense and deep, evocative emotions that has an ability to move the readers from their heart and mind. The story is absolutely captivating and heart wrenching that is smeared with so much pain and self-realization. The story has a dual narrative which is free-flowing and articulate enough to keep the readers hooked on to the story till the very end.
This multi-elements-type story finally come on to a cross-road where each story finally justifies the other story, that the author have portrayed in a skilled manner. The characters are quite well developed that reflect a realism in their demeanor highlighting their flaws, honesty, guilt and self-realization.
The stories have a lot of depth in them that lets the readers feel the emotions as well as the background of the story. Each of the location is painted with vividness thus taking the readers on a trip from one beautiful location to another. The atmosphere of the story line is very dark thus giving the readers an arresting reading feel. In a nutshell, this thriller styled family drama is quite appealing and touching.
Verdict: If dark thrillers are your poison, then do grab a copy of this book for sure.
Courtesy: Thanks to the author's publicist for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
----Spencer Johnson
Lisa Ballantyne, an international best selling author, pens her new thriller, Everything She Forgot that unfolds the story of three characters in three different locations, each unraveling a mystery of their own, finally leading them to meet each other on the crossroads of self-realization. The story revolves in so many time frame and from London to Glasgow o Wick in Scottish Highlands with three different mysteries with no connection with one another, yet keeps the readers guessing till the very end to find that one tiny thread of connection between these three stories.
Synopsis:
They’re calling it the worst pile-up in London history. Driving home, Margaret Holloway has her mind elsewhere—on a troubled student, her daughter’s acting class, the next day’s meeting—when she’s rear-ended and trapped in the wreckage. Just as she begins to panic, a disfigured stranger pulls her from the car just seconds before it’s engulfed in flames. Then he simply disappears.
Though she escapes with minor injuries, Margaret feels that something’s wrong. She’s having trouble concentrating. Her emotions are running wild. More than that, flashbacks to the crash are also dredging up lost associations from her childhood, fragments of events that were wiped from her memory. Whatever happened, she didn’t merely forget—she chose to forget. And somehow, Margaret knows deep down that it’s got something to do with the man who saved her life.
As Margaret uncovers a mystery with chilling implications for her family and her very identity, Everything She Forgot winds through a riveting dual narrative and asks the question: How far would you go to hide the truth—from yourself…?
In London, Margaret, a head teacher and a mother, is saved from a deathly car accident by a stranger who vanishes into thin air after saving her life. Lying in hospital bed, Margaret takes a trip down in memory lane when she was a child that makes her questions about the secrets that not only her parents are hiding from her but also herself.
In Glasgow, George, a tender yet a dangerous criminal, is unfortunate enough to be born into one of the most famous criminal families of the city, but when this young man becomes a father with no plan, things go haywire and finally changes his life thus questioning him the choices he made for the future of his child.
In Wick, Kathleen, a desperate mother, is trying hard to cooperate with the local Scottish police to help them find her abducted daughter. Meanwhile, an irrational and a cranky journalist, begin an investigation to find Kathleen's abducted daughter, which makes him point finger to each and everyone he meets in the process.
The first story occurs in the present day, whereas the second one, which is the central part of the main story line, occurs in 1985 followed by the third one. The reader traverses back and forth from one location to another and from one time frame to another, each unfolding the story of children born in distressed family and what kinds of problems are faced by them.
The book falls in the category of mystery/thriller, although the story revolves around a mystery, the outcome of which is a family drama or rather say a bit predictable one with lots of drama. The writing is extremely fantastic layered with suspense and deep, evocative emotions that has an ability to move the readers from their heart and mind. The story is absolutely captivating and heart wrenching that is smeared with so much pain and self-realization. The story has a dual narrative which is free-flowing and articulate enough to keep the readers hooked on to the story till the very end.
This multi-elements-type story finally come on to a cross-road where each story finally justifies the other story, that the author have portrayed in a skilled manner. The characters are quite well developed that reflect a realism in their demeanor highlighting their flaws, honesty, guilt and self-realization.
The stories have a lot of depth in them that lets the readers feel the emotions as well as the background of the story. Each of the location is painted with vividness thus taking the readers on a trip from one beautiful location to another. The atmosphere of the story line is very dark thus giving the readers an arresting reading feel. In a nutshell, this thriller styled family drama is quite appealing and touching.
Verdict: If dark thrillers are your poison, then do grab a copy of this book for sure.
Courtesy: Thanks to the author's publicist for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
January 18, 2020
I have a lot to say about this book because for the first half I did not like it that much and by the time I got to the ending I liked it a lot. It's a story about a woman who is in a car collision and trapped in her car and a man comes along, breaks the window and pulls her out of the car, after which the car explodes on fire. Then the woman becomes obsessed with finding out who this man is and realizes that he is someone from her youth. She has memories in her mind of being kidnapped as a child. Then we go back to the story and find out what happened to her. There is a lot of cruelty in this story. There is a newspaper journalist named Angus who is a horrible human being. He is on the trail of finding out what happened to her. He is cruel man who uses religion to get away with doing mean things. For example he lets his cow die because he doesn't believe in working on Sunday and cow is in distress. He is physicallyl and mentally cruel to his wife and children. Then another main character is abused by his family and the nuns at his catholic school because he is left handed and they all want him to be right handed. But by the end of the story there is a good ending to all this, so I ended up enjoying thr story.
April 7, 2021
This is a very good mystery novel about family and forgiveness, courage and commitment. The main character Margaret Holloway is involved in a car crash during her adult life that sets off the start of remembering memories lost from her childhood. Her childhood has massive holes of forgotten memories and she is desperate to rediscover them and piece together her lost past. After the car crash she was rescued by a mysterious stranger who risked his own life to save her and Margaret feels that this may be more than a fortunate incident.
Margaret escapes with minor injuries but is left with a nagging doubt that something is not right. With her emotions running high she is now experiencing flashbacks from both the crash and her lost childhood. She has a feeling that the memories she lost were lost by choice and now she wants to discover the truth from her past.
Good story and well written. Maybe a little predictable but nevertheless a decent read.
Margaret escapes with minor injuries but is left with a nagging doubt that something is not right. With her emotions running high she is now experiencing flashbacks from both the crash and her lost childhood. She has a feeling that the memories she lost were lost by choice and now she wants to discover the truth from her past.
Good story and well written. Maybe a little predictable but nevertheless a decent read.
February 10, 2017
Redemption Road psychological novel told at a steady pace, one where the past meets the present in a book that provides much food for thought as well as a cracking good story.
Margaret Holloway holds a managerial position in a secondary school, driven and committed when she leaves the school one December evening she is caught up in a horrific multi-vehicle pile-up on the motorway near her home in Loughton. Margaret is rescued by a mystery man but she soon becomes obsessed not with the accident but the man who saved her life and her childhood. Margaret’s childhood is a mystery, not least to herself as she is unable to remember a period of it culminating in a stay in hospital.
In the past we move to the highlands of Scotland where we meet journalist Angus who is desperate for his big scoop which he sees syndicated by the nationals across the land however he is reduced to writing about mundane local matters instead. Well that is until seven-year-old Moll is abducted on her way to school. Seizing his chance Angus visits her parents, Kathleen and John where he thinks he has found a detail that is worth closer investigation.
Big George starts his tale from Thurso near John O’Groats in 1985 and despite never having made it to that part of the world the descriptions made me feel that I had, a touch only emphasised by the authentic details of the time, excerpts of songs, the need to use coins to telephone anyone and cars in need of constant repair quickly transported me to that age.
With each chapter alternating between the three narrators their respective beliefs and characters are revealed in layers, a touch that I particularly like. With both men in need of redemption the ultimate question is will they find it? The downside of the alternate narratives is that as the story progresses it is easy to predict the next part, I didn’t mind being caught up in the drama but for those looking for a thrilling read with twists and turns, this isn’t the book for you. It is a much quieter type of read but for me it was utterly compelling as I needed to know exactly how all the strands were resolved. Having said that as Big George is part of the gangland scene in Glasgow and Angus is a misogynistic religious fanatic there are scenes which are violent; this may be a story about family secrets but some of them aren’t pretty!
I chose this book after having thoroughly enjoyed The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne for the perception of the underlying issues the story was about, this one was equally satisfying for the same reasons. I like books where the characters are multi-faceted and this one entirely fits that bill as the motivations in respect of the character’s actions are slowly revealed. This is a book which on reflection has far more going on than may first be apparent.
