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Remind Me Again What Happened
“There is a smudge where my memory is supposed to be.”
Claire wakes in a hospital room in the Florida Keys. She has no idea how she got there or why. The loss of so many memories is paralyzing. Some things she can piece together by looking at old photos saved by her husband, Charlie, and her best friend, Rachel, and by combing through boxes of letters and casual jottings. But she senses a mystery at the center of all these fragments of her past, a feeling that something is not complete. Is Charlie still her husband? Is Rachel still her friend?
Told from alternating points of view that pull the reader into the minds of the three characters, the story unfolds as the smudge that covers Claire’s memory is gradually, steadily wiped away, until finally she can understand the why and the how of her life. And then maybe she and Charlie and Rachel can move forward, but with their lives forever changed.
In Remind Me Again What Happened , debut novelist Joanna Luloff has written a moving and beautifully nuanced story of transience, the ebb and flow of time, and how relationships shift and are reconfigured by each day, hour, and minute.
Claire wakes in a hospital room in the Florida Keys. She has no idea how she got there or why. The loss of so many memories is paralyzing. Some things she can piece together by looking at old photos saved by her husband, Charlie, and her best friend, Rachel, and by combing through boxes of letters and casual jottings. But she senses a mystery at the center of all these fragments of her past, a feeling that something is not complete. Is Charlie still her husband? Is Rachel still her friend?
Told from alternating points of view that pull the reader into the minds of the three characters, the story unfolds as the smudge that covers Claire’s memory is gradually, steadily wiped away, until finally she can understand the why and the how of her life. And then maybe she and Charlie and Rachel can move forward, but with their lives forever changed.
In Remind Me Again What Happened , debut novelist Joanna Luloff has written a moving and beautifully nuanced story of transience, the ebb and flow of time, and how relationships shift and are reconfigured by each day, hour, and minute.
278 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2018
39 people are currently reading
2756 people want to read
About the author
Joanna Luloff
3 books58 followersJoanna Luloff grew up in Massachusetts, received her MFA from Emerson College and her PhD from University of Missouri. From 1996-1998, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sri Lanka. Her short stories have been published in The Missouri Review, Confrontation, New South, and Memorious. The Beach at Galle Road is her first book and was published by Algonquin Books in October, 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
March 11, 2018
Claire Scott was a globe-trotting journalist whose life changed in the blink of an eye. While on assignment in Jamil Nadu, she developed Japanese encephalitis transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. Her life was now characterized by seizures, the result of temporal lobe damage. She is a mystery to herself, husband Charlie and best friend Rachel.
Charlie and Rachel met in England when Rachel was studying abroad. Claire and Rachel met in a college class stateside. The trio were inseparable. At least they were during their graduate days. Each of them has secrets, anger and resentments that have driven their life choices. Claire used to be the go-getter, orchestrating their forward movement in life's journey. The strongest link had become the weakest link. Claire depends upon husband Charlie and bestie, Rachel.
Claire, Charlie and Rachel "adopted" each other ten years ago upon the death of Rachel's parents. Would Rachel and Charlie be able to help Claire adjust to the "black hole" of memory loss? Claire has many questions. Charlie and Rachel need to ignore old hurts and carefully minister to a fragile Claire who remembers the distant past but has lost her memories from ages 17-34. Life as she knew it had drastically changed.
"Remind Me Again What Happened" by Joanna Luloff is the story of Claire as her memories shift in and out of focus after a deadly mosquito bite. Claire has an uphill battle trying to find her way back to the former Claire. Is it even possible for her to jump start some recollections? The importance of this literary fiction read cannot be understated.
Thank you Algonquin Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Remind Me Again What Happened".
Charlie and Rachel met in England when Rachel was studying abroad. Claire and Rachel met in a college class stateside. The trio were inseparable. At least they were during their graduate days. Each of them has secrets, anger and resentments that have driven their life choices. Claire used to be the go-getter, orchestrating their forward movement in life's journey. The strongest link had become the weakest link. Claire depends upon husband Charlie and bestie, Rachel.
Claire, Charlie and Rachel "adopted" each other ten years ago upon the death of Rachel's parents. Would Rachel and Charlie be able to help Claire adjust to the "black hole" of memory loss? Claire has many questions. Charlie and Rachel need to ignore old hurts and carefully minister to a fragile Claire who remembers the distant past but has lost her memories from ages 17-34. Life as she knew it had drastically changed.
"Remind Me Again What Happened" by Joanna Luloff is the story of Claire as her memories shift in and out of focus after a deadly mosquito bite. Claire has an uphill battle trying to find her way back to the former Claire. Is it even possible for her to jump start some recollections? The importance of this literary fiction read cannot be understated.
Thank you Algonquin Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Remind Me Again What Happened".
August 17, 2018
3.5 SECRETS AND BURIED RESENTMENTS are brought to the forefront front when three long standing friends are brought together again after a tragic illness. Claire, out of the country working on a story, is bitten by a mosquito and contracts Japanese encephalitis. The result is brain damage that effects her memory and seizures. Although they had all once been closer than close, each other family, Claire had married Charlie. Charlie, trying to find his wife in the new Claire, has trouble coping and calls on Rachel to come to their Sid.
A very insular novel as the whole story is the alternating thoughts of just these three characters. Everything we learn about them are in flashbacks or menories. Things are far from as simple as they appear as they harbor thoughts, secrets not dealt with, from their shared paths. Claire, of course, remembers little of this, and that is a source of frustration, not only for her, but for Rachel and Charlie. The story is very reality based, could definitely see something like this happening, but it is also not terribly exciting. I never felt close to these people, felt like I was observing them from a distance, though I was privy to their most personal thoughts. Never quite got a handle on Charlie, didn't feel as if I knew him.
The ending I liked, it fit with everything that came before, and again felt real based on what we learned throughout the novel. So, I did like it, glad I read it, but never fully embraced the characters.
ARC from Netgalley.
A very insular novel as the whole story is the alternating thoughts of just these three characters. Everything we learn about them are in flashbacks or menories. Things are far from as simple as they appear as they harbor thoughts, secrets not dealt with, from their shared paths. Claire, of course, remembers little of this, and that is a source of frustration, not only for her, but for Rachel and Charlie. The story is very reality based, could definitely see something like this happening, but it is also not terribly exciting. I never felt close to these people, felt like I was observing them from a distance, though I was privy to their most personal thoughts. Never quite got a handle on Charlie, didn't feel as if I knew him.
