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The Forgetting Room
Readers are invited to delve into the journal of Armon Hurt, a sad, discontented man who discovers his inner fire. When his artist grandfather dies, leaving him the family home in Spain, Armon travels to Andalusia with the intention of selling the property. Once there, however, he finds a sealed cardboard case containing a small oil painting and a surreal booklet.As he examines these mysterious artifacts, Armon realizes that he is holding both his grandfather's last communication to him and a puzzle. He begins to decipher the conundrum, and as each new answer leads to more questions, Armon finds himself painting furiously in his grandfather's old studio -- strangely compelled to create a picture that is somehow linked to his legacy.Featuring paintings, drawings, collages, and paper foldouts, this is no ordinary novel. The Forgetting Room is a handmade treasure, a seamless blend of artistry and language, and a tantalizing read.
105 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
19 people are currently reading
979 people want to read
About the author
Nick Bantock
67 books758 followersNick was schooled in England and has a BA in Fine Art (painting). He has authored 25 books, 11 of which have appeared on the best seller lists, including 3 books on The New York Times top ten at one time. Griffin & Sabine stayed on that list for over two years. His works have been translated into 13 languages and over 5 million have been sold worldwide. Once named by the classic SF magazine Weird Tales as one of the best 85 storytellers of the century. He has written articles and stories for numerous international newspapers and magazines. His Wasnick blogs are much followed on Facebook and Twitter. His paintings, drawings, sculptures, collages and prints have been exhibited in shows in UK, France and North America. In 2010 Nick's major retrospective exhibition opened at the MOA in Denver. His works are in private collections throughout the world. Nick has a lifetime BAFTA (British Oscar) for the CD-ROM game Ceremony of Innocence, created with Peter Gabriel's Real World, featuring Isabella Rossolini and Ben Kingsley. He has two iPad apps, Sage and The Venetian and is working on a third. Three of his books have been optioned for film and his stage play based on the Griffin & Sabine double trilogy premiered in Vancouver in 2006.
Produced artwork for more than 300 book covers (including works by Roth and Updike), illustrated Viking Penguin's new translation of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. He's designed theater posters for the London plays of Tom Stoppard and Alec Guinness.
For 20 years Bantock has spoken and read to audiences throughout North America, Europe and Australia. Given keynote and motivational speeches to corporations and teachers state conferences. He's given dramatic readings on the radio and the stage and has been interviewed (way too many times) for TV, radio and print.
Bantock has worked in a betting shop in the East End of London, trained as a psychotherapist, designed and built a house that combined an Indonesian temple and a Russian orthodox church with an English cricket pavilion and a New Orleans bordello. Between 2007 and 2010 was one of the twelve committee members responsible for selecting Canada's postage stamps.
Among the things Bantock can't do: Can't swim, never ridden a horse, his spelling is dreadful and his singing voice is flat as a pancake.
Source: Nick Bantock - profile
Produced artwork for more than 300 book covers (including works by Roth and Updike), illustrated Viking Penguin's new translation of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. He's designed theater posters for the London plays of Tom Stoppard and Alec Guinness.
For 20 years Bantock has spoken and read to audiences throughout North America, Europe and Australia. Given keynote and motivational speeches to corporations and teachers state conferences. He's given dramatic readings on the radio and the stage and has been interviewed (way too many times) for TV, radio and print.
Bantock has worked in a betting shop in the East End of London, trained as a psychotherapist, designed and built a house that combined an Indonesian temple and a Russian orthodox church with an English cricket pavilion and a New Orleans bordello. Between 2007 and 2010 was one of the twelve committee members responsible for selecting Canada's postage stamps.
Among the things Bantock can't do: Can't swim, never ridden a horse, his spelling is dreadful and his singing voice is flat as a pancake.
Source: Nick Bantock - profile
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
September 12, 2016
The Forgetting Room is a bewitching blend of art and text. Armon inherits his grandfather's house in Spain; before putting the house on the market, he ventures to Spain to explore the contents of the house. There he discovers his grandfather has left behind a mysterious trail of clues for Armon to follow.