I’d like to thank the Little Brown Book Group for allowing me to read a copy ahead of the paperback publication date of 16 July 2015 in return for my honest opinion.
Margaret Holloway holds a managerial position in a secondary school, driven and committed when she leaves the school one December evening she is caught up in a horrific multi-vehicle pile-up on the motorway near her home in Loughton. Margaret is rescued by a mystery man but she soon becomes obsessed not with the accident but the man who saved her life and her childhood. Margaret’s childhood is a mystery, not least to herself as she is unable to remember a period of it culminating in a stay in hospital.
In the past we move to the highlands of Scotland where we meet journalist Angus who is desperate for his big scoop which he sees syndicated by the nationals across the land however he is reduced to writing about mundane local matters instead. Well that is until seven-year-old Moll is abducted on her way to school. Seizing his chance Angus visits her parents, Kathleen and John where he thinks he has found a detail that is worth closer investigation.
Big George starts his tale from Thurso near John O’Groats in 1985 and despite never having made it to that part of the world the descriptions made me feel that I had, a touch only emphasised by the authentic details of the time, excerpts of songs, the need to use coins to telephone anyone and cars in need of constant repair quickly transported me to that age.
With each chapter alternating between the three narrators their respective beliefs and characters are revealed in layers, a touch that I particularly like. With both men in need of redemption the ultimate question is will they find it? The downside of the alternate narratives is that as the story progresses it is easy to predict the next part, I didn’t mind being caught up in the drama but for those looking for a thrilling read with twists and turns, this isn’t the book for you. It is a much quieter type of read but for me it was utterly compelling as I needed to know exactly how all the strands were resolved. Having said that as Big George is part of the gangland scene in Glasgow and Angus is a misogynistic religious fanatic there are scenes which are violent; this may be a story about family secrets but some of them aren’t pretty!
I chose this book after having thoroughly enjoyed The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne for the perception of the underlying issues the story was about, this one was equally satisfying for the same reasons. I like books where the characters are multi-faceted and this one entirely fits that bill as the motivations in respect of the character’s actions are slowly revealed. This is a book which on reflection has far more going on than may first be apparent.
I’d like to thank the Little Brown Book Group for allowing me to read a copy ahead of the paperback publication date of 16 July 2015 in return for my honest opinion.
May 25, 2016
Incredibly disappointing. This story was just so linear- no big shocks, no twists, no suspense. It was a decent story but it didn't peak my interest whatsoever.
March 31, 2021
This book focuses on an event that someone forgot all about. Sometimes we see things and we think we know what the are right away. Much like what I expected from this book, the perception was not the reality. I thought this was going to be a thriller, but actually Everything She Forgot was a bittersweet story of a Father’s love for his only daughter.
I found Margaret, aka Molly, to be more of a blank slate than a relate-able character. This was actually a good thing bacause the events in the story defined her for me. Molly’s story is told in two timelines.
In 2013, she is confused after the accident and struggling to get back to her normal life. We don’t get to see her much before the accident, but afterwards she is very much alone despite being married and working with people who appear to care for her. She cares a lot about her job, which is teaching, that much is clear. In a moment of distraction, she gets into an automobile accident. The accident is part of a terrible pile up and in the collision she is pinned inside her vehicle as it catches fire. Margaret finds herself being rescued by a stranger. When she tries later to find him and thank him, she finds him at the hospital without any visitors or next of kin.
This story flashes back to 1985 when Molly was a 7 year old child, and there we get the POV of George, Kathleen, and Angus. Molly as a child only gets a small voice. We mostly see her as a victim and as George, her loving but misguided father, sees her. After the accident Molly doesn’t speak at all, and she never tells her Mother and Step-Father what actually happened to her. In 1985 something important and traumatic happened to Molly. She was abducted by George McLaughlin, her real father. In this portion of the story we get glimpses of George’s childhood and why he must somehow connect with his daughter Molly. We also get a good look into: George, a man struggling to connect with his daughter; Kathleen, a mother whose child has gone missing; and Angus, the journalist determined to catch George.
I found George a sad character. He was born into this awful family where his father was feared by everyone in town. As a result of that terrible childhood, he is an illiterate adult. He doesn’t mean to kidnap Molly but then he kinda does and it is too late to go back. He sees Molly as the only good thing in his life.
I really enjoyed the pacing in this story. It starts off with descriptive scenes and emotional depth and somehow the author is able to carry that through every character, and every scene, until the very end. With so many POVs I think I got a better idea of the scope of Molly’s importance. I know this book is labeled as thriller, but I don’t exactly agree with that. It is more like a family drama.
I really enjoyed this story. It touched me and I have to admit brought tears to my eyes. The ending was so good! It was much character driven and so if you are into that style, you should probably give this a go.
November 12, 2020
4.5 stars rounded up
"Margaret Holloway, deputy head teacher, mother, wife, did not know what had happened to her when she was a little girl, and she was terrified to find out".
2013 - Margaret Holloway works in a 'Learning Support Unit' of a school and is very devoted to her work and her students. She leaves the school late one afternoon to return to her husband Ben, and her two children when she is involved in a terrible multi-vehicle accident. She is trapped in her car, but a courageous stranger breaks the window out and saves her from certain death. Her savior disappears into the melee and she has no chance to thank him or make sure he gets the medical aid he needs.After the crash, Margaret is unsettled. She cannot concentrate. She fears she is suffering from PTSD."
The McLaughlin were still synonymous with fear in Glasgow."
1978 - George McLaughlin is charming, tall, dark, handsome and illiterate. He has a good heart. That does not serve him well because he is the youngest son of Glasgow's most intimidating and ruthless criminal, Brendan McLaughlin. An enforcer, a heavy for the top loan shark in the city, he works terrorizing and murdering, at home Brendon rules his wife and his children with an iron fist. Quite literally.
"Brendan expected to be obeyed with religious observance.Black was white if he said so."
George meets and falls in love with a local girl, Kathleen. When she falls pregnant, her family are scandalized and completely forbid her to have any more association with that 'criminal family'. Though Kathleen does love George, she knows it is for the best.
1985 - Kathleen is now married to an older, kind, and loving man named John Henderson. He has moved Kathleen and her daughter Moll up to Thurso, in Northern Scotland. They are a happy family. Until... Moll is abducted on her way to school...After all these years (Moll is now seven years old), George McLaughlin, now aged twenty-seven, wants to see Kathleen and his little daughter. He has never stopped loving them both. When he gets to Thurso, he discovers that Kathleen has a nice big house, a nice car, and she looks happy. Despondent, he begins to leave the little town when he sees some girls bullying another girl. The girl being bullied is Moll. Of course, he comes to her rescue. Then impetuously, he makes a life-altering decision. He takes Moll.
Though frightened at first, Moll and George have a unique bond. He loves her dearly and would never harm her. They set out on a road trip - an 'adventure'. The sad part is that Moll's loving parents, the police, and the general public, think that Moll has been abducted by a psychopathic stranger that has been known to take and murder little girls her age. There is a nation-wide alert for any information pertaining to Moll's abduction.
A local, small-time journalist, Angus Campbell, has made it his life's mission to discover who took Moll. Don't be fooled, he is not doing this out of altruism. He thinks that solving this case will bring him the recognition her thinks he deserves. Though he claims to be religious, he is a sexist, odious little man who abuses and belittles his wife and children regularly. His part in this story would be more impactful that he would imagine, though not as he would have hoped.
Alternating between the time of Moll and George's road trip, and the present time the narrative gradually culminates with Margaret's memory returning.
MY THOUGHTS
This novel is an ode to 'nature vs. nuture'. Just how much are we incapable of changing due to the genes we carry? The author explores the subject with caring, with insight, and with empathy.
The story features two sane, loving, and balanced families. It also features two abusive patriarchal families - which makes the difference between them even more stark.
The characters were all well-developed and this reader connected with them on a visceral level. George McLaughlin was an astounding character whom I won't soon forget. The supposed villain of the piece, he projected such a loving and kind nature that belied his reputation and stature.
The reader knows Margaret's memories before she does, and turns the pages with trepidation until the present and past collide with stunning effect.
I loved this book, and would highly recommend it to others.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my request from William Morrow/Harper Collins via Edelweiss for purposes of this review.
"Margaret Holloway, deputy head teacher, mother, wife, did not know what had happened to her when she was a little girl, and she was terrified to find out".