The ending I liked, it fit with everything that came before, and again felt real based on what we learned throughout the novel. So, I did like it, glad I read it, but never fully embraced the characters.
ARC from Netgalley.
July 2, 2018
4 ‘It’s Complicated’ Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟
This was a complex character driven book... Full of unlikable characters... leaving me with more questions than answers.... it is a straightforward unraveling of the personality and friendship of these three complicated people.... no twists, no turns, just a real story about real relationships...
Claire has developed encephalitis from a mosquito bite which ultimately wipes out her memory from age 17 to34... told from the point of views of Claire, her BFF Rachel, and her husband Charlie... we get a look into this trios complicated relationship with one another, from all sides... These three were the best of friends, living together, practically family, until....
The very best part of this book was the characters, even though they were unlikable they were very well-developed... I also really appreciated that there was no extra fat... no unnecessary storylines, no unnecessary characters, it was all pretty above board.... my only complaint is the ending, it was just a little lackluster, probably because I wanted that twist, LOL 😝 so that is clearly a me problem! And I would really like to see what happens to these characters in the future, follow up???
Recommend to fans of the character driven book, with some pretty complicated characters....
*** many thanks to Algonquin Books for my copy of this book ***
This was a complex character driven book... Full of unlikable characters... leaving me with more questions than answers.... it is a straightforward unraveling of the personality and friendship of these three complicated people.... no twists, no turns, just a real story about real relationships...
Claire has developed encephalitis from a mosquito bite which ultimately wipes out her memory from age 17 to34... told from the point of views of Claire, her BFF Rachel, and her husband Charlie... we get a look into this trios complicated relationship with one another, from all sides... These three were the best of friends, living together, practically family, until....
The very best part of this book was the characters, even though they were unlikable they were very well-developed... I also really appreciated that there was no extra fat... no unnecessary storylines, no unnecessary characters, it was all pretty above board.... my only complaint is the ending, it was just a little lackluster, probably because I wanted that twist, LOL 😝 so that is clearly a me problem! And I would really like to see what happens to these characters in the future, follow up???
Recommend to fans of the character driven book, with some pretty complicated characters....
*** many thanks to Algonquin Books for my copy of this book ***
June 13, 2018
Prepare yourself to reach deep and immerse yourself in the thoughts of three different characters that polarize around an event that is touching all of their lives in different ways.
Claire is a young, successful, independent journalist who wakes up one day in a hospital in Florida, attached to machines and different apparatuses. She is alone. She is confused.
“Before all of this doctor’s sleuthing work, before my induced coma, before all my bumps and bruises, I had been in a hotel overlooking the sea”
–Joanna Luloff
Claire’s last assignment was to Tamil Nadu, India. This is the place where she contracted Japanese encephalitis. It is transmitted to people through a bite by an infected mosquito. The virus and all those subsequent seizures damaged her temporal lobes and now she has lost her memories. This created a “black hole” of things she can’t remember between the ages of seventeen to thirty-four. That is a vast of unknowns for her.
“You can sense the many things that surround what you are looking at, but the closer you get to the thing itself, the blinder you become”
-Joanna Luloff
Charlie is her husband. He isn’t there immediately when Claire wakes up from her coma. As a matter of fact, he is not even always sure of her assignments, since Claire has opted to live in an apartment from time to time by herself, and their relationship is one of long distance and slightly estranged. He is the loyal and grounded one in the relationship, and she is a globe-trotter.
“Every time I look at her now, multiple images appear: the Claire in front of me, the Claire I fell in love with, and the Claire struggling against her mind and body in the hospital. Out of the three Claires, there may be only one I am still in love with, and I fear that the one in front of me is not a match. And of course I loathe myself for each and every one of these thoughts.”
-Joanna Luloff
Charlie takes care of Claire. He takes her to her appointments and therapies. Continues to work and gives her plenty of rest. But an underlying disconnect keeps surfacing.
“Our chats were polite and quick, and then we slipped back into our won, separate lives.”
-Joanna Luloff
“More than anything, I want her to really remember me, to encounter me with a look of real familiarity and recognition, and perhaps even regret, and maybe then I will be able to approach her again and call her to me. My Claire.”
-Joanna Luloff
Rachel is their best friend. She volunteers her time to help them out and do the household chores. She has different relationships with each of them alone, but a common ground from their pasts keeps them bonded and connected. Rachel shares her time and lends her ear to either of her friends.
“I have never told him about the many times Claire came to visit me without him. Nor about the confessions she has made to me only after I promise not to reveal them, usually after we have finished a bottle of wine out on my parents’ back porch.”
-Joanna Luloff
“I have to admit, her drifting filled me with a tangle of emotions I’d rather not admit: jealousy, smug satisfaction, anger. She was providing me with a passive revenge, which, if I can be honest with myself, is the only kind of revenge I’m probably capable of.”
-Joanna Luloff
Their deep friendship and individual histories with secrets is explored in 3 different voices and viewpoints.
“This is our present tug-of-war; the line in the sand is our shared past and each of us wants to tug the other across to see it our way.”
-Joanne Luloff
But is Claire’s memory loss the real culprit for their struggles? Or is there more? What secrets do they know of each other and hold back?
***
This novel was written with intent. Each sentence conveyed a powerful message for thought. It is nice when you read a book that makes you think and turn the words, come to find out, it could not have been written any more concise. Albeit the many emotions explored, it isn’t sappy. It was written well, from a learned and experienced perspective. A tantalizing journey of the heart and mind, I highly recommend.
I received a digital copy of 'Remind Me Again What Happened' from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you.
More of my reviews here: https://scarlettreadzandrunz.com/
Claire is a young, successful, independent journalist who wakes up one day in a hospital in Florida, attached to machines and different apparatuses. She is alone. She is confused.
“Before all of this doctor’s sleuthing work, before my induced coma, before all my bumps and bruises, I had been in a hotel overlooking the sea”
–Joanna Luloff
Claire’s last assignment was to Tamil Nadu, India. This is the place where she contracted Japanese encephalitis. It is transmitted to people through a bite by an infected mosquito. The virus and all those subsequent seizures damaged her temporal lobes and now she has lost her memories. This created a “black hole” of things she can’t remember between the ages of seventeen to thirty-four. That is a vast of unknowns for her.
