The Art Of Forgetting

The Art Of Forgetting by Camille Noe Pagan

Summary

A moving and insightful debut novel of great friendship interrupted. Can the relationship survive when the memories are gone?

Marissa Rogers never wanted to be an alpha; beta suited her just fine. Taking charge without taking credit had always paid off: vaulting her to senior editor at a glossy magazine; keeping the peace with her critical, weight-obsessed mother; and enjoying the benefits of being best friends with gorgeous, charismatic, absolutely alpha Julia Ferrar.

And then Julia gets hit by a cab. She survives with minor obvious injuries, but brain damage steals her memory and alters her personality, possibly forever. Suddenly, Marissa is thrown into the role of alpha friend. As Julia struggles to regain her memory- dredging up issues Marissa would rather forget, including the fact that Julia asked her to abandon the love of her life ten years ago- Marissa's own equilibrium is shaken.

With the help of a dozen girls, she reluctantly agrees to coach in an after-school running program. There, Marissa uncovers her inner confidence and finds the courage to reexamine her past and take control of her future.

The Art of Forgetting is a story about the power of friendship, the memories and myths that hold us back, and the delicate balance between forgiving and forgetting.

My Thoughts

How far would you go for your best friend? In The Art Of Forgetting Julia and Marissa are best friends and have been since high school. Julia has always been the one who seems to be in control of the friendship while Marissa is the loyal friend who follows behind. When Julia is involved in an accident, she sustains a brain injury which changes her. Will their friendship be able to survive the trauma that changes the balance of their relationship?

I must admit that I thought this book would be more about Julia and her recovery and the role her injury would play in the friendship between Julia and Marissa. The story was more about Marissa, who seems to have always played second fiddle to Julia. With Julia's injury, Marissa has to be the friend who is alpha. Marissa is not so sure she likes the new role as she has always been the follower.

I admired Marissa in this book for not only stepping up to the plate when she needed to but for also forgiving and knowing when it is time to move on and when to stay. I was not a huge fan of Julia before or after her brain injury. To tell you the truth, she kind of got on my nerves. I thought she was a bit self centered, both before and after the accident.

This is a great book about friends, relationships, family, forgiveness and moving forward. I highly recommend it. It would also make a good book for group discussion.

This is a debut book for Camille Noe Pagan and it does not disappoint. The story is as graceful and beautiful as it's cover!

I read this book for The Just For Fun Challenge. The book was borrowed from my local library.