The girl you forgot (by Giselle Green)

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I have very much enjoyed the books I’ve read by Giselle Green over the past twelve years. So when, once again, she invited me to read a pre-publication copy of her latest novel, ‘The Girl You Forgot’, I leapt at the chance. I received a version which I was able to read on my Kindle, and have just finished it.

It’s always slightly concerning when I’m sent a book for review. What happens if I don’t like it? That wasn’t a problem with this book, however. I was hooked from the first chapter. I don’t like to use cliches, but I can’t think of a better phrase to describe this book than ‘emotional rollercoaster’. Giselle Green has a talent for creating unusual situations and crafting moving stories around them, and this novel is no exception.

The main characters in this book are Ava and Will, a couple in their early thirties. We meet them when they’re having an argument right at the start of the book. This isn’t the kind of normal argument a couple might have; it’s about whether or not Will is going to have an operation to save his life. Without it, he doesn’t have long to live. It’s an operation on his brain which should be fairly straightforward… except that he is going to lose some of his memories.

Ava is desperate that Will should have this operation. However Will, who is a talented and successful musician, is very depressed due to something he has only recently discovered. Ava convinces him to go ahead with the surgery, after promising that she will keep secret the issue that he wishes he had never learned about. She promises to stick by him afterwards, no matter what happens.

So Will has the operation, and loses about seven years of his memory. That includes all knowledge of Ava, but they had recorded some video clips, and he accepts that she was his girlfriend; he also accepts that she is the one who is going to look after him as he starts his rehabilitation.

That’s what happens in the first few pages of the book. It’s a scenario I could not begin to imagine, yet it feels all too real. It’s hard for Will, having to re-learn many things which he has forgotten ; it’s also difficult for Ava, trying to help him without moving too fast or making any assumptions, and with the knowledge of her secret weighing her down. She’s torn because after the operation Will asks her to tell him everything, yet she is determined to keep the promise she made before he went into the hospital.

There are other characters in the book: Ava’s parents are a bit two-dimensional and over-protective, but she has a younger sister called Robyn who’s an interesting person, and very close to Ava. Will’s mother and stepfather also appear, but he isn’t particularly close to them. There are various friends and colleagues, and at times I couldn’t quite remember who was whom, but it didn’t matter too much.

My favourite minor character is Harry, an elderly man with dementia who works at a butterfly garden where Ava volunteers. He can never remember Ava, though she speaks to him almost every day. But he’s a sympathetic listener and quite capable of carrying on a conversation. So she confides in him, more than she does to anyone else. It’s a clever device, meaning we learn more of her thoughts without too much introspection.

The narrative alternates between Will’s point of view and Ava’s, and that works extremely well, showing their different perspectives as he gradually recovers from his operation. Of course things aren’t straightforward. There are misunderstandings and upsets, and some reconciliations, before the predictable but entirely satisfactory climax to the book, and its gentle epilogue.

The writing is excellent, the conversation realistic, and the pace exactly right for my tastes. All in all, I loved this book and would recommend it highly to anyone who likes women’s fiction with an unusual premise and a great deal of depth.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's Book Reviews