“You can sense the many things that surround what you are looking at, but the closer you get to the thing itself, the blinder you become”
-Joanna Luloff
Charlie is her husband. He isn’t there immediately when Claire wakes up from her coma. As a matter of fact, he is not even always sure of her assignments, since Claire has opted to live in an apartment from time to time by herself, and their relationship is one of long distance and slightly estranged. He is the loyal and grounded one in the relationship, and she is a globe-trotter.
“Every time I look at her now, multiple images appear: the Claire in front of me, the Claire I fell in love with, and the Claire struggling against her mind and body in the hospital. Out of the three Claires, there may be only one I am still in love with, and I fear that the one in front of me is not a match. And of course I loathe myself for each and every one of these thoughts.”
-Joanna Luloff
Charlie takes care of Claire. He takes her to her appointments and therapies. Continues to work and gives her plenty of rest. But an underlying disconnect keeps surfacing.
“Our chats were polite and quick, and then we slipped back into our won, separate lives.”
-Joanna Luloff
“More than anything, I want her to really remember me, to encounter me with a look of real familiarity and recognition, and perhaps even regret, and maybe then I will be able to approach her again and call her to me. My Claire.”
-Joanna Luloff
Rachel is their best friend. She volunteers her time to help them out and do the household chores. She has different relationships with each of them alone, but a common ground from their pasts keeps them bonded and connected. Rachel shares her time and lends her ear to either of her friends.
“I have never told him about the many times Claire came to visit me without him. Nor about the confessions she has made to me only after I promise not to reveal them, usually after we have finished a bottle of wine out on my parents’ back porch.”
-Joanna Luloff
“I have to admit, her drifting filled me with a tangle of emotions I’d rather not admit: jealousy, smug satisfaction, anger. She was providing me with a passive revenge, which, if I can be honest with myself, is the only kind of revenge I’m probably capable of.”
-Joanna Luloff
Their deep friendship and individual histories with secrets is explored in 3 different voices and viewpoints.
“This is our present tug-of-war; the line in the sand is our shared past and each of us wants to tug the other across to see it our way.”
-Joanne Luloff
But is Claire’s memory loss the real culprit for their struggles? Or is there more? What secrets do they know of each other and hold back?
***
This novel was written with intent. Each sentence conveyed a powerful message for thought. It is nice when you read a book that makes you think and turn the words, come to find out, it could not have been written any more concise. Albeit the many emotions explored, it isn’t sappy. It was written well, from a learned and experienced perspective. A tantalizing journey of the heart and mind, I highly recommend.
I received a digital copy of 'Remind Me Again What Happened' from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you.
More of my reviews here: https://scarlettreadzandrunz.com/
June 9, 2018
https://www.bluestockingreviews.com/b...
Remind Me Again What Happened
Joanna Luloff
A interesting character-driven debut novel about complex relationships and the secrets that can transform those relationships forever.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
SUMMARY
Claire, a journalist on assignment in India is stricken by a mysterious illness. She wakes up in a hospital in Florida with no idea how she got there or why. She has lost a portion of her memories, and is having seizures. Her husband Charlie and her best friend Rachel rally to help her with her recovery and her memories. They take her back to their house in Vermont. Claire attempts to piece together her past by looking at old photos and notes. She senses a feeling that something is not right. She’s not sure where she is supposed to be, but she is pretty sure it’s not where she is. She is not even sure if Charlie is still her husband or if Rachel is still her friend.
Before her illness Claire was a bright, fearless, vibrant woman alway on the go. Charlie and Rachel try to help her regain her good memories as much as possible, but they are all keeping secrets from each other. Secrets of hurts and resentments from long ago that have never gone away. Secrets that could have made a difference back in the day when they were all roommates.
REVIEW
The novel is told from alternating perspectives that pull you into the minds of the three friends. Using this approach gives breadth to the story and a wealth of information about the characters. But the more you learn about the characters and their past together, you can’t help but develop feeling about them. You may find you do not like them very much: one is restless and self-centered, one is dutiful but passive, and one is selfless, stoic but very angry and sad.
REMIND ME AGAIN WHAT HAPPENED is a emotional story with frustrating circumstances and unlikable characters. The story was slow-paced and leaves questions unanswered. My favorite part of the book was when one of the characters in a fit of anger, finally lets loose and gives some clarity about past events that have cause so much dissension among the friends.
Readers who like character-driven novels of complex relationships may appreciate this story. Remind Me Again What Happened is the debut novel for JOANNA LULOFF. She has also authored a collection of short stories titled The Beach at Galle Road. She lives in Denver, Colorado where she teaches at the University of Colorado. Thanks to Netgalley, Algonquin Books and Joanna Luloff for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher Algonquin Books.
Publication Date June 26, 2018
Remind Me Again What Happened
Joanna Luloff
A interesting character-driven debut novel about complex relationships and the secrets that can transform those relationships forever.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
SUMMARY
Claire, a journalist on assignment in India is stricken by a mysterious illness. She wakes up in a hospital in Florida with no idea how she got there or why. She has lost a portion of her memories, and is having seizures. Her husband Charlie and her best friend Rachel rally to help her with her recovery and her memories. They take her back to their house in Vermont. Claire attempts to piece together her past by looking at old photos and notes. She senses a feeling that something is not right. She’s not sure where she is supposed to be, but she is pretty sure it’s not where she is. She is not even sure if Charlie is still her husband or if Rachel is still her friend.
Before her illness Claire was a bright, fearless, vibrant woman alway on the go. Charlie and Rachel try to help her regain her good memories as much as possible, but they are all keeping secrets from each other. Secrets of hurts and resentments from long ago that have never gone away. Secrets that could have made a difference back in the day when they were all roommates.
REVIEW
The novel is told from alternating perspectives that pull you into the minds of the three friends. Using this approach gives breadth to the story and a wealth of information about the characters. But the more you learn about the characters and their past together, you can’t help but develop feeling about them. You may find you do not like them very much: one is restless and self-centered, one is dutiful but passive, and one is selfless, stoic but very angry and sad.
REMIND ME AGAIN WHAT HAPPENED is a emotional story with frustrating circumstances and unlikable characters. The story was slow-paced and leaves questions unanswered. My favorite part of the book was when one of the characters in a fit of anger, finally lets loose and gives some clarity about past events that have cause so much dissension among the friends.