2013 - Margaret Holloway works in a 'Learning Support Unit' of a school and is very devoted to her work and her students. She leaves the school late one afternoon to return to her husband Ben, and her two children when she is involved in a terrible multi-vehicle accident. She is trapped in her car, but a courageous stranger breaks the window out and saves her from certain death. Her savior disappears into the melee and she has no chance to thank him or make sure he gets the medical aid he needs.After the crash, Margaret is unsettled. She cannot concentrate. She fears she is suffering from PTSD."
The McLaughlin were still synonymous with fear in Glasgow."
1978 - George McLaughlin is charming, tall, dark, handsome and illiterate. He has a good heart. That does not serve him well because he is the youngest son of Glasgow's most intimidating and ruthless criminal, Brendan McLaughlin. An enforcer, a heavy for the top loan shark in the city, he works terrorizing and murdering, at home Brendon rules his wife and his children with an iron fist. Quite literally.
"Brendan expected to be obeyed with religious observance.Black was white if he said so."
George meets and falls in love with a local girl, Kathleen. When she falls pregnant, her family are scandalized and completely forbid her to have any more association with that 'criminal family'. Though Kathleen does love George, she knows it is for the best.
1985 - Kathleen is now married to an older, kind, and loving man named John Henderson. He has moved Kathleen and her daughter Moll up to Thurso, in Northern Scotland. They are a happy family. Until... Moll is abducted on her way to school...After all these years (Moll is now seven years old), George McLaughlin, now aged twenty-seven, wants to see Kathleen and his little daughter. He has never stopped loving them both. When he gets to Thurso, he discovers that Kathleen has a nice big house, a nice car, and she looks happy. Despondent, he begins to leave the little town when he sees some girls bullying another girl. The girl being bullied is Moll. Of course, he comes to her rescue. Then impetuously, he makes a life-altering decision. He takes Moll.
Though frightened at first, Moll and George have a unique bond. He loves her dearly and would never harm her. They set out on a road trip - an 'adventure'. The sad part is that Moll's loving parents, the police, and the general public, think that Moll has been abducted by a psychopathic stranger that has been known to take and murder little girls her age. There is a nation-wide alert for any information pertaining to Moll's abduction.
A local, small-time journalist, Angus Campbell, has made it his life's mission to discover who took Moll. Don't be fooled, he is not doing this out of altruism. He thinks that solving this case will bring him the recognition her thinks he deserves. Though he claims to be religious, he is a sexist, odious little man who abuses and belittles his wife and children regularly. His part in this story would be more impactful that he would imagine, though not as he would have hoped.
Alternating between the time of Moll and George's road trip, and the present time the narrative gradually culminates with Margaret's memory returning.
MY THOUGHTS
This novel is an ode to 'nature vs. nuture'. Just how much are we incapable of changing due to the genes we carry? The author explores the subject with caring, with insight, and with empathy.
The story features two sane, loving, and balanced families. It also features two abusive patriarchal families - which makes the difference between them even more stark.
The characters were all well-developed and this reader connected with them on a visceral level. George McLaughlin was an astounding character whom I won't soon forget. The supposed villain of the piece, he projected such a loving and kind nature that belied his reputation and stature.
The reader knows Margaret's memories before she does, and turns the pages with trepidation until the present and past collide with stunning effect.
I loved this book, and would highly recommend it to others.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my request from William Morrow/Harper Collins via Edelweiss for purposes of this review.
June 15, 2015
I received an advance copy of Redemption Road by Lisa Ballantyne from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Piatkus.
Having never read anything by Lisa Ballantyne before, I was drawn to this book on NetGalley by the blurb and the fact Lisa’s first book, The Guilty One received such rave reviews. I expected good things. I got good things but not the “wow” things I was looking for.
In 2013 Margaret Holloway is involved in a motorway pile up. She is trapped in her car and only survives after being rescued by a hideously scarred man she doesn’t know.
In 1985 George McLaughlin has come into some money. He stole it. His family is known for being gangsters but George is the black sheep. He appears to be the good one. He has only ever loved Kathleen. She left seven years ago with their daughter to start a new life away from George. He has decided he wants her back, and he wants his daughter back. In a turn of events that no one could have seen coming, George ends up on the run with his daughter but without Kathleen.
How do things turn out for George? Who is the mysterious character who has rescued Margaret? Is there a connection?
OK where to start with this one? I was disappointed. Really disappointed.
The writing in this book is really good. Ms Ballantyne has a knack for drawing you into a story and giving you a real feel for the characters. In this instance the stand out person for me was George. He is the stereotypical gentle giant born out of a gangster family when he doesn’t have a bad bone in his body and wants nothing to do with them. His childhood is horrific but he still turns out a good one. Sort of. Circumstances lead him astray and he ends up on the run through no fault of his own.
A couple of other characters did stand out like the religious reporter whose antiquated beliefs and morals made me instantly hate him and his attitudes. Margaret is a confused individual searching for answers to years old secrets.
The story jumps from 2013 to 1985 and back again. Over and over. The most enjoyable parts for me were the older scenes with George. His character just shone through and you couldn’t help but feel for the big man.
Apart from George, the rest of it was quite a let-down to be honest.
Don’t get me wrong the actual writing is very good. It is well structured, well put together. It’s very polished. It’s also very very predictable.
I had this thing sussed from about thirty pages in. I kept thinking to myself that I must be wrong. There must be some major twist halfway through that would turn everything I thought upside down? Nope. Three quarters of the way through? Nope. It was exactly as I had thought it would be. From the very beginning. This disappointed me so much. Once I had it sussed, at the beginning, there were no thrills. There were a few “why the hell would you do that” moments but nothing to thrill me. Nothing to keep me rooted to the pages. Nothing to keep me from eventually wishing the book was shorter so I could move on to something else. I stuck it out. Purely to prove I was right.
To summarise: Good writing. Predictable plot and ultimately this spoilt it for me. If this had been a two part drama on television, I would not have bothered trying to remember to watch the second part. Sounds harsh but a thriller should thrill and surprise you and kill you with a huge twist. This unfortunately didn’t. For this, the stars come down.
General rating:
★★.5 Disappointing
Thriller rating:
★★ Not very thrilling.
Having never read anything by Lisa Ballantyne before, I was drawn to this book on NetGalley by the blurb and the fact Lisa’s first book, The Guilty One received such rave reviews. I expected good things. I got good things but not the “wow” things I was looking for.
In 2013 Margaret Holloway is involved in a motorway pile up. She is trapped in her car and only survives after being rescued by a hideously scarred man she doesn’t know.
In 1985 George McLaughlin has come into some money. He stole it. His family is known for being gangsters but George is the black sheep. He appears to be the good one. He has only ever loved Kathleen. She left seven years ago with their daughter to start a new life away from George. He has decided he wants her back, and he wants his daughter back. In a turn of events that no one could have seen coming, George ends up on the run with his daughter but without Kathleen.
How do things turn out for George? Who is the mysterious character who has rescued Margaret? Is there a connection?
OK where to start with this one? I was disappointed. Really disappointed.
The writing in this book is really good. Ms Ballantyne has a knack for drawing you into a story and giving you a real feel for the characters. In this instance the stand out person for me was George. He is the stereotypical gentle giant born out of a gangster family when he doesn’t have a bad bone in his body and wants nothing to do with them. His childhood is horrific but he still turns out a good one. Sort of. Circumstances lead him astray and he ends up on the run through no fault of his own.
A couple of other characters did stand out like the religious reporter whose antiquated beliefs and morals made me instantly hate him and his attitudes. Margaret is a confused individual searching for answers to years old secrets.
The story jumps from 2013 to 1985 and back again. Over and over. The most enjoyable parts for me were the older scenes with George. His character just shone through and you couldn’t help but feel for the big man.
Apart from George, the rest of it was quite a let-down to be honest.
Don’t get me wrong the actual writing is very good. It is well structured, well put together. It’s very polished. It’s also very very predictable.
I had this thing sussed from about thirty pages in. I kept thinking to myself that I must be wrong. There must be some major twist halfway through that would turn everything I thought upside down? Nope. Three quarters of the way through? Nope. It was exactly as I had thought it would be. From the very beginning. This disappointed me so much. Once I had it sussed, at the beginning, there were no thrills. There were a few “why the hell would you do that” moments but nothing to thrill me. Nothing to keep me rooted to the pages. Nothing to keep me from eventually wishing the book was shorter so I could move on to something else. I stuck it out. Purely to prove I was right.