While Armon puzzles the trail of clues, he constructs a collage. The reader is made privy to the collage as it evolves from a simple sketch to a multi-layered work of art with brooding colors. A few other collages appear in the book, crafted with precision and delightful for their strategic simplicity.
Armon's work on his collage gives rise to memories of his grandfather: Almost every day I'd sit in Grandfather's studio watching him paint and listening to him talk about whatever came into his mind. Mostly his words were too grown up for me and sailed blithely over my head, but his deep, gentle voice was as reassuring as the warm cocoa Grandmother plied us with on winter afternoons. Such memories, along with exploring the house, lead Armon through the trail of clues. What he discovers at the end is more marvelous than he could have imagined.
Though it's a work of fiction, The Forgetting Room reads like an instruction booklet on the author's signature technique for creating collage. It's one part story, one part art, and one part mystery with a dash of the extraordinary.
While Armon puzzles the trail of clues, he constructs a collage. The reader is made privy to the collage as it evolves from a simple sketch to a multi-layered work of art with brooding colors. A few other collages appear in the book, crafted with precision and delightful for their strategic simplicity.
Armon's work on his collage gives rise to memories of his grandfather: Almost every day I'd sit in Grandfather's studio watching him paint and listening to him talk about whatever came into his mind. Mostly his words were too grown up for me and sailed blithely over my head, but his deep, gentle voice was as reassuring as the warm cocoa Grandmother plied us with on winter afternoons. Such memories, along with exploring the house, lead Armon through the trail of clues. What he discovers at the end is more marvelous than he could have imagined.
Though it's a work of fiction, The Forgetting Room reads like an instruction booklet on the author's signature technique for creating collage. It's one part story, one part art, and one part mystery with a dash of the extraordinary.
September 12, 2011
In my 20th year, I picked up a copy of Griffin & Sabine - An Extraordinary Correspondence while loitering at the Wordsworth Book Store in Harvard Square. I was stone-broke — living on crackers, jello and sno-cones… and this was a great way to spend a weekend. I was also in the Oxytocin throes of new love so I fell. I fell really really hard. It had that voyeuristic concept (like when you are reading letters that high school boyfriends wrote your mom) that gave me chills and the delusional inkling that made Griffin an awesome archetype of dysfunction.
20 years and too many cynical experiences later, I found The Forgetting Room. Was I looking for that rush again? Wordsworth is gone. Maurice is gone. Hell… welcome to crows feet, gray hair and stretch marks. I needed a win.
Ok, I knew… I knew it wasn’t going to be Griffin and Sabine revisited. There are already like six sequels to that story. I saw The Forgetting Room---which is such a great concept in its own. A room for forgetting? A forgotten room? The possibilities. Then there was Spain… land of Don Quixote, Pedro Almodóvar, Plácido Domingo, etc… and lastly.. but not really… the art of Nick Bantock. The wedding invitation, the concertina pages, the collages. I needed the visual reminder of what I loved so much about the Griffin and Sabine books.
Plus, the story sounded intriguing -- Armon has one week to clean out his late grandfather, Rafael’s, house in Rondo, Spain to prepare it for sale. His marriage has failed. He has no passion for his bookbinding business. He is broken by what ifs and roads not taken. Here, he is presented with a past that never had a chance to really play out. There was a time when he idolized his grandfather, taking weekly art lessons and meditating on Rafael’s socialist ruminations. There was a code to live by with Rafael that Armon’s own father couldn’t provide for him-a sense of connection that Armon lost in adulthood. Now, his grandfather gives him a puzzle that will unravel that code for an adult Armon.
Sounds neat, right? I so wish it was. I was hoping that the game would enlighten… that I might solve it before Armon… but, not really. In the end, I felt duped. There was no angelic chorus or warm fuzzies or even light chuckle to be had. The artwork is darn pretty though.