Readers who like character-driven novels of complex relationships may appreciate this story. Remind Me Again What Happened is the debut novel for JOANNA LULOFF. She has also authored a collection of short stories titled The Beach at Galle Road. She lives in Denver, Colorado where she teaches at the University of Colorado. Thanks to Netgalley, Algonquin Books and Joanna Luloff for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher Algonquin Books.
Publication Date June 26, 2018
June 29, 2018
A character study of three interchangeable friends/lovers/spouses, this story is told from each perspective.
Claire, a journalist, has contracted a mysterious virus in India, which has caused her to lose her memory of recent years and which also causes her severe short term memory loss.
Charlie is her husband, and one who loves her and is angry with her and probably feels betrayed by her as well.
Rachel is the best friend of both and a former lover of Charlie, back before he and Claire were married.
Their relationship is close, awkward, and although they all apparently love and care for each other immensely, is fraught with secrets and deceit.
I found Rachel and Charlie much too wishy-washy for my taste. I wanted them both to have taken different stands earlier in their lives and to get on with living. As it is, they both are living unfulfilled and half-hearted lives in the shadows of whatever Claire wants or needs, while Claire prances off around the world just being Claire. And then, when she loses part of herself, her memory, the protectiveness that Rachel and Charlie wrap around her almost suffocated me.
I found this book to be well-written, and I believe it's actually a good story, just not one that suited me very much, as I found myself frustrated with every character continually throughout the book. I wanted them to DO, not so much just BE. I rated it a solid three stars for the writing and the premise of the story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Claire, a journalist, has contracted a mysterious virus in India, which has caused her to lose her memory of recent years and which also causes her severe short term memory loss.
Charlie is her husband, and one who loves her and is angry with her and probably feels betrayed by her as well.
Rachel is the best friend of both and a former lover of Charlie, back before he and Claire were married.
Their relationship is close, awkward, and although they all apparently love and care for each other immensely, is fraught with secrets and deceit.
I found Rachel and Charlie much too wishy-washy for my taste. I wanted them both to have taken different stands earlier in their lives and to get on with living. As it is, they both are living unfulfilled and half-hearted lives in the shadows of whatever Claire wants or needs, while Claire prances off around the world just being Claire. And then, when she loses part of herself, her memory, the protectiveness that Rachel and Charlie wrap around her almost suffocated me.
I found this book to be well-written, and I believe it's actually a good story, just not one that suited me very much, as I found myself frustrated with every character continually throughout the book. I wanted them to DO, not so much just BE. I rated it a solid three stars for the writing and the premise of the story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
June 26, 2018
Joanna Luloff’s Remind Me Again What Happened is easy to get lost in. Lost in a good way, the kind of way where you can’t put down a book and you think about it for days after you finish it. Not lost in a bad way, like the way Claire, the character on whom the story is centered, gets lost in her mind when she contracts Japanese encephalitis and loses much of her memory and ability to remember anything at all.
Claire is a woman on the go, a writer for the AP who chases stories from New England to India, when she falls ill. The medical mystery is eventually resolved when her estranged husband Charlie tells doctors that she was in India and they make a diagnosis that explains her memory loss, her seizures, and her lack of fine motor skills. It’s a predictably crushing blow for Claire, who remembers just enough to know that she does not like to stay home in rural Vermont and be looked after like a toddler.
That is her life, with Charlie being joined by their mutual graduate school friend Rachel in looking after Claire to be sure she takes her medication and doesn’t get lost or hurt by herself. Herein lies a twist I didn’t expect and one that has moments of… working just a bit too hard to be a twist in a story that may not have needed one.
Rachel dated Charlie for a year when she studied abroad in England. Rachel was still dating Charlie when she introduced him to Claire. And she was dating him the first time he kissed Claire. Meant to bring tension to the narrative, it works at the same time it doesn’t quite.
Needless to say, the three of them – really the only three characters in the novel – are each on edge for the entire span of the story. It is clear that they love each other but nobody seems to get just the right love that they need from the others.
And it’s because of the secrets they keep. The secrets Charlie thinks Claire is keeping. The secrets Rachel keeps from Charlie. The secrets Claire wishes she could keep, and the ones she wishes her mind didn’t keep from her.
It’s a toxic story, really, always on the edge of erupting in a micro-world that very much does not need eruptions.
One of the most compelling parts of Luloff’s novel are the questions that are asked and never answered. She could have answered them, made it all clear as day, but that wouldn’t have been reality with Claire’s medical condition. So we don’t know if, as Charlie suspects, Claire remembers more than she says. We don’t know if, as Claire suspects, Charlie was having an affair with someone from his work. We don’t know if, as Rachel suspects, Claire could be happy with Charlie or with her but never with the three of them in the same place. Those unknowns give the reader something to think about, a way to put themselves into the story and feel like a part of it.
There is no cut and dry happy ending for Claire, her husband, and her friend. Rachel and Charlie act on behalf of themselves, things people with full ability always do, and that’s fine. But what is so great about Remind Me Again What Happened is that Claire claims her life again, chooses the path she wants to follow, no matter how hard it is. Charlie and Rachel are left to let her do it or go away. As the reader, fourth person in the story, I am so proud of Claire!
The premise for this book seemed a little strange at first and I was a little skeptical but it absolutely works. The imperfections in the characters who previously let themselves be controlled by the one who loses all control is stark and illuminating. That, without control of even herself, she is able to choose what life to lead is a perfect poetic ending.
*****I received a copy of Remind Me Again What Happened from NetGalley and Algonquin Books in exchange for an honest and original review. All thoughts are my own.*****
Claire is a woman on the go, a writer for the AP who chases stories from New England to India, when she falls ill. The medical mystery is eventually resolved when her estranged husband Charlie tells doctors that she was in India and they make a diagnosis that explains her memory loss, her seizures, and her lack of fine motor skills. It’s a predictably crushing blow for Claire, who remembers just enough to know that she does not like to stay home in rural Vermont and be looked after like a toddler.
That is her life, with Charlie being joined by their mutual graduate school friend Rachel in looking after Claire to be sure she takes her medication and doesn’t get lost or hurt by herself. Herein lies a twist I didn’t expect and one that has moments of… working just a bit too hard to be a twist in a story that may not have needed one.
Rachel dated Charlie for a year when she studied abroad in England. Rachel was still dating Charlie when she introduced him to Claire. And she was dating him the first time he kissed Claire. Meant to bring tension to the narrative, it works at the same time it doesn’t quite.
Needless to say, the three of them – really the only three characters in the novel – are each on edge for the entire span of the story. It is clear that they love each other but nobody seems to get just the right love that they need from the others.
And it’s because of the secrets they keep. The secrets Charlie thinks Claire is keeping. The secrets Rachel keeps from Charlie. The secrets Claire wishes she could keep, and the ones she wishes her mind didn’t keep from her.
It’s a toxic story, really, always on the edge of erupting in a micro-world that very much does not need eruptions.
One of the most compelling parts of Luloff’s novel are the questions that are asked and never answered. She could have answered them, made it all clear as day, but that wouldn’t have been reality with Claire’s medical condition. So we don’t know if, as Charlie suspects, Claire remembers more than she says. We don’t know if, as Claire suspects, Charlie was having an affair with someone from his work. We don’t know if, as Rachel suspects, Claire could be happy with Charlie or with her but never with the three of them in the same place. Those unknowns give the reader something to think about, a way to put themselves into the story and feel like a part of it.
There is no cut and dry happy ending for Claire, her husband, and her friend. Rachel and Charlie act on behalf of themselves, things people with full ability always do, and that’s fine. But what is so great about Remind Me Again What Happened is that Claire claims her life again, chooses the path she wants to follow, no matter how hard it is. Charlie and Rachel are left to let her do it or go away. As the reader, fourth person in the story, I am so proud of Claire!
The premise for this book seemed a little strange at first and I was a little skeptical but it absolutely works. The imperfections in the characters who previously let themselves be controlled by the one who loses all control is stark and illuminating. That, without control of even herself, she is able to choose what life to lead is a perfect poetic ending.
*****I received a copy of Remind Me Again What Happened from NetGalley and Algonquin Books in exchange for an honest and original review. All thoughts are my own.*****
June 29, 2018
In the beginning of this novel we learn that Claire Scott is a 34-year-old freelance journalist who was working in India when she got bitten by a mosquito and contracted Japanese encephalitis (JE). [The CDC reports that most human infections of this type are asymptomatic or result in only mild symptoms, but a small percentage of infected persons develop inflammation of the brain (encephalitis). About 1 in 4 cases are fatal. There is no specific treatment for JE.]
Claire had high fever and seizures and was put in an induced coma to allow her body to repair itself while she was being treated. Afterward, the doctors told her she would recover but might never get back her memories from the age of seventeen to thirty-four, which were now largely a blank to her. As Claire mused: “I am both lucky and terribly unlucky. I have survived, but am forever altered.”
For the rest of the book, the story is narrated alternately by Claire, her husband Charlie, and their BFF Rachel, who comes to Vermont to stay with them and help take care of Claire. Clearly all three have a bunch of resentments toward each other from the past, but Claire doesn’t remember them, and Charlie and Rachel won’t talk about them. And so goes the rest of the book, except for long, irrelevant (to me and to the plot as far as I could tell) forays into Claire’s memories about her parents and grandparents.
I kept waiting for some kind of epiphany from any of them, but nothing much ever happens. There is a bit of an unexpected ending, but it didn't ring true to me.
Evaluation: I found this book boring and ultimately disappointing. There might be some interesting points suggested in it about memory and the way it intersects with emotions, but the story never grabbed me enough to think about it further.
Claire had high fever and seizures and was put in an induced coma to allow her body to repair itself while she was being treated. Afterward, the doctors told her she would recover but might never get back her memories from the age of seventeen to thirty-four, which were now largely a blank to her. As Claire mused: “I am both lucky and terribly unlucky. I have survived, but am forever altered.”
For the rest of the book, the story is narrated alternately by Claire, her husband Charlie, and their BFF Rachel, who comes to Vermont to stay with them and help take care of Claire. Clearly all three have a bunch of resentments toward each other from the past, but Claire doesn’t remember them, and Charlie and Rachel won’t talk about them. And so goes the rest of the book, except for long, irrelevant (to me and to the plot as far as I could tell) forays into Claire’s memories about her parents and grandparents.
I kept waiting for some kind of epiphany from any of them, but nothing much ever happens. There is a bit of an unexpected ending, but it didn't ring true to me.
Evaluation: I found this book boring and ultimately disappointing. There might be some interesting points suggested in it about memory and the way it intersects with emotions, but the story never grabbed me enough to think about it further.
May 4, 2018
If memories anchor our sense of self, how does one go forward into the future without them? The novel Remind Me Again What Happened by Joanna Luloff explores the ephemeral quality of memory and its power to shape our present and future. The main character, Claire, a traveling journalist, catches the mosquito-borne virus Japanese encephalitis that puts her in a coma and erases her memory when she awakes. Her dutiful husband Charlie and her best friend Rachel put their lives on hold to care for Claire and are forced to confront the trio’s complicated relationship, secrets, and past hurts. Told in alternating points of view between Claire, Charlie, and Rachel, the trio reveals a codependency on each other, dating back to their days sharing a house in graduate school.
The author Joanna Luloff seamlessly weaves this riveting story together with three voices that reveal the elusive nature of reality. Perception is subjective not science and memory helps ground what’s really real in relationships. If you no longer had a shared past, no memory of what once was—would you pick that person as a friend or as a lover again?
The author Joanna Luloff seamlessly weaves this riveting story together with three voices that reveal the elusive nature of reality. Perception is subjective not science and memory helps ground what’s really real in relationships. If you no longer had a shared past, no memory of what once was—would you pick that person as a friend or as a lover again?
June 4, 2018
An incredibly moving and thought-provoking book. It develops compelling notions about what our memories mean, how necessary they are to share, and what happens when memory diverges. The characters are rich and complex and the pacing of the book is great.
June 27, 2018
Claire wakes up in a hospital room, yet has no idea why she is there or what happened. She has lost years of memories. Her best friend Rachel and her husband Charlie take care of her and help her during the aftermath as she continues to suffer memory loss and seizures. Claire tries to piece together her life before she landed in the hospital amid this memory loss. This book is the slow unraveling of that story. Like the peeling of an onion, the author peels back a layer bit by bit. Told in the POV's of Claire, Rachel, and Charlie we see the ebb and flow of their relationships. I thought the writing was excellent but I couldn't get past the dysfunctional relationship between these three. This was a quick, easy read yet it left me with unanswered questions. For me, Remind Me Again What Happened was ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. Thank you @algonquinbooks for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review.
May 22, 2018
I really enjoyed the complexity of each character, which is so clearly seen from each alternative view. I was engrossed from start to finish trying to figure out what made them tick and how they became so dysfunctional and uncommunicative. Beautiful writing style. Definitely recommend!
July 25, 2018
GNa I found the concept of this novel deeply touching and complex. I think it would be difficult to be put in the position in which Claire finds herself, but the rolls of Rachael and Charlie are equally conflicted and convoluted. To find yourself on either side of this sort of diagnosis would be extremely hard to handle. I found this to be a very interesting idea to explore in the pages of this novel. I hope I never have to experience this sort of tragedy from either side of the problem however.
Though only lightly touched on as background, the information on and photos of Pondicherry, the possibilities of Auroville, the snippets of information about this area of India were interesting and presented a side to modern India that I personally had not considered, before. Thank you. This is a novel hard to put down. It is one I am happy to recommend to family and friends.
I received a free electronic copy of this intriguing novel from Netgalley, Joanna Luloff, and Algonquin Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.
June 26, 2018
Algonquin Books
Not able to post at B&N
Though only lightly touched on as background, the information on and photos of Pondicherry, the possibilities of Auroville, the snippets of information about this area of India were interesting and presented a side to modern India that I personally had not considered, before. Thank you. This is a novel hard to put down. It is one I am happy to recommend to family and friends.
I received a free electronic copy of this intriguing novel from Netgalley, Joanna Luloff, and Algonquin Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.
June 26, 2018
Algonquin Books
Not able to post at B&N
November 22, 2025
kind of inconclusive
May 2, 2018
Intriguing! I could relate to someone's life changing in an instant. I enjoyed the relationships between the characters as friends come to help when Claire loses her memory. I became fully engaged realizing Claire sensed she was not getting the true facts as their stories were not matching the reality as she saw it. I was right beside her as she looked at computer files, paper files, notes and pictures looking for clues. Compelling and a good read.
October 1, 2020
A character driven novel that takes place around Boston and in Britain. About the interactions among three people and how one friend's illness and memory issues play a part in their lives. Each chapter is one of the characters viewpoints. the ending just did that, ended the story no real resolution. ~
March 10, 2018
Rather slow-moving and end seems unresolved. Characters underdeveloped. Interedting concept.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 2, 2018
I won this book from Goodreads Giveaways. Thank you. Interesting story... revolting characters.
July 20, 2020
Three stars is probably generous for this book.
The book is almost all the internal monologues of Claire, Charlie, and Rachel. Claire has lost most of her memory from 17-34. Charlie is her husband. Rachel is their mutual friend/Charlie's ex-girlfriend. I did not like any of the characters. Charlie was an ass. Rachel was pathetic. Claire was selfish.
Nothing really happens in the story. Claire loses her memory and Rachel helps Chaarlie care for her. We're "treated" to memories of when they all lived together in grad school after Rachel's parents died. Turns out that love triangles are complicated and that despite years passing feelings are still hurt.
Both the women seem obsessed over Charlie, yet he's an absolute tool. Not that either of the women seems like a real catch. The odd love triangle makes no sense except that no one else would ever want to be with the characters. Sometimes the characters didn't seem consistent. Rachel lives alone and seems to be doing well. Her fawning over Charlie and desire to be part of this "family" they created doesn't match the independence she seems to have.
What little story there is, is predictable and boring.
The book is almost all the internal monologues of Claire, Charlie, and Rachel. Claire has lost most of her memory from 17-34. Charlie is her husband. Rachel is their mutual friend/Charlie's ex-girlfriend. I did not like any of the characters. Charlie was an ass. Rachel was pathetic. Claire was selfish.
Nothing really happens in the story. Claire loses her memory and Rachel helps Chaarlie care for her. We're "treated" to memories of when they all lived together in grad school after Rachel's parents died. Turns out that love triangles are complicated and that despite years passing feelings are still hurt.
Both the women seem obsessed over Charlie, yet he's an absolute tool. Not that either of the women seems like a real catch. The odd love triangle makes no sense except that no one else would ever want to be with the characters. Sometimes the characters didn't seem consistent. Rachel lives alone and seems to be doing well. Her fawning over Charlie and desire to be part of this "family" they created doesn't match the independence she seems to have.
What little story there is, is predictable and boring.
June 6, 2018
Thanks Netgalley for the preview. The book starts out very exciting with the main character fighting for her life and her husband by her side. There was much in the beginning that made me think it was going to turn into a great mystery. I kept waiting and reading and reading and waiting. Finally I gave up thinking I knew what type of book it was and I had to press reset and see where it would go. Told from 3 perspectives. I finally started appreciating the boo for what it was. A very honest look at friendships, regrets, growth or lack of in relationships and the need to be true to ourselves. I ended up really liking the book and I'm glad I stuck with it.
July 29, 2018
This was a really interesting read. Claire is so real and I admire her for all her hard work and grit. She awakes in a hospital with no memories and with the help of her husband Charlie and best friend Rachel she tries so hard to regain what she's lost. All three narrate the story and of course there are secrets and things that cause Claire to question her life. This is a truly well written tale of a woman who needs help navigating her life and what she discovers and forgets. This is Ms. Luloff's first book and it's a good one. Hope to see something else from her soon. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
June 21, 2022
I have started and stopped this book so many times and at this point: I give up. I found this book hardcover inside of Dollar Tree and decided to give it a chance for $1. I couldn’t get past the first chapter it was so boring. Then I decided to give the audio book a fair chance and borrowed it from my library. Still boring…and now it’s worse because there are voices with the content. Ugh. Don’t waste your time. Thumbs down!
March 18, 2025
i just really did not like the characters in this book or the story really. i dunno
June 26, 2018
Claire, a globetrotting freelance journalist, contracts encephalitis which has her experiencing seizures and memory loss. In fact she has lost most of her memories from after the age of 17 so the second half of her life is a black hole. Charlie, her husband, asks for the help of Rachel, the friend with whom he and Claire lived while in graduate school. Charlie and Rachel look after Claire who becomes increasingly frustrated with the limitations placed on her by her condition. Claire relies on them to help her regain her memories, but it becomes obvious to her that there are secrets and resentments that they are not sharing with her.
The book is narrated alternately from the perspective of each of the three characters. Each reminisces about the past and how they arrived where they are in their relationships. As a result, the reader comes to learn the secrets and to understand why both Charlie and Rachel feel anger towards Claire.
One of the issues with the book is its glacial pace. I kept hoping for something to happen but it never does. Instead, there is needless repetition: there are 4 discussions of ice cream flavours and 3 references to lemon curd! And there is background information that seems irrelevant; for instance, the family histories of all three characters are given but these detailed backstories serve little purpose. The reader expects some great reveal at the end since the author uses a number of suspense techniques. For example, both Charlie and Rachel speak of a need for revenge. Yet nothing happens. Then the ending, when it finally arrives, is too far-fetched to be credible considering Claire’s condition.
Another problem with the book is that none of the characters is really likeable so after a while I didn’t care what happened. Claire is described as “the one who took charge and made decisions and rescued everybody else.” Charlie remembers “her willfulness, her confidence, her courage and sharpness” and Rachel sees her as “shimmering, fearless, proud, defiant.” One can sympathize with Claire because she feels “like a stranger in her own skin”: “Where am I, Claire, the actual person, in any of this?” But it is revealed that she has forgotten “the slights and the deceit and the silences” of which she is guilty, all of which negatively impacted the relationships. To me, she comes across as selfish and self-centred. Yet Charlie and Rachel put their lives on hold to look after Claire despite what she did to them? Charlie and Rachel are both cowards, as they both acknowledge; as a consequence, it is difficult to admire them.
This book was not for me. Its description is deceiving: “But still she senses a mystery at the center of all these fragments of her past, a feeling that something is not complete. Is Charlie still her husband? Is Rachel still her friend?” These are not questions that Claire ever considers. I found the book a very slow read with its lack of plot and its microscopic focus on three characters, none of which is likeable or memorable.
Note: I received a digital galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
The book is narrated alternately from the perspective of each of the three characters. Each reminisces about the past and how they arrived where they are in their relationships. As a result, the reader comes to learn the secrets and to understand why both Charlie and Rachel feel anger towards Claire.
One of the issues with the book is its glacial pace. I kept hoping for something to happen but it never does. Instead, there is needless repetition: there are 4 discussions of ice cream flavours and 3 references to lemon curd! And there is background information that seems irrelevant; for instance, the family histories of all three characters are given but these detailed backstories serve little purpose. The reader expects some great reveal at the end since the author uses a number of suspense techniques. For example, both Charlie and Rachel speak of a need for revenge. Yet nothing happens. Then the ending, when it finally arrives, is too far-fetched to be credible considering Claire’s condition.
Another problem with the book is that none of the characters is really likeable so after a while I didn’t care what happened. Claire is described as “the one who took charge and made decisions and rescued everybody else.” Charlie remembers “her willfulness, her confidence, her courage and sharpness” and Rachel sees her as “shimmering, fearless, proud, defiant.” One can sympathize with Claire because she feels “like a stranger in her own skin”: “Where am I, Claire, the actual person, in any of this?” But it is revealed that she has forgotten “the slights and the deceit and the silences” of which she is guilty, all of which negatively impacted the relationships. To me, she comes across as selfish and self-centred. Yet Charlie and Rachel put their lives on hold to look after Claire despite what she did to them? Charlie and Rachel are both cowards, as they both acknowledge; as a consequence, it is difficult to admire them.
This book was not for me. Its description is deceiving: “But still she senses a mystery at the center of all these fragments of her past, a feeling that something is not complete. Is Charlie still her husband? Is Rachel still her friend?” These are not questions that Claire ever considers. I found the book a very slow read with its lack of plot and its microscopic focus on three characters, none of which is likeable or memorable.
Note: I received a digital galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
June 25, 2018
I dislike it when I don't like a book - but I did not like this book.
Claire, Charlie and Rachel are friends from grad school; best of friends who lived together and have seen one another through difficult situations. Claire, a journalist, ends up in the hospital and with no memory of the past 15 years - the years shared with Charlie and Rachel.
This book starts with Claire back home with Charlie (they are married), trying to remember their past. Rachel has come to help out - and through their alternating narrations we get a sense of the past; lost loves, betrayed friendships, anger, hurt, etc.
This premise could have worked really well - except that it doesn't.
The thing is, with books that are about the relationships and not so much about a larger story-line (eg. historical fiction that's as much about the person as is it about the events that are occurring); you have to like at least one of the characters to feel drawn into the drama. I did not like any of them.
Claire - because she doesn't really remember anything, it's hard to get drawn into her narration. She basically just feels irritation at not knowing what is happening and being surrounded by people who won't fill in the blanks. FRUSTRATING.
Charlie - is angry at Claire. Obviously from what we can piece together, their marriage was on the rocks, however it's only ever just briefly touched upon. He never confronts her. We never delve into more than a superficial history of their relationship. Also FRUSTRATING.
Rachel - the friend who brought Claire and Charlie together. She starts off promising - she is angry at her friends for past wrongs - but then it doesn't go anywhere. FRUSTRATING!!!!
This is a book that starts and stops and never really goes into any depth regarding these friends. Their past stories are glossed over - it's almost as though since Claire isn't supposed to be stressed with too much information, the reader isn't given much either.
For such a short read (288 pages) this took me far too long to read. I could go days without picking up my book.
I'm sorry this is such a negative review. Like I said, I just didn't like this book. There was a depth missing to the story that just let the entire thing down.
Thank you Netgalley and Algoniquin Books for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.
Claire, Charlie and Rachel are friends from grad school; best of friends who lived together and have seen one another through difficult situations. Claire, a journalist, ends up in the hospital and with no memory of the past 15 years - the years shared with Charlie and Rachel.
This book starts with Claire back home with Charlie (they are married), trying to remember their past. Rachel has come to help out - and through their alternating narrations we get a sense of the past; lost loves, betrayed friendships, anger, hurt, etc.
This premise could have worked really well - except that it doesn't.
The thing is, with books that are about the relationships and not so much about a larger story-line (eg. historical fiction that's as much about the person as is it about the events that are occurring); you have to like at least one of the characters to feel drawn into the drama. I did not like any of them.
Claire - because she doesn't really remember anything, it's hard to get drawn into her narration. She basically just feels irritation at not knowing what is happening and being surrounded by people who won't fill in the blanks. FRUSTRATING.
Charlie - is angry at Claire. Obviously from what we can piece together, their marriage was on the rocks, however it's only ever just briefly touched upon. He never confronts her. We never delve into more than a superficial history of their relationship. Also FRUSTRATING.
Rachel - the friend who brought Claire and Charlie together. She starts off promising - she is angry at her friends for past wrongs - but then it doesn't go anywhere. FRUSTRATING!!!!
This is a book that starts and stops and never really goes into any depth regarding these friends. Their past stories are glossed over - it's almost as though since Claire isn't supposed to be stressed with too much information, the reader isn't given much either.
For such a short read (288 pages) this took me far too long to read. I could go days without picking up my book.
I'm sorry this is such a negative review. Like I said, I just didn't like this book. There was a depth missing to the story that just let the entire thing down.
Thank you Netgalley and Algoniquin Books for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.
July 7, 2018
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review, "Remind Me Again What Happened"
by Joanna Luloff. Overall, The story takes place when Claire wakes up in the hospital, not remembering how she got there. Her husband Charlie and her best friend soon join her at her bedside. Claire suffers from memory loss and Charlie and Rachel try to help her piece her life back together. I really enjoyed this work of fiction. I found the characters to be likable and the story to be intriguing. In the end, it felt like there were some loose ends that did not get tied up. I would have liked to have seen those loose ends tied up.
by Joanna Luloff. Overall, The story takes place when Claire wakes up in the hospital, not remembering how she got there. Her husband Charlie and her best friend soon join her at her bedside. Claire suffers from memory loss and Charlie and Rachel try to help her piece her life back together. I really enjoyed this work of fiction. I found the characters to be likable and the story to be intriguing. In the end, it felt like there were some loose ends that did not get tied up. I would have liked to have seen those loose ends tied up.
February 12, 2020
I truly can't believe I finally finished this book -- the only reason being that it's this month's choice for my book group. I disliked/hated all 3 of the characters in varying degrees. At times it was Claire I disliked, at times Rachel, almost always Charlie. Claire was a terrible patient and Rachel and Charlie were questionable as caretakers. Of course they all had their secrets and issues, etc. After a few chapters, I was sick of all of them. And how unbelievable is it that Claire took herself off to India -- alone -- and managed to survive there?? And boring boring boring conversations -- and they never ended. I do understand that brain injuries/insults are horrible, but -- this book was not far from that.
did-not-finish
January 1, 2024DNF. Finally getting rid of it.
June 27, 2018
Remind Me Again What Happened by Joanna Luloff is a recommended debut novel about friendship and memories.
Would you choose the same lover and friend if you lost all of your past shared memories with them?
Claire is a journalist who has awakened in a hospital room in Florida. She has no memory of who she is and how she got there. Apparently she was bitten by a mosquito and contracted Japanese encephalitis while on an assignment overseas in India. She was lucky enough to survive, but part of the unlucky group of survivors who have lasting damage to their nervous systems. She suffers from seizures and a complete loss of memory. Her husband, Charlie, and best friend, Rachel, have flown in and brought photos, letters, and memories to help her.
Once she is able to leave the hospital, she moves back to the house in Vermont with Charlie. Here Rachel and Charlie go through boxes of her things trying to help her remember who she is and her relationship to both of them. Claire, Charlie, and Rachel all shared a house years ago when they were in grad school. They have a long documented relationship with each other. So why does Claire have an uneasy feeling that the whole story isn't being told and that there are secret resentments being unsaid? A picture emerges that she is an independent and fearless woman, who travels overseas and does whatever it takes to get her story written.
The novel unfolds through the alternating points-of-view and stories of the three main characters. With Claire's memory gone, do the three have any reason to continue a relationship with each other? Claire was distancing herself from Charlie before her illness. Rachel ruminates that it was Claire who led the continuing friendship between the three. While most long-term relationships require much forgiveness and forgetting of flaws, the myriad of details about each character's life make it clear that Charlie and Rachel haven't forgotten or forgiven past grievances and they are full of resentment. They aren't confronting Claire, but she senses it. Will Charlie and Rachel be able to help them all find a way to continue their relationship without any input from Claire?
Basically the novel is well-written and the characters are all developed as individuals. For a rather short novel, however, it felt a bit longer because it is bogged down by all the backstory of the relationship between the three and you really begin to wonder why they remained friends. You may also find yourself secretly encouraging Charlie and Rachel to be honest and tell Claire the truth and help her truly remember her life.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Algonquin Books.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2018/0...
Would you choose the same lover and friend if you lost all of your past shared memories with them?
Claire is a journalist who has awakened in a hospital room in Florida. She has no memory of who she is and how she got there. Apparently she was bitten by a mosquito and contracted Japanese encephalitis while on an assignment overseas in India. She was lucky enough to survive, but part of the unlucky group of survivors who have lasting damage to their nervous systems. She suffers from seizures and a complete loss of memory. Her husband, Charlie, and best friend, Rachel, have flown in and brought photos, letters, and memories to help her.
Once she is able to leave the hospital, she moves back to the house in Vermont with Charlie. Here Rachel and Charlie go through boxes of her things trying to help her remember who she is and her relationship to both of them. Claire, Charlie, and Rachel all shared a house years ago when they were in grad school. They have a long documented relationship with each other. So why does Claire have an uneasy feeling that the whole story isn't being told and that there are secret resentments being unsaid? A picture emerges that she is an independent and fearless woman, who travels overseas and does whatever it takes to get her story written.
The novel unfolds through the alternating points-of-view and stories of the three main characters. With Claire's memory gone, do the three have any reason to continue a relationship with each other? Claire was distancing herself from Charlie before her illness. Rachel ruminates that it was Claire who led the continuing friendship between the three. While most long-term relationships require much forgiveness and forgetting of flaws, the myriad of details about each character's life make it clear that Charlie and Rachel haven't forgotten or forgiven past grievances and they are full of resentment. They aren't confronting Claire, but she senses it. Will Charlie and Rachel be able to help them all find a way to continue their relationship without any input from Claire?
Basically the novel is well-written and the characters are all developed as individuals. For a rather short novel, however, it felt a bit longer because it is bogged down by all the backstory of the relationship between the three and you really begin to wonder why they remained friends. You may also find yourself secretly encouraging Charlie and Rachel to be honest and tell Claire the truth and help her truly remember her life.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Algonquin Books.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2018/0...
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