To summarise: Good writing. Predictable plot and ultimately this spoilt it for me. If this had been a two part drama on television, I would not have bothered trying to remember to watch the second part. Sounds harsh but a thriller should thrill and surprise you and kill you with a huge twist. This unfortunately didn’t. For this, the stars come down.
General rating:
★★.5 Disappointing
Thriller rating:
★★ Not very thrilling.
February 10, 2017
I wasn’t sure what I expected of this one, and if I’m completely honest I procrastinated when it came to starting the book for that very reason.
For me, the book was pretty much what I expected it to be. It wasn’t something to blow the mind, yet at the same time it wasn’t the kind of book to leave me throwing my Kindle across the room in annoyance. It’s one of those books that just is: it is there and I can say I have read it, but beyond that… well, there isn’t much beyond that for me.
The book is labelled a thriller, yet I cannot bring myself to call it such a thing. Personally, I think it had the potential to be a thriller yet it fell short in a number of ways. In my opinion the back and forth in time perspective ruined the possibility of it being a thriller. Due to flickering between the times we knew exactly what to expect preventing anything from being shocking, with this applying to both past and present events for the characters. Sometimes this device is wonderful but as of late I’ve found far too many authors are using it, and very few of these authors are using it in a way to help the story.
In my opinion, we would have done much better had we focused upon one time. A book about the events in the eighties could have made a good thriller, had we not flickered to the present day as well. We could have had a real thrill from the perspective of George had the novel been dedicated to his flight from the police. Or we could have had a thrill from Angus playing investigative reporter as he tried to track down the missing child, following a lead that nobody else was. Together we fail to get the full value of each story. If the author had been daring enough we could have had a thriller as Margaret tries to unravel her past in the modern day, allowing her to chase down the mystery of the man who saved her from dying, yet her modern day story in glanced over and exists solely to add ‘a bit of spice’ through another ‘twist’ (which really doesn’t add much at all, and probably diminishes the story somewhat if I’m honest).
Another factor that prevented it from being an all-out thriller was the way in which we came to know the characters. I love characters with depth. The more depth the better. Nobody wants a one-dimensional character. However, through trying to add depth to each of the characters I feel as though we often went off at tangents. We could have had such fun with details of George’s childhood… yet I found myself flickering through them as they weren’t really adding much upon what we had been told already. Angus could have been an interesting character with his views… yet focusing upon his attachment to his cow left me sighing in annoyance as we were overlooking other aspects of him that I did find interesting. These things made it hard for me to really enjoy the characters as much as I wanted to.
As a whole it was an okay read, but it was very far from the thriller I’d had a secret hope of appearing out of the woodwork.
Finally, I would like to say thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the chance to advance read this novel.
For me, the book was pretty much what I expected it to be. It wasn’t something to blow the mind, yet at the same time it wasn’t the kind of book to leave me throwing my Kindle across the room in annoyance. It’s one of those books that just is: it is there and I can say I have read it, but beyond that… well, there isn’t much beyond that for me.
The book is labelled a thriller, yet I cannot bring myself to call it such a thing. Personally, I think it had the potential to be a thriller yet it fell short in a number of ways. In my opinion the back and forth in time perspective ruined the possibility of it being a thriller. Due to flickering between the times we knew exactly what to expect preventing anything from being shocking, with this applying to both past and present events for the characters. Sometimes this device is wonderful but as of late I’ve found far too many authors are using it, and very few of these authors are using it in a way to help the story.
In my opinion, we would have done much better had we focused upon one time. A book about the events in the eighties could have made a good thriller, had we not flickered to the present day as well. We could have had a real thrill from the perspective of George had the novel been dedicated to his flight from the police. Or we could have had a thrill from Angus playing investigative reporter as he tried to track down the missing child, following a lead that nobody else was. Together we fail to get the full value of each story. If the author had been daring enough we could have had a thriller as Margaret tries to unravel her past in the modern day, allowing her to chase down the mystery of the man who saved her from dying, yet her modern day story in glanced over and exists solely to add ‘a bit of spice’ through another ‘twist’ (which really doesn’t add much at all, and probably diminishes the story somewhat if I’m honest).
Another factor that prevented it from being an all-out thriller was the way in which we came to know the characters. I love characters with depth. The more depth the better. Nobody wants a one-dimensional character. However, through trying to add depth to each of the characters I feel as though we often went off at tangents. We could have had such fun with details of George’s childhood… yet I found myself flickering through them as they weren’t really adding much upon what we had been told already. Angus could have been an interesting character with his views… yet focusing upon his attachment to his cow left me sighing in annoyance as we were overlooking other aspects of him that I did find interesting. These things made it hard for me to really enjoy the characters as much as I wanted to.
As a whole it was an okay read, but it was very far from the thriller I’d had a secret hope of appearing out of the woodwork.
Finally, I would like to say thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the chance to advance read this novel.
April 12, 2015
This was described as a thriller which initially drew me to this book but having just finished it I would say it is more of a family drama exploring relationships and the way the past challenges our memories and the people we become.
It starts with Margaret Holloway having a car accident on a snowy day. Although many cars are involved, she is rescued by a scarred stranger who saves her from being burnt to death and then disappears. The accident seems to set off something within Margaret, the smells from the fire and the appearance of the man combine to make her question a time in her life she struggles to remember.
The story is told in chapters alternating between Margaret and Big George from Glasgow with others told by Angus, a reporter. Although I found it easy to guess what the "mystery" was it was a beautiful journey and I found my favourite parts to be the ones told by George, about his upbringing and family life. The descriptions of his relationship with Moll were very emotional and heartfelt.
I have to say that this book wasn't the thriller I was expecting but the journey the writer took me on more than made up for that and I will certainly be reading The Guilty One now as well.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
It starts with Margaret Holloway having a car accident on a snowy day. Although many cars are involved, she is rescued by a scarred stranger who saves her from being burnt to death and then disappears. The accident seems to set off something within Margaret, the smells from the fire and the appearance of the man combine to make her question a time in her life she struggles to remember.
The story is told in chapters alternating between Margaret and Big George from Glasgow with others told by Angus, a reporter. Although I found it easy to guess what the "mystery" was it was a beautiful journey and I found my favourite parts to be the ones told by George, about his upbringing and family life. The descriptions of his relationship with Moll were very emotional and heartfelt.
I have to say that this book wasn't the thriller I was expecting but the journey the writer took me on more than made up for that and I will certainly be reading The Guilty One now as well.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
November 1, 2015
Lisa Ballantyne seems to like writing in two timelines, but this makes her books more of a challenge for readers. In her new book, the current day follows Margaret Holloway, a teacher and mother of two, who nearly dies in a horrible pile-up on a British motorway when her gas tank is ruptured, only to be saved by a disfigured mystery man. Eventually, she finds him in a medically-induced coma at a local hospital and feels compelled to thank him for his kindness as she herself begins to come unglued, remembering things from her childhood. The other story is about the youngest brother of a Glasgow crime family (Big George McLaughlin), who desperately wants out, is deeply in love with Kathleen, and is rejected as a father when she gets pregnant. When he finally happens upon some money (illegally, of course), George goes to see her and their 7-year old daughter, Moll. By an unfortunate set of circumstances, George kidnaps Moll and goes on the lam. The two stories are brought together cleverly. The novel starts slowly, especially the storyline about the angry, devout writer Angus Campbell, but gains substantial momentum as events unfold.
February 4, 2017
After Margaret is involved in a crash and a mysterious stranger saves her from her burning car, she begins to experience the feeling that there are gaps in her childhood memories. On finding a box of old newspaper clippings and a diary in her parents attic, she starts to piece together a traumatic event from her past.
An extremely readable book, 'Redemption Road' takes you on an emotional journey with engaging characters and a good use of the dual timeline style, which helped add depth to the story. I found the flashbacks to the main event in her childhood especially well written, and really enjoyed the journey to reach the conclusion of the mystery. A lovely descriptive but flowing writing style that will make me reach for another of Lisa Ballantyne's books.
*Thank you to the publishers for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
An extremely readable book, 'Redemption Road' takes you on an emotional journey with engaging characters and a good use of the dual timeline style, which helped add depth to the story. I found the flashbacks to the main event in her childhood especially well written, and really enjoyed the journey to reach the conclusion of the mystery. A lovely descriptive but flowing writing style that will make me reach for another of Lisa Ballantyne's books.