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And the Garcia Lorca quotes were swoon worthy.
20 years and too many cynical experiences later, I found The Forgetting Room. Was I looking for that rush again? Wordsworth is gone. Maurice is gone. Hell… welcome to crows feet, gray hair and stretch marks. I needed a win.
Ok, I knew… I knew it wasn’t going to be Griffin and Sabine revisited. There are already like six sequels to that story. I saw The Forgetting Room---which is such a great concept in its own. A room for forgetting? A forgotten room? The possibilities. Then there was Spain… land of Don Quixote, Pedro Almodóvar, Plácido Domingo, etc… and lastly.. but not really… the art of Nick Bantock. The wedding invitation, the concertina pages, the collages. I needed the visual reminder of what I loved so much about the Griffin and Sabine books.
Plus, the story sounded intriguing -- Armon has one week to clean out his late grandfather, Rafael’s, house in Rondo, Spain to prepare it for sale. His marriage has failed. He has no passion for his bookbinding business. He is broken by what ifs and roads not taken. Here, he is presented with a past that never had a chance to really play out. There was a time when he idolized his grandfather, taking weekly art lessons and meditating on Rafael’s socialist ruminations. There was a code to live by with Rafael that Armon’s own father couldn’t provide for him-a sense of connection that Armon lost in adulthood. Now, his grandfather gives him a puzzle that will unravel that code for an adult Armon.
Sounds neat, right? I so wish it was. I was hoping that the game would enlighten… that I might solve it before Armon… but, not really. In the end, I felt duped. There was no angelic chorus or warm fuzzies or even light chuckle to be had. The artwork is darn pretty though.
[image error]
And the Garcia Lorca quotes were swoon worthy.
September 26, 2009
The images and imagery provided by the words are beautiful. I put this book on my list of favorites because of what it did for my art. It opened me up in my art more then I can ever explain.
But I don't think what I got from it...is what most people reading the book would get out of it. The story is a good story and if you liked the Griffin and Sabine Series then you'll most likely enjoy The Forgetting Room too.
Currently reading again - 1/22/09
But I don't think what I got from it...is what most people reading the book would get out of it. The story is a good story and if you liked the Griffin and Sabine Series then you'll most likely enjoy The Forgetting Room too.
Currently reading again - 1/22/09
September 6, 2021
2001: 3 stars
I like this much better than I did the Griffin and Sabine series.
2019: 4 stars
It's unusual for me to change my rating of a book, even after so many years. One obvious explanation may be that I took my time to think about the story as it unfolded and to study the inserts (for which Bantock is known). Or maybe it was just my mood.
This time, I was more aware of the many strands to the storyline, ranging from the concrete to abstractions to fantasy.
• Ronda, Spain and its famous bridge
• family dynamics
• love and regret
• inheritance of creative tendencies
• coming-of-age (finding one's self)
• artistic expression (poetry, collage)
• 'duende'
• surrealism (which I generally avoid)
• a touch of fantasy (that may be the wrong word)
This takes the form of a diary where Armon records his thoughts and actions over the span of his 8-day stay at his grandparents' home.
One of these days, I may decide to re-read the Griffin and Sabine series, although I no longer own copies of the books.
I like this much better than I did the Griffin and Sabine series.
2019: 4 stars
It's unusual for me to change my rating of a book, even after so many years. One obvious explanation may be that I took my time to think about the story as it unfolded and to study the inserts (for which Bantock is known). Or maybe it was just my mood.
This time, I was more aware of the many strands to the storyline, ranging from the concrete to abstractions to fantasy.
• Ronda, Spain and its famous bridge
• family dynamics
• love and regret
• inheritance of creative tendencies
• coming-of-age (finding one's self)
• artistic expression (poetry, collage)
• 'duende'
• surrealism (which I generally avoid)
• a touch of fantasy (that may be the wrong word)
This takes the form of a diary where Armon records his thoughts and actions over the span of his 8-day stay at his grandparents' home.
