AT THE LIBRARY
“The Forgetting” by Sharon Cameron (Scholastic, 416 pages)
At first blush, “The Forgetting” appears to be the standard tale of an agrarian society with a secretive council who hold close their conspiracies. But there is more than one twist in “The Forgetting” that make this a unique take on how humans build and maintain communities and how ideals and memories can falter over time.
The actual Forgetting is about to occur in 18-year-old Nadia’s community. Everyone will lose their memory and will start life afresh. The only thing to help them move forward are the diaries each person keeps that reminds them of who they are, who they love, and what they do — if it’s not written, it is forgotten. These books are the key to each person’s identity and, once filled, are kept under lock and key in the library. Those who lose their books during the Forgetting become part of the Lost and are exiled from the community. Yet, Nadia isn’t sure the Forgetting and the promise of a fresh start is all it’s claimed to be — after all, she still remembers everything from before the last Forgetting.
Nadia disobeys the rules and goes outside the community’s walls. What she finds there is bigger than she can fathom. With the Forgetting only a few days away, she questions whether it’s time to reveal her secret — that she remembers, and there may be a way for everyone to — or let life continue as is. With the council keeping an oddly close eye on her mother and her heart aching for the father who left at the previous Forgetting, Nadia’s decisions will affect everyone in her life.