*Thank you to the publishers for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
August 29, 2017
Redemption Road (though my version was called 'Everything She Forgot') was not exactly what I had expected - a psychological thriller - but rather a slow burn type of mystery. It took me a while to finish this book, because it wasn't really a fast-paced page turner for me. Still, I found the characters very intriguing, particularly that of George, whose story I found to be truly memorable. Ballantyne has a nice way with language and the plot, though jumping around between times and POVs, never felt jarring or abrupt. It flowed well and though I suspected the ending, I found it satisfying and a little tragic, too. Overall, definitely a worthwhile read!
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
June 14, 2017
I really enjoy Lisa Ballantyne books.
February 29, 2016
Goodreads Description- Lisa Ballantyne, international bestselling author of The Guilty One, delivers a compelling domestic thriller with impeccably observed characters and masterful edge-of-your-seat storytelling in a novel that leaps between past and present with page-turning finesse
They’re calling it the worst pile-up in London history. Driving home, Margaret Holloway has her mind elsewhere—on a troubled student, her daughter’s acting class, the next day’s meeting—when she’s rear-ended and trapped in the wreckage. Just as she begins to panic, a disfigured stranger pulls her from the car just seconds before it’s engulfed in flames. Then he simply disappears.
Though she escapes with minor injuries, Margaret feels that something’s wrong. She’s having trouble concentrating. Her emotions are running wild. More than that, flashbacks to the crash are also dredging up lost associations from her childhood, fragments of events that were wiped from her memory. Whatever happened, she didn’t merely forget—she chose to forget. And somehow, Margaret knows deep down that it’s got something to do with the man who saved her life.
As Margaret uncovers a mystery with chilling implications for her family and her very identity, Everything She Forgot winds through a riveting dual narrative and asks the question: How far would you go to hide the truth—from yourself…?
This novel is written in dual narratives, one part in the present and the other in the late 1970's-early 1980's when Margaret, Moll, went through her childhood ordeal of being kidnapped by her biological father, Big George McLaughlin, when she is on the way to school as a 7 year old. There are multiple narrators, Margaret as an adult in the present, George when he kidnaps young Moll and as they drive across England evading capture, and Angus Campbell, a devout Christian who thinks it is God's plan for him to find Moll and George and bring George to justice. He also hopes to write an expose of his account of the rescue to gain a national, possibly an international audience for his reporting.
The novel opens with Margaret crashing into another car on the highway which quickly builds to a multi-car pileup due to the icey road conditions. Her car begins to billow with smoke and she realizes that her car is on fire. Just as she has given up hope and comes to terms with a fiery death, a stranger comes to her rescue and breaks her window making way for her escape. When she finally calms down and goes to thank the mysterious stranger, he has disappeared. After the accident, Margaret begins to have terrible nightmares filled with fires and smoke. She thinks she is remembering things from her childhood, which she never did have much memory of beforehand. The doctors and her husband insist it is stress and PTSD but Margaret knows something else is going on. She is obsessed with finding the stranger that saved her. She finds the man in the hospital lying in a coma. She realizes that his body is covered with old burn scars which only continue to bring back memories for Margaret. Who is this man and why is he having such an effect on her life?
The novel then goes back in time to reveal the character of Big George and his mafia family. So George acts on impulse and takes Moll as she is walking to school.
The rest of the book is a constant switching back and forth between both past and present, with George and Moll on the run and Margaret, in the present, becoming increasingly agitated. The scenes during the runaway are so tedious that eventually I just started skimming through them. They were incredibly redundant and the author used so much "fluff" to fill the pages such as lists of thing they bought at the grocery or what they ate at a restaurant and constant questions and reassurances that "Yes, Moll would go home soon". George's terrible family background of abuse stories were rammed down the readers' throats. I just wanted to yell "I get it! Get on with the story!"
This 400+ page book left me clueless as to who the characters really were. You would think in all that space, Ballantyne would have been able to create well developed characters who the readers really felt like they knew, but still by the end, the characters were mere shells rather than a good character. There were very few scenes with Margaret in the present day. She was virtually unknown. As far as the plot went, anyone with a brain could figure out what was going on and who really was who. This wasn't so much of a mystery but a family drama. Frankly I was pretty disappointed, but I still want to read the author's other book, The Guilty One, because I want to see if she can redeem herself from this book. Sorry folks, this only gets 2 stars from me. Hopefully her other book is better.
They’re calling it the worst pile-up in London history. Driving home, Margaret Holloway has her mind elsewhere—on a troubled student, her daughter’s acting class, the next day’s meeting—when she’s rear-ended and trapped in the wreckage. Just as she begins to panic, a disfigured stranger pulls her from the car just seconds before it’s engulfed in flames. Then he simply disappears.
Though she escapes with minor injuries, Margaret feels that something’s wrong. She’s having trouble concentrating. Her emotions are running wild. More than that, flashbacks to the crash are also dredging up lost associations from her childhood, fragments of events that were wiped from her memory. Whatever happened, she didn’t merely forget—she chose to forget. And somehow, Margaret knows deep down that it’s got something to do with the man who saved her life.
As Margaret uncovers a mystery with chilling implications for her family and her very identity, Everything She Forgot winds through a riveting dual narrative and asks the question: How far would you go to hide the truth—from yourself…?
This novel is written in dual narratives, one part in the present and the other in the late 1970's-early 1980's when Margaret, Moll, went through her childhood ordeal of being kidnapped by her biological father, Big George McLaughlin, when she is on the way to school as a 7 year old. There are multiple narrators, Margaret as an adult in the present, George when he kidnaps young Moll and as they drive across England evading capture, and Angus Campbell, a devout Christian who thinks it is God's plan for him to find Moll and George and bring George to justice. He also hopes to write an expose of his account of the rescue to gain a national, possibly an international audience for his reporting.
The novel opens with Margaret crashing into another car on the highway which quickly builds to a multi-car pileup due to the icey road conditions. Her car begins to billow with smoke and she realizes that her car is on fire. Just as she has given up hope and comes to terms with a fiery death, a stranger comes to her rescue and breaks her window making way for her escape. When she finally calms down and goes to thank the mysterious stranger, he has disappeared. After the accident, Margaret begins to have terrible nightmares filled with fires and smoke. She thinks she is remembering things from her childhood, which she never did have much memory of beforehand. The doctors and her husband insist it is stress and PTSD but Margaret knows something else is going on. She is obsessed with finding the stranger that saved her. She finds the man in the hospital lying in a coma. She realizes that his body is covered with old burn scars which only continue to bring back memories for Margaret. Who is this man and why is he having such an effect on her life?
The novel then goes back in time to reveal the character of Big George and his mafia family. So George acts on impulse and takes Moll as she is walking to school.
The rest of the book is a constant switching back and forth between both past and present, with George and Moll on the run and Margaret, in the present, becoming increasingly agitated. The scenes during the runaway are so tedious that eventually I just started skimming through them. They were incredibly redundant and the author used so much "fluff" to fill the pages such as lists of thing they bought at the grocery or what they ate at a restaurant and constant questions and reassurances that "Yes, Moll would go home soon". George's terrible family background of abuse stories were rammed down the readers' throats. I just wanted to yell "I get it! Get on with the story!"
This 400+ page book left me clueless as to who the characters really were. You would think in all that space, Ballantyne would have been able to create well developed characters who the readers really felt like they knew, but still by the end, the characters were mere shells rather than a good character. There were very few scenes with Margaret in the present day. She was virtually unknown. As far as the plot went, anyone with a brain could figure out what was going on and who really was who. This wasn't so much of a mystery but a family drama. Frankly I was pretty disappointed, but I still want to read the author's other book, The Guilty One, because I want to see if she can redeem herself from this book. Sorry folks, this only gets 2 stars from me. Hopefully her other book is better.
September 9, 2024
Spoj prošlosti i sadašnjosti. Priča ispričana iz tri perspektive.
October 12, 2015
Summary from Goodreads:
"They’re calling it the worst pile-up in London history. Driving home, Margaret Holloway has her mind elsewhere—on a troubled student, her daughter’s acting class, the next day’s meeting—when she’s rear-ended and trapped in the wreckage. Just as she begins to panic, a disfigured stranger pulls her from the car just seconds before it’s engulfed in flames. Then he simply disappears.
Though she escapes with minor injuries, Margaret feels that something’s wrong. She’s having trouble concentrating. Her emotions are running wild. More than that, flashbacks to the crash are also dredging up lost associations from her childhood, fragments of events that were wiped from her memory. Whatever happened, she didn’t merely forget—she chose to forget. And somehow, Margaret knows deep down that it’s got something to do with the man who saved her life.