One of these days, I may decide to re-read the Griffin and Sabine series, although I no longer own copies of the books.
June 23, 2013
So yesterday I received an anonymous gift in the post. Always intrigued by packages arriving in my name—and especially when it is not an "ordering week" in which I am waiting all too impatiently for UPS, FedEx, USPS, and horseback rider to fill my front porch with beautiful brown packages—I tore into the wrapping while driving down the road. Instantly I knew who it was from even though there was no insert, label, or other clue. (And she has been properly thanked for such an amazing gift.) Books are always a road into any real man's heart—even if only for the momentary glimpse of a sparkle of gratefulness. It is, of course, one of the reasons why I gift books to my own partner and other friends on a regular basis: that is, to share the love I have for them in the only way that makes sense to me.
But I digress...
What lay on the seat next to me surrounded by shreds of brown paper, was Nick Bantock's The Forgetting Room. Having had a discussion with this same young lady over Bantock's acclaimed Griffin & Sabine Trilogy, I was fascinated by the story hinted at by this particular book. I was told I would love it.
She was right. I love it! This is a story that strikes the core of personal lessons I've been trying to learn—and to teach—for decades. The source of creativity, identity, and family all revolve around what ultimately becomes a ghost story of such delicate and exquisite proportions you could miss it if you breathed in the wrong direction.
I admit I read it in one sitting this afternoon. I couldn't put it down. The words and images combined here create such a mesmerizing entanglement of the mind. The Forgetting Room is not a difficult read. It's quite easy, in fact. But it is deep in ways that are subtle, that sneak up on you, and make you realize you've just experienced an epiphany without so much as a single whimpering note from an angel's horn. It was silent. It was cleansing. It was sublime.
But I digress...
What lay on the seat next to me surrounded by shreds of brown paper, was Nick Bantock's The Forgetting Room. Having had a discussion with this same young lady over Bantock's acclaimed Griffin & Sabine Trilogy, I was fascinated by the story hinted at by this particular book. I was told I would love it.
She was right. I love it! This is a story that strikes the core of personal lessons I've been trying to learn—and to teach—for decades. The source of creativity, identity, and family all revolve around what ultimately becomes a ghost story of such delicate and exquisite proportions you could miss it if you breathed in the wrong direction.
I admit I read it in one sitting this afternoon. I couldn't put it down. The words and images combined here create such a mesmerizing entanglement of the mind. The Forgetting Room is not a difficult read. It's quite easy, in fact. But it is deep in ways that are subtle, that sneak up on you, and make you realize you've just experienced an epiphany without so much as a single whimpering note from an angel's horn. It was silent. It was cleansing. It was sublime.
October 14, 2024
duende more like hawk tuende
January 7, 2025
i can really feel the duende with this one
May 30, 2012
Audiobook. Abridged.
I don't know if the reason I didn't care for this audiobook is because it was abridged or that I have absolutely no artistic bent, maybe it's both. I thought the hero sounded like a spoiled brat. When his grandmother and grandfather had decided after their house burnt down to move into the great-grandfather's house, he pretty much cut them off. Even when his grandmother died, he didn't bother to go to the funeral because his dad wasn't going. After his grandfather dies and leaves him his house in Spain, he has a somewhat reconciliation with his past and with the art lessons his grandfather gave him, but when this book ended I thought, "That's it?" I don't mind books where everything is not tied in a bow at the end but this just felt way too abrupt. I can blame it on the abridged audiobook but I'm not sure that I would have changed my mind reading the complete book. I've read some of the reviews where they loved this book and almost all of those reviewers found the scenes where the hero was painting to be wonderful. That must be it. Anyway, not keeping this audiobook.
