Ugandan born Charity Norman, raised in England but who now lives in New Zealand, is the author of six novels including bestsellers ‘See You in September’ and more recently ‘The Secrets of Strangers’. “REMEMBER ME” is Charity’s latest offering and is a heart wrenching suspense story set in a close-knit rural New Zealand town, that just oozes atmospheric detail and superb natural descriptions.
- “They never found Leah Parata. Not a boot, not a backpack, not a turquoise beanie. After she left me that day, she vanished off the face of the earth” —
The story features quite prominently, debilitating illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and the traumatic effects mentally and physically, they have on the individual patient and their friends and families. Remember Me is truly poignant and is very much a character driven story that comfortably makes you feel you’re a part of the New Zealand small town community. Sympathetically written, I could understand Felix Kirkland’s concerns and loss of memory function from what I’ve learned about the disease and it’s symptoms. The brain mist that lies low on bad days and clears on good days is exactly what Dementia sufferers experience and the worrying emotions that Felix’s daughter Emily endures, felt distinctly realistic and sadly heartbreaking.
I was engrossed from the opening prologue, as we are introduced to Leah on the last day she is seen alive, gently drawing the reader in as to what happened twenty five years ago. There’s a major family secret that Emily realises is tormenting her father to despair and this slowly reveals itself through the dual timelines of 1994 and 2019.
Expertly researched, executed and a denouement that forced a tear from my eye, Remember Me is perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult. An excellent example of women’s contemporary fiction, this book is an emotive page-turner, full of beautiful landscapes but still manages to ratchet up the tension regarding Leah’s disappearance.
#RememberMe - 5 stars
- “They never found Leah Parata. Not a boot, not a backpack, not a turquoise beanie. After she left me that day, she vanished off the face of the earth” —
The story features quite prominently, debilitating illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and the traumatic effects mentally and physically, they have on the individual patient and their friends and families. Remember Me is truly poignant and is very much a character driven story that comfortably makes you feel you’re a part of the New Zealand small town community. Sympathetically written, I could understand Felix Kirkland’s concerns and loss of memory function from what I’ve learned about the disease and it’s symptoms. The brain mist that lies low on bad days and clears on good days is exactly what Dementia sufferers experience and the worrying emotions that Felix’s daughter Emily endures, felt distinctly realistic and sadly heartbreaking.
I was engrossed from the opening prologue, as we are introduced to Leah on the last day she is seen alive, gently drawing the reader in as to what happened twenty five years ago. There’s a major family secret that Emily realises is tormenting her father to despair and this slowly reveals itself through the dual timelines of 1994 and 2019.
Expertly researched, executed and a denouement that forced a tear from my eye, Remember Me is perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult. An excellent example of women’s contemporary fiction, this book is an emotive page-turner, full of beautiful landscapes but still manages to ratchet up the tension regarding Leah’s disappearance.
#RememberMe - 5 stars