As Margaret uncovers a mystery with chilling implications for her family and her very identity, Everything She Forgot winds through a riveting dual narrative and asks the question: How far would you go to hide the truth—from yourself…?"
My Thoughts:
This was an unexpected read for me but in a good way. I went into reading this book expecting a thriller but instead it was more of a story about family, the choices we make, and the consequences of those decisions. This wasn't an easy read for me...there were times that I wanted to set it down just because I wasn't sure that I wanted to know what was going to happen next. That is a mark of a good book for me. When an author is able to create a level of tension that makes the reader uncomfortable without overdoing it. I knew that things weren't going to end well just based off of the decisions that the main characters were making. It made the tone of the book seem even darker and more ominous which added to that level of discomfort that I was feeling. It was intense but it was also so compulsively readable that even when I wasn't sure that I wanted to be reading I couldn't set it down. I just needed to see what would happen next and how it would all end.
One of the things that really helped this book to not become too dark for me at least was the fact that there were multiple storylines going on. One focused on the present and Margaret as she dealt with the after effects from almost dying in a car crash. A different storyline focused on the past..but whose past and what it meant was a mystery until the very end. The author effortlessly tied these two storylines together so easily that I never was able to decide which one I preferred more as sometimes happens in books like this. The ending of this book held a few surprises while there were other parts that I had figured out. Really it tied everything together nicely and made the last one hundred pages so intense that I didn't even try to stop reading. I couldn't get this book of my mind for a few day afterwards because I had become so attached to the characters. I cannot wait to read more by this author!
Overall I really enjoyed this one even though it ended up being way darker than I expected. I loved that the author was able to pull me into this book so completely and in such a way that I had to remind myself that this was fiction. That these weren't real characters and these events actually hadn't happened. I just cannot emphasize enough how intense this reading experience was for me! I will definitely be reading more by this author. Recommended but with the warning that this wasn't always an easy read to stomach. Definitely dark but good!
Bottom Line: One of those books that I won't be forgetting about any time soon!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this thanks to the publisher as part of a PICT Book Blog Tour. My thanks!
"They’re calling it the worst pile-up in London history. Driving home, Margaret Holloway has her mind elsewhere—on a troubled student, her daughter’s acting class, the next day’s meeting—when she’s rear-ended and trapped in the wreckage. Just as she begins to panic, a disfigured stranger pulls her from the car just seconds before it’s engulfed in flames. Then he simply disappears.
Though she escapes with minor injuries, Margaret feels that something’s wrong. She’s having trouble concentrating. Her emotions are running wild. More than that, flashbacks to the crash are also dredging up lost associations from her childhood, fragments of events that were wiped from her memory. Whatever happened, she didn’t merely forget—she chose to forget. And somehow, Margaret knows deep down that it’s got something to do with the man who saved her life.
As Margaret uncovers a mystery with chilling implications for her family and her very identity, Everything She Forgot winds through a riveting dual narrative and asks the question: How far would you go to hide the truth—from yourself…?"
My Thoughts:
This was an unexpected read for me but in a good way. I went into reading this book expecting a thriller but instead it was more of a story about family, the choices we make, and the consequences of those decisions. This wasn't an easy read for me...there were times that I wanted to set it down just because I wasn't sure that I wanted to know what was going to happen next. That is a mark of a good book for me. When an author is able to create a level of tension that makes the reader uncomfortable without overdoing it. I knew that things weren't going to end well just based off of the decisions that the main characters were making. It made the tone of the book seem even darker and more ominous which added to that level of discomfort that I was feeling. It was intense but it was also so compulsively readable that even when I wasn't sure that I wanted to be reading I couldn't set it down. I just needed to see what would happen next and how it would all end.
One of the things that really helped this book to not become too dark for me at least was the fact that there were multiple storylines going on. One focused on the present and Margaret as she dealt with the after effects from almost dying in a car crash. A different storyline focused on the past..but whose past and what it meant was a mystery until the very end. The author effortlessly tied these two storylines together so easily that I never was able to decide which one I preferred more as sometimes happens in books like this. The ending of this book held a few surprises while there were other parts that I had figured out. Really it tied everything together nicely and made the last one hundred pages so intense that I didn't even try to stop reading. I couldn't get this book of my mind for a few day afterwards because I had become so attached to the characters. I cannot wait to read more by this author!
Overall I really enjoyed this one even though it ended up being way darker than I expected. I loved that the author was able to pull me into this book so completely and in such a way that I had to remind myself that this was fiction. That these weren't real characters and these events actually hadn't happened. I just cannot emphasize enough how intense this reading experience was for me! I will definitely be reading more by this author. Recommended but with the warning that this wasn't always an easy read to stomach. Definitely dark but good!
Bottom Line: One of those books that I won't be forgetting about any time soon!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this thanks to the publisher as part of a PICT Book Blog Tour. My thanks!
February 10, 2017
One of the best things about being a book blogger is that every so often I am sent a book to review which wouldn't be a book I would typically pick up in the local bookshop. When I was sent Redemption Road it didn't shout out to me not because it has an awful cover or anything it just didn't appeal to me and yet when I opened the book just to have a little read of the first chapter before I knew it I was over half way through this book before I looked up!
Margaret Holloway finds herself trapped in her car after she has a fatal crash, unable to get out and with the smell of petrol getting stronger she fears for her life until a man who has horrendous scaring over his face and body comes to her aid and smashes her window and drags her out minutes before the car explodes. As Margaret turns to thank him the strange man mysterious man who had saved her is walking away.
The crash has opened up questions for Margaret and she is determined to find the answers.
This was such a flawless read that had me captivated the whole way through. The pace of the book doesn't falter the whole way through and there is a constant tense feel to the book which left no safe place to put the book down.
Each of the characters were extremely well developed from Margaret who we instantly fear for at the start of the book to little Moll who was such a brave and intelligent little girl, to George who was such a complex character, he had such a big heart and yet there is a stigma attached to him which makes him fearful to others. George was by far my favourite character in this book and I was confused about my feelings for him during the book because I felt as though I should despise this man and yet I couldn't help but feel for him as I know his actions were not malicious.
The character of Angus really freaked me out, I found him to be quite a disturbing character.
The book is told in two time frames 1985 and 2013, I preferred reading about the events in 1985 but it was the events told in 2013 which wound the story together. I had an idea of what the connection was going to be and I was correct but this really didn't ruin the book for me as there were still little things revealed as we went along. I loved watching the relationship between Moll and George progress and I was really hoping for a happy ending for them both.
The ending of this book tied everything up perfectly and I have to confess to the lump that appeared in my throat, which is a great sign of a great read and having to leave great characters behind.
I highly recommend this book and this will be one that I am sure when I come to do my top 10 reads at the end of the year will still be on my mind as a strong contender. I found myself totally compelled by this storyline I now can't wait to go and grab a copy of her previous book The Guilty One.
Margaret Holloway finds herself trapped in her car after she has a fatal crash, unable to get out and with the smell of petrol getting stronger she fears for her life until a man who has horrendous scaring over his face and body comes to her aid and smashes her window and drags her out minutes before the car explodes. As Margaret turns to thank him the strange man mysterious man who had saved her is walking away.
The crash has opened up questions for Margaret and she is determined to find the answers.
This was such a flawless read that had me captivated the whole way through. The pace of the book doesn't falter the whole way through and there is a constant tense feel to the book which left no safe place to put the book down.
Each of the characters were extremely well developed from Margaret who we instantly fear for at the start of the book to little Moll who was such a brave and intelligent little girl, to George who was such a complex character, he had such a big heart and yet there is a stigma attached to him which makes him fearful to others. George was by far my favourite character in this book and I was confused about my feelings for him during the book because I felt as though I should despise this man and yet I couldn't help but feel for him as I know his actions were not malicious.
The character of Angus really freaked me out, I found him to be quite a disturbing character.
The book is told in two time frames 1985 and 2013, I preferred reading about the events in 1985 but it was the events told in 2013 which wound the story together. I had an idea of what the connection was going to be and I was correct but this really didn't ruin the book for me as there were still little things revealed as we went along. I loved watching the relationship between Moll and George progress and I was really hoping for a happy ending for them both.
The ending of this book tied everything up perfectly and I have to confess to the lump that appeared in my throat, which is a great sign of a great read and having to leave great characters behind.
I highly recommend this book and this will be one that I am sure when I come to do my top 10 reads at the end of the year will still be on my mind as a strong contender. I found myself totally compelled by this storyline I now can't wait to go and grab a copy of her previous book The Guilty One.
