At a party young teen Jenny Kramer is brutally raped and within hours of the incident her parents give the go ahead for Jenny to be given a controversial drug to make her forget all that happened to her. Her body heals but her mind is still in turmoil since her emotions do not have memories to link to; she is struggling and losing the fight. Enter her psychiatrist. The man who will help her forge new pathways to her lost memories, memories he hopes are still in her brain. He will also help her mother, who does her best to pretend all is well in her world since Jenny’s memory wipe makes it almost seem like it never happened, and her father, who is obsessed with finding the rapist and bringing him to justice.
You know there is a twist right? The narrator is the unnamed psychiatrist. So we learn just about everything about the main characters, including their deepest secrets, and the investigation, since the cops are anxious for any leads Jenny’s memories can provide. While this is a really different way to relate a story, that’s not exactly the twist. At the core of this book are some very basic questions. How far would you go to protect your kids? And how far would you go to protect yourself?
This is yet another case where I thought I knew where things were going, which would have still made a great story, but then the narrative does a spin out and you’re just along for the ride. A great thriller that has put this author on my radar for her next book.