I don't know if the reason I didn't care for this audiobook is because it was abridged or that I have absolutely no artistic bent, maybe it's both. I thought the hero sounded like a spoiled brat. When his grandmother and grandfather had decided after their house burnt down to move into the great-grandfather's house, he pretty much cut them off. Even when his grandmother died, he didn't bother to go to the funeral because his dad wasn't going. After his grandfather dies and leaves him his house in Spain, he has a somewhat reconciliation with his past and with the art lessons his grandfather gave him, but when this book ended I thought, "That's it?" I don't mind books where everything is not tied in a bow at the end but this just felt way too abrupt. I can blame it on the abridged audiobook but I'm not sure that I would have changed my mind reading the complete book. I've read some of the reviews where they loved this book and almost all of those reviewers found the scenes where the hero was painting to be wonderful. That must be it. Anyway, not keeping this audiobook.
September 8, 2014
This book brought me back to myself. What an intriguing legacy to leave... I won't spoil it, but as an artist myself, I'd love to do the same. Especially delightful since the studio descriptions, his process while collaging, and the sense of being apart of it make it an almost tactile read. It felt like taking a deep, relaxing breath when I didn't realize I'd been holding it. No surprise that I'm now in an uber productive phase in my studio.
December 4, 2016
Was excited to discover this book since it was set in Andalusia & would be intermixing history and art in the plot. First book by Nick Bantock that I have read so I wasn't expecting the envelopes, foldouts and collages that went along with the text. Enjoyed the story, the character of the grandfather, the talk of deunce(dark spirit of creativity) and the setting but the puzzle left me confused. Short in number of pages but not a quick read.
December 8, 2022
Again, another book by Nick Bantock given to me as a birthday present. I never read this and like many of my books, has been on my bookshelf for a very long time. Unfortunately I didn’t care for the story and I didn’t like the art in the book. A bit disappointing but now I think I can finally release this book and put it in my little free library for someone that might enjoy it.
August 9, 2017
Perplexing. Beautifully written. Some gorgeous phrasing, which I copied in my journal in order to think deeply about it later.
May 31, 2024
*3.5 stars
"I wanted to eat the sky, dance a jig, marry the world."
"I wanted to eat the sky, dance a jig, marry the world."
April 4, 2024
Some might think Bantock is a one-trick pony, but I personally enjoy the addition of his own art and pull-out material in his books thus far.
In "The Forgetting Room," Armon's grandfather has died, leaving him a house in Spain. His grandfather, an artist and all-around playful man, leaves clues to some greater understanding of the man himself cast about in the house.
Throughout the course of the book, Armon begins slowly coaxing out an artistic side of himself that he never really pursued during his early years. I found this part of the book engaging as I can imagine what the death of this kind of artistic family member might elicit from their heirs. But when the ending came in the last three pages, the whole point of the book felt trite. Bantock had me completely up until then (which is why I give this a 4- and not a 5-star rating) with his prose and story-telling. Regardless, Bantock remains an author I enjoy and whose other books I will most likely enjoy as well. His endings seem to be severely lacking for my taste at this point, however, which is disappointing considering how strong the rest of the books lay out.
In "The Forgetting Room," Armon's grandfather has died, leaving him a house in Spain. His grandfather, an artist and all-around playful man, leaves clues to some greater understanding of the man himself cast about in the house.
Throughout the course of the book, Armon begins slowly coaxing out an artistic side of himself that he never really pursued during his early years. I found this part of the book engaging as I can imagine what the death of this kind of artistic family member might elicit from their heirs. But when the ending came in the last three pages, the whole point of the book felt trite. Bantock had me completely up until then (which is why I give this a 4- and not a 5-star rating) with his prose and story-telling. Regardless, Bantock remains an author I enjoy and whose other books I will most likely enjoy as well. His endings seem to be severely lacking for my taste at this point, however, which is disappointing considering how strong the rest of the books lay out.