October 5, 2015
3.5 stars
I loved the premise of this story and had high hopes for it. I've heard of Ballantyne before but hadn't read her. The story didn't grab me right away, I put it down several times and almost gave up, but it slowly lured me in until I couldn't put it down.
"Everything She Forgot" is told primarily from four POVs in two different time periods: Margaret Holloway in 2013, Kathleen Henderson in 1985, Big George in 1985, and Angus Campbell in 1985. There are also a few chapters from two secondary characters, Richard McLaughlin in 1985, and Tam Driscoll in 1985. The story felt disjointed at first and the threads initially seemed unrelated but as I kept reading the pieces began to come together and I was hooked. Full of twists and turns and people who shouldn't have been likable but were and a few who were utterly worthless human beings, the story looked at love, family, duty, memory, sacrifice, and the choices we make.
The story is a less a mystery and more a treatise on family, the one we're born into and the one we make for ourselves. Is blood thicker than water? Can the choices we make be undone? There are always consequences, sometimes painful ones; how do we decide which ones we can accept? how do we cope with them? The end was not what was I expecting and I was a little disappointed actually, it seemed too pat. "Everything She Forgot" was a mix of surprises and predictability, with people I cared strongly about. It started out slow but built up steam and while it wasn't a great novel, it was a thought provoking one.
Some quotes:
She still remembered him walking into the room and kissing her, and how time and stopped and stretched out, so that now was an elongated sweetness, like soft toffee pulled. He had taken her into adulthood. He had taught her about herself. They had taught each other how to love.
John ... John was wonderful, and Kathleen was grateful.
But George, George, Georgie Boy, he was still special in her heart. She could only whisper his name to herself, it was such an admission. It was as if he had whittled out a little place for himself, etching the detail of their young, intense love. It was memorable because it had been unfinished. It had not been destroyed, but had merely ended.
I loved the premise of this story and had high hopes for it. I've heard of Ballantyne before but hadn't read her. The story didn't grab me right away, I put it down several times and almost gave up, but it slowly lured me in until I couldn't put it down.
"Everything She Forgot" is told primarily from four POVs in two different time periods: Margaret Holloway in 2013, Kathleen Henderson in 1985, Big George in 1985, and Angus Campbell in 1985. There are also a few chapters from two secondary characters, Richard McLaughlin in 1985, and Tam Driscoll in 1985. The story felt disjointed at first and the threads initially seemed unrelated but as I kept reading the pieces began to come together and I was hooked. Full of twists and turns and people who shouldn't have been likable but were and a few who were utterly worthless human beings, the story looked at love, family, duty, memory, sacrifice, and the choices we make.
The story is a less a mystery and more a treatise on family, the one we're born into and the one we make for ourselves. Is blood thicker than water? Can the choices we make be undone? There are always consequences, sometimes painful ones; how do we decide which ones we can accept? how do we cope with them? The end was not what was I expecting and I was a little disappointed actually, it seemed too pat. "Everything She Forgot" was a mix of surprises and predictability, with people I cared strongly about. It started out slow but built up steam and while it wasn't a great novel, it was a thought provoking one.
Some quotes:
She still remembered him walking into the room and kissing her, and how time and stopped and stretched out, so that now was an elongated sweetness, like soft toffee pulled. He had taken her into adulthood. He had taught her about herself. They had taught each other how to love.
John ... John was wonderful, and Kathleen was grateful.
But George, George, Georgie Boy, he was still special in her heart. She could only whisper his name to herself, it was such an admission. It was as if he had whittled out a little place for himself, etching the detail of their young, intense love. It was memorable because it had been unfinished. It had not been destroyed, but had merely ended.
October 15, 2015
Margaret Holloway seemed to have a normal life – worrying about normal things while driving back home. But getting rear-ended and being part of a pile and then miraculously saved from it, changed her life forever. While she did walk out of the pile up with the help of a stranger, something changes within her and she starts remembering things from her past. Taking the story back to 1985, we are taken for a ride within the plot…
It is really difficult to write this review without divulging any spoilers. So let me just get to the points about what I liked and what I did not enjoy as much in the story.
First off, the plot of the story was quite interesting. I did find it to be engaging and quite well plotted. However, after all the hype that surrounded this book, I did feel a bit let down. The mystery part was so easy to guess and did not feel like a mystery at all. What I picked up as a mystery / thriller, turned out to be more of a drama. The author writes her stories well. There is no doubt about that. The language is light and easy to get into and the languid pace set up the stage for the drama to take place. The story is presented through multiple points of views and that complements the plot well. The characterization on the other hand would get full marks from me. I enjoyed reading about and getting to know each and every character in the book. Margaret is the kind of protagonist a reader automatically wants to know more about. She keeps you curious and engrossed in her story.
The selling points of the book however are the issues that it covers. They are all quite serious and needs to be talked about and spread awareness about. Interestingly, I have often felt strongly about the nature vs nurture subject and as such the book really had my attention.
To round it up, I did not that the book was as good as I heard about it… But a good book nonetheless. You will not regret picking it up.
It is really difficult to write this review without divulging any spoilers. So let me just get to the points about what I liked and what I did not enjoy as much in the story.
First off, the plot of the story was quite interesting. I did find it to be engaging and quite well plotted. However, after all the hype that surrounded this book, I did feel a bit let down. The mystery part was so easy to guess and did not feel like a mystery at all. What I picked up as a mystery / thriller, turned out to be more of a drama. The author writes her stories well. There is no doubt about that. The language is light and easy to get into and the languid pace set up the stage for the drama to take place. The story is presented through multiple points of views and that complements the plot well. The characterization on the other hand would get full marks from me. I enjoyed reading about and getting to know each and every character in the book. Margaret is the kind of protagonist a reader automatically wants to know more about. She keeps you curious and engrossed in her story.
The selling points of the book however are the issues that it covers. They are all quite serious and needs to be talked about and spread awareness about. Interestingly, I have often felt strongly about the nature vs nurture subject and as such the book really had my attention.
To round it up, I did not that the book was as good as I heard about it… But a good book nonetheless. You will not regret picking it up.
October 2, 2015
Original review can be found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/2...
3.5 stars
I wouldn't quite say that this book is as suspenseful as some people have made it out to be. I had it figured out fairly early on. That isn't to say that I wasn't drawn to it and ripping through the pages. It was more of a case of wanting to know if I was right.
Admittedly I found the book to be a little slow and dull in the beginning. It took a few sessions of picking it up and putting it down before I became invested in it. Once that happened, the multiple narratives and time lines began to make a lot more sense and I began enjoying some of the characters.
Although this book wasn't the shocker that it was made out to be I still think that it was worth the read. I don't want to go into details for fear of giving it away. Just because I had it figured out very early on doesn't mean that everyone will. With a little effort to get through the beginning, the rest of the story was interesting and enjoyable. In the end I really liked it and the family drama/suspense angle that it took.
3.5 stars
I wouldn't quite say that this book is as suspenseful as some people have made it out to be. I had it figured out fairly early on. That isn't to say that I wasn't drawn to it and ripping through the pages. It was more of a case of wanting to know if I was right.
Admittedly I found the book to be a little slow and dull in the beginning. It took a few sessions of picking it up and putting it down before I became invested in it. Once that happened, the multiple narratives and time lines began to make a lot more sense and I began enjoying some of the characters.
Although this book wasn't the shocker that it was made out to be I still think that it was worth the read. I don't want to go into details for fear of giving it away. Just because I had it figured out very early on doesn't mean that everyone will. With a little effort to get through the beginning, the rest of the story was interesting and enjoyable. In the end I really liked it and the family drama/suspense angle that it took.
October 19, 2016
This book alternates between two stories. The modern day story set in 2013 is about Margaret Holloway. The other story set in 1985 is about Big George McLaughlin. The book opens with a car wreck that almost kills Margaret. Just before her vehicle explodes she is saved by a mysterious disfigured man. The accident stirs old memories that she cannot quite remember. Meanwhile we learn about Big George, a lovable guy who is part of crime family. All live in fear of his father and brothers, Big George included. When we meet him he has just inherited a cabin from his mom and just discovered a stash of cash that belongs to his brothers. Cash in hand he goes off to find his old girlfriend and the child they had together. Things don't go as planned and he kidnaps the seven year old daughter, Moll. It's obvious early on that Moll and Margaret are the same person. One just needs to STRUGGLE through the novel to figure out everything that Moll forgot, how Big George got so disfigured, and how he just happened to be on the scene when she had the car wreck. One also needs to STRUGGLE through some very violent scenes involving Big George's family. Not my cup of tea.
