All Is Not Forgotten

All Is Not Forgotten
By Wendy Walker
2016
St. Martin's Press
ISBN:  978-1250097910

Digital Galley from NetGalley.com
Release Date: July 12, 2016

I got the review copy of this book after reading an excerpt in BuzzBooks. The brief except had intrigued me in part because of the premise (a young rape victim treated with a medication that erases her memory) and partly because of the voice of the narrator, unnamed in the excerpt.

So first, as a future psychiatrist, I feel the need to point out that the option to give someone a medication and prevent consolidation of their memory of a traumatic event doesn't exist. That part is science fiction. However, it is science fiction of the plausible near future variety, and there are medications available now that might reduce the risk of PTSD when administered shortly after a trauma. Other than the medication, the rest of the writing in this book about how memories form and can be manipulated is relatively scientifically sound, which is, frankly, part of what makes the whole thing frightening.  Some of the stuff about psychopaths and personality disorders I personally don't agree with, but it's mostly within the realm of things that reasonable people in the field might believe.

There's not too much that can be said about the plot of this one without giving away spoilers, and I don't want to do that. This book was not, however, what I expected it to be. It is more psychological thriller with a number of morally complicated situations than mystery. The questions that drive the narrative forward are far more complex, and frankly, more interesting, than the identity of the rapist.

Overall, I found this to be an interesting and innovative thriller, if an occasionally uncomfortable read. The narrator, a psychiatrist who is treating more of the characters than would likely be recommended by professional boundries, is a distinctive and complex voice, and a particular strength. I will definitely be recommending this one once it hits shelves this summer. I would be a great beach read.

And if you read it, let me know, because I would love to talk about it with someone who doesn't need me to avoid the spoilers.