"An emotional story packed full of suspense, Emily heads home to care for her father with dementia, but is shattered when he inadvertently begins to divulge his hidden past."
With an all-consuming plot and characters that feel vibrantly real, this is an engaging and eloquent novel. Emily travels home to New Zealand and finds herself living in her father’s past as well as the present as his health deteriorates. As Felix reveals details of a woman who went missing 25 years ago, Emily begins to fear for his future. There are two distinct sides to this story, both hitting with equal intensity as they begin to intertwine. The journey Alzheimers can take spears feelings, while the story of the missing women sits waiting, biding its time. The sense of place is vividly realised, and hovers, ever present. I love Charity Norman’s writing, I find myself exploring everyday situations with new awareness as she opens the unknown and gives it voice. This tale almost sits entirely within the circle of Leah and her father Felix and I felt as though I was watching them in person, experiencing their emotions alongside them. There was a feeling of inevitability as I observed them, I could feel their pain at the cruelty inflicted. There were times when the story was so quiet it actually felt as though it was yelling. And yet there is joy to be found, and hope too, as well as a reminder that the obvious isn’t always so. Remember Me is a touching, thoughtful novel even as it dances through memories with devastating results.
| Primary Genre | Thriller and Suspense |
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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.
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.... Read Full Review
The best crime novel I have read in the last year, absolutely gripping
'Remember Me" is an intriguing and unusual suspense novel, refreshingly original and with a strong plot which is not easily guessed. It takes place in New Zealand and is told through the eyes of Emily, who mostly grew up there and has now returned from England to care for her father who has the beginnings of dementia. Originally she has planned to stay for a short time but that changes when she remembers a neighbour, Leah, who disappeared many years previously and whose body was never found. Emily is drawn into investigating what might have happened. The characters and setting are extremely well drawn. They leap out of the page with lots of detail and realism. It all feels true! Although the book races along everything is always clear, how the characters interact, what might have happened, and finally, what did happen.... Read Full Review
Best book I’ve read in ages!
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I really loved it! Having spent an extended holiday in New Zealand some years ago, any book set in that wonderful country always attracts my interest, and I was gripped by this story from Page 1. The author really brought the characters to life and the setting was so well drawn, I could almost be there. The story was basically sad, but utterly compelling, so that I didn’t want it to end, but couldn’t stop reading it. This is a book which will stay long in my mind - thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read it. I would unhesitatingly recommend it to anyone.... Read Full Review
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