March 26, 2024
I am conflicted about this book. I did love the premise itself. The main character has received an inheritance from his grandfather, a home in Spain. His grandfather seems to have been a stronger influence on him than his own father, and spent a lot of time with him as a youth teaching him to paint. The book covers 9 days in Spain where he plans to see the house, and get it on the market to sell. His time there is spent attempting to unlock clues his grandfather left him. My problem with the book is that I felt he could have spent a LOT more time developing the characters and the plot line. It felt very clipped, like a cliff notes version. I wanted it more fully developed, both the present time and his memories of his grandfather.
November 8, 2015
The writing was very beautiful and evoking. This author is very good at phrasing things the perfect way. The story was also pretty interesting. A short, nice read!
May 14, 2025
I found the story to be intriguing and interesting and didn't mind the fact that it only took me a day to read the entire book. The only thing that bothered me about it in fact was the abrupt ending. Had there been more closure at the end and maybe a bit more of an explanation I would have found the book to be quite satisfying.
As it is with the abruptness of the ending I can only give the book 3 stars. It was a fun trip though while it lasted.
As it is with the abruptness of the ending I can only give the book 3 stars. It was a fun trip though while it lasted.
October 4, 2020
I'm a big NB fan. Usually I'm bandwagon for Bantock. But this book felt a bit oversteeped. Pretend your grandfather is Dali and you're solving a bunch of mystical riddles in Spain after his death. Add a dash of surrealism and two helpings of "Is this real?" and you've got the meandering plot. Interesting, but not significant like Griffin & Sabine.
March 10, 2022
I usually only read fiction of the classics...but this story was so grippingly interesting and sensitive to my soul that it kept me reading and reading and feeling so fulfilled with the magic of the sceneries, the motives, the storyline... thank you for the magical experience...the dream-like quality of a real story!
January 27, 2023
Okay, this one reminds me more of Calvino. A fun short story told with a few pictures, a puzzle and the creation of a collage. Doesn't that set up even sound like it?
Even the setting of a small place in Spain seems to make it one of those pieces. The conceit is ludicrous but it does make you wonder how much the past and future are connected. What are the ties between the two?
Even the setting of a small place in Spain seems to make it one of those pieces. The conceit is ludicrous but it does make you wonder how much the past and future are connected. What are the ties between the two?
February 4, 2024
Not Griffin and Sabine, that's for sure. Also, the artwork didn't pack a punch for me, which was a bit of a disappointment - even though the premise is the main character is working out his own inner conflict through making the art and it is developing through the book. Will still sit on my shelf next to my other Bantock titles though.
October 29, 2025
What a treat to experience another Nick Bantock book. He is such an artist. I was thrilled to find this book - that I didn't even know existed - at an amazing used book sale on Saturday. There's nothing like the first book in the Griffin & Sabine series but every one of his creations are treasures.
April 29, 2020
This was the second time reading this book. A good story about someone making peace with his past and getting back in touch with his creativity. Not my favorite book by this author, but a good quick read nonetheless.
July 25, 2023
A curious little snapshot, I found it easy to fall into. I love a book with a unique format and a unique premise, so it was a joy for those reasons. Big themes of identity, muses and expressive art, puzzles, and family ties.
June 8, 2024
A grandson goes to Italy to clear out grandfather's home and studio and prepare it to sell. He has fond memories of childhood visits with grandfather, especially drawing with him, though they grew apart later. Grandfather left a series of clues -- in Bantock-illustrated style -- for him. Like Griffon and Sabine, dreamy and appealing, even as I find the art styles inscrutable.
August 6, 2025
This book is so beautiful, both visually (it has illustrations) and the storytelling. I was never bored, never knew what was coming next (or before). I can finally say I understood a book filled with metaphors.
May 30, 2017
One of his best.
October 2, 2018
2.5 stars --The weakest Bantock I've read yet. :(
December 4, 2018
Not quite as magical as the Griffin & Sabine trilogy, but i love pretty much anything by Nick Bantock.
April 25, 2019
This was a lovely book. Luscious prose.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews