Love Never Forgets discussion

Hi, I'm the author of The Things We Keep! I wanted to tell you a little about my inspiration for the book.

Five years ago, I watched a news segment about a woman—a newlywed—who was pregnant with her first child. She had also recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 31 years old.

More recently a friend of mine, who is a nurse at a dementia facility, told me about an elderly man and woman who held hands in the communal living area of the center every day. They came into the facility as strangers. Their memories were less than five minutes long. They were both non-verbal. Yet every day, they sat next to each other. Every day he reached for her hand, and every day she allowed him to take it. And for them, every time was the first time.

As I researched this book, I heard the story of a woman who didn’t remember that she was married, but who began to cry when she saw her wedding dress. The man who didn’t recognize his wife but gravitated toward her whenever she visited, often asking if she’d like to "take a walk sometime"—the very line he used when he asked her out the first time, sixty years earlier. The story of a grandfather who shielded his granddaughter from a dog, though he couldn’t have recalled who she was, let alone her terror of dogs.

Dementia isn’t the only place that memories are found to be flawed—people find out they can’t rely on their memories every day. People blindsided in relationships. People who find out their truth is a lie. People pulled from trauma. People awakened.

I wondered: If you can’t use memories to steer your life, what can you use? I didn’t know. It was why I had to write this book.

I hope you enjoy it.

Sally xox

Your story is a Beautiful one. One I'll never forget and one which will always have a place in my heart. Thank you, Sally Hepworth and #StMartinsPress for this wonderful gift. Although there is sadness to the story, you fed me hope, light, smiles and tears and the thing I'm most in need of, to save my life (very literally), is Love.

The story behind the story, (above and where I first read it on the books page here on Goodreads), made this book all that much more special and I look forward to seeing more posts and discussions about it. Hopefully it'll pick up really soon. I keep checking back.

Best to all and ~*Happy Reading*~

Melissa wrote: "Your story is a Beautiful one. One I'll never forget and one which will always have a place in my heart. Thank you, Sally Hepworth and #StMartinsPress for this wonderful gift. Alth..."

Thank you Melissa. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

An absolute pleasure, Sally. I actually received two copies and was told to give the second copy to a loved one. I have under a handful of loved ones, all of whom don't love me back, (or show it at all if they do), so I'm having a tough time deciding whom to gift the extra copy to. I may mail it to my mom if I get it in the mail.

I'm agoraphobic and I don't have anyone to help me get places, but I promise I'll make it's put into the hands of somebody who will love it as much as I do! Thank you and St. Martins so much! ♡♡♡

Sally, I just saw the book, and honestly, I cannot wait for it. The comments were beautiful, and your inspiration was very heartbreaking. Thank you.

••ari wrote: "Sally, I just saw the book, and honestly, I cannot wait for it. The comments were beautiful, and your inspiration was very heartbreaking. Thank you."

Thank you Ari. Hope you enjoy it!