"Nerve-jangling." –The Washington Post
"An exhilarating poolside read" –InStyle
"Plenty of room for plot twists and surprises." –Real Simple
"In affluent Fairview, Conn., a young girl who's been sexually assaulted is given a drug to help her forget–and the fallout isn't what anyone expected. Twisty and spellbinding." –People
"A dark and twisting psychological thriller that had me guessing until the very end." –Reese Witherspoon
"Deeply intriguing and provocative, All Is Not Forgotten explores intricate family relationships against the backdrop of searing suspense. A novel filled with twists, surprises, and a plot that keeps you guessing. All Is Not Forgotten is not to be missed." –Karin Slaughter, author of PRETTY GIRLS
"An assured, powerful, polished novel that blends suspense and rich family drama. Built on a fascinating scientific premise and laced with moral complexity, it is, in a word, unforgettable." —William Landay, author of DEFENDING JACOB
“Captivating and bold, Wendy Walker takes an incisive look at the importance of memory and the power of manipulation. Fascinating and at times shocking, All Is Not Forgotten is one book you won’t easily forget. Not to be missed!” –Mary Kubica, author of THE GOOD GIRL
“With an exceptionally unreliable narrator and unique plot set-up, All Is Not Forgotten is a compelling, thought-provoking mystery that will have you looking at every therapist you know in a brand new light.” –Kimberly McCreight, author of WHERE THEY FOUND HER
"In the brutal, heart-pounding All Is Not Forgotten, memory cannot be trusted; when a girl is given "the treatment" to erase her memories of a vicious attack, a small town crumbles under the weight of its secret peccadilloes, dangerous alliances, and the question of what really happened that dark night. A fascinating and compelling novel." –Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, author of BITTERSWEET
2016-04-13
The traumatic memories of a teenager's rape are medically erased, but lingering thoughts of the attack remain, infecting everyone in her close-knit community. 15-year-old Jenny Kramer thought the party she'd been invited to would be the moment when she'd finally blossom, maybe even get a moment alone with the dashing Doug Hastings. Instead she found herself drunk, in the woods, the victim of a vicious hourlong rape, of which Walker spares the reader no detail in this unnecessarily explicit debut. After she's rushed to the hospital, Jenny's parents—blubbering car salesman Tom and tightly put together homemaker Charlotte —decide to give her an experimental drug cocktail to erase her memories of the attack. If the process were successful, there'd be no book, so enter the skin-crawlingly smug narrator, soon introduced as psychiatrist Dr. Alan Forrester, who begins treating Jenny, along with her whole family, after her nearly successful suicide attempt. It's difficult to empathize with a character—our narrator no less—who looks at a 15-year-old assault victim and wonders to himself "why [he] could not see the rape in her eyes." As the well-to-do enclave of Fairview, Connecticut, tries to regroup in the wake of zero viable suspects, Tom Kramer makes it his mission to find Jenny's rapist, jumping on every slim lead, like the sighting of a blue Honda Civic near the party. The introduction of one of Alan's other patients, a soldier who endured the same treatment as Jenny, merely clutters an already busy story whose resolution is anything but satisfying. A repugnant narrator, even an unreliable one, makes it difficult to focus on the true victim, one who is crushed under the weight of this ridiculous plot.