January 1, 2016
I really don't agree with the "edge-of-your-seat writing" comment on the blurb because the suspense is really more of an in the past, viewed through flashback type. That Margaret's life changes after her car accident isn't surprising, it's the memories she recovers that are. The other two plotlines follow George, a rather gormless Scot from a family that ruled its town via thuggery and threats, and Angus, a reporter looking to find George and the girl he's abducted. There's no real surprise when the stories merge in the present, hence the loss of the star. The brutality of George's family and his search for "someone who loves him" and Angus' towards his wife and children, but great love for his cow (seriously. his cow.) are, I think, supposed to have some greater significance than they do. If the publisher would stop promoting this as suspense/thriller/mystery and more of a recovered memory/family saga, there will be fewer disappointed readers because the story is good, it's just not in that genre.
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.
December 20, 2015
Ondanks dat het verhaal goed in elkaar zit en vlot leest...mist het spanning. Het is een opsomming van gebeurtenissen...saai!!
'Het zet je aan het denken, is moedig en daagt je uit - Rosamund Lupton'
'Knap, vol suspense, griezelig en een echte aanrader - Lee Child'
Heb ik een ander verhaal gelezen?? Bovenstaande, heb ik niet in het verhaal teruggevonden...
'Slechte' vertaler? Waarschijnlijk had ik het verhaal beter in de 'original language' kunnen lezen!!
'Het zet je aan het denken, is moedig en daagt je uit - Rosamund Lupton'
'Knap, vol suspense, griezelig en een echte aanrader - Lee Child'
Heb ik een ander verhaal gelezen?? Bovenstaande, heb ik niet in het verhaal teruggevonden...
'Slechte' vertaler? Waarschijnlijk had ik het verhaal beter in de 'original language' kunnen lezen!!
May 23, 2018
I liked this book, but I won’t go around begging everyone to read it. The setting (Scotland) was a nice change of pace for me, the characters were well developed and likable and the story was well written and wrapped up nicely. I was able suss out the mystery pretty early on so there was not any big shocking twist reveal moment for me. Not that you need that every time. If you like a well written story with multiple narrative voices and with a clean and clear ending, this would be good for you.
October 7, 2015
Margaret Holloway nearly dies in a car accident but is rescued by Maxwell Brown, a mysterious man with burn scars, who puts his own life at risk to save her. As a result of the accident, Margaret suffers from PTSD and starts remembering a traumatic event from her childhood. Flashback to 1985, where Big George is seeking to escape the criminal lifestyle imposed on him by his gangland family. He wants to get back with his first love, Kathleen, and their daughter, Moll, but in a bizarre twist of events, he ends up kidnapping Moll instead. When small-time journalist, Angus Campbell, gets wind of this story, a chase ensues as he sets out to solve the mystery of Molly's abduction and get noticed by the big newspapers.
The story is told from the multiple viewpoints of the people involved. In the past: kidnapper George; Moll's mother, Kathleen; Angus, the reporter; and George's friend, Tam. In the present, school teacher Margaret tells her story as she struggles to remember what happened to her as a child and why she is drawn to the mysterious Maxwell. The different viewpoints stimulate interest and allow the author to tell the story from a variety of angles. Further flashbacks interspersed in George's story help explain why he is who he is and help the reader identify with, and even sympathize with, him. The author skillfully manipulates our feelings for two completely opposite men; we are drawn to George, the supposed villain who makes bad choices for all the right reasons, and we feel revulsion for Angus, a supposedly good man who beats his wife and lets his beloved cow suffer because he will not work on the Sabbath.
The book covers a range of confronting topics, such as PTSD, child abduction, adult illiteracy, nature versus nurture, and redemption. We are left to ponder that bad things happen for a reason. While tragic, what happened to Margaret as a child shapes her into the woman she becomes, a teacher with a special leaning toward illiterate teenagers. As for George, we hope he finally found his peace.
More a personal account of Margaret's and George's journeys than a suspense thriller, this is nevertheless a deeply satisfying read.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post: http://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com...
The story is told from the multiple viewpoints of the people involved. In the past: kidnapper George; Moll's mother, Kathleen; Angus, the reporter; and George's friend, Tam. In the present, school teacher Margaret tells her story as she struggles to remember what happened to her as a child and why she is drawn to the mysterious Maxwell. The different viewpoints stimulate interest and allow the author to tell the story from a variety of angles. Further flashbacks interspersed in George's story help explain why he is who he is and help the reader identify with, and even sympathize with, him. The author skillfully manipulates our feelings for two completely opposite men; we are drawn to George, the supposed villain who makes bad choices for all the right reasons, and we feel revulsion for Angus, a supposedly good man who beats his wife and lets his beloved cow suffer because he will not work on the Sabbath.
The book covers a range of confronting topics, such as PTSD, child abduction, adult illiteracy, nature versus nurture, and redemption. We are left to ponder that bad things happen for a reason. While tragic, what happened to Margaret as a child shapes her into the woman she becomes, a teacher with a special leaning toward illiterate teenagers. As for George, we hope he finally found his peace.
More a personal account of Margaret's and George's journeys than a suspense thriller, this is nevertheless a deeply satisfying read.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post: http://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com...
May 25, 2015
In 2013 Margaret is involved in a serious car accident. She thinks her time is up, as she realises her car is about to explode, until a stranger smashes her window and drags her out to safety before disappearing. She needs to know who saved her life and finds him in hospital in a coma. His name is Maxwell. She doesn't know him, but is strangely drawn to him and can't understand why. He has no other visitors, no family, no friends. Why did he risk his life to save her?
In 1985, 7 year old Moll is abducted by her biological father, George. He only wants to know her. He was devastated when her Mother refused to marry him and moved away, marrying someone else who was bringing up his daughter as his own. He didn't intend to abduct her, but things got out of hand and he just wanted to spend some time with her. Moll's Mum and Dad were going out of their mind with worry though, trying not to assume the worst as police link her disappearance to other girls who had been taken, assaulted and murdered.
I liked how this book moved between 1985 & 2013 and how the stories come together towards the end. I liked how the relationship between Moll and George developed over just a few days, once Moll realised who he was and that he meant her no harm. I could almost feel her mother's pain though, left at home worrying about what might be happening to her. A parent's worst nightmare!
Overall, a great read in my opinion. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for my advance kindle copy.
In 1985, 7 year old Moll is abducted by her biological father, George. He only wants to know her. He was devastated when her Mother refused to marry him and moved away, marrying someone else who was bringing up his daughter as his own. He didn't intend to abduct her, but things got out of hand and he just wanted to spend some time with her. Moll's Mum and Dad were going out of their mind with worry though, trying not to assume the worst as police link her disappearance to other girls who had been taken, assaulted and murdered.
I liked how this book moved between 1985 & 2013 and how the stories come together towards the end. I liked how the relationship between Moll and George developed over just a few days, once Moll realised who he was and that he meant her no harm. I could almost feel her mother's pain though, left at home worrying about what might be happening to her. A parent's worst nightmare!
Overall, a great read in my opinion. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for my advance kindle copy.
October 2, 2015
2.5 Everything She Forgot has been presented as a thriller and a mystery. But, honestly, I didn't think it was either. The book opens with Margaret, a social worker, who ends up in a multiple car accident. She finds herself trapped in a burning car and is saved by a mysterious stranger at the last minute. The accident affects her and begins to bring back memories of a forgotten time when she was little.
I think had this book been presented in a different way, I would have enjoyed it more. I was expecting a thriller and didn't really get one. The story waffles between the present and 1985. I won't give too much away, but the connections between the past and present aren't really too hard to figure out very early on. So, for me, there really was no twist or surprise in the end. Don't get me wrong, it is worth taking a look at. The characters are interesting as well as the story of what happened to Margaret. Just don't expect a huge thriller. There really isn't one here.
I think had this book been presented in a different way, I would have enjoyed it more. I was expecting a thriller and didn't really get one. The story waffles between the present and 1985. I won't give too much away, but the connections between the past and present aren't really too hard to figure out very early on. So, for me, there really was no twist or surprise in the end. Don't get me wrong, it is worth taking a look at. The characters are interesting as well as the story of what happened to Margaret. Just don't expect a huge thriller. There really isn't one here.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 517 reviews