Forget Me Not by Alyson Derrick
5/5
Having recently met Alyson Derrick at a Rachel Lippincott event (pictures of me and the couple below!), I was made aware of a book Derrick had written without her wife. That book is called Forget Me Not. It's an amnesia love story for two young adult women in a small town. I had assumed it would be too serious for my liking, but I was hooked from the very start. I'm happy to report that this story is not a tragedy!
Stevie and Nora are going to get out of their bigoted small town, escape to California, and leave their past completely behind. Except, just a few months before, Stevie falls and hits her head. When she wakes up in the hospital, she can't remember the last two years! When she starts trying to fill those gaps, she's shocked to find how many secrets she's been keeping and how much life has changed in just 2 years. Stevie doesn't remember her relationship with Nora or discovering that she isn't straight, but she's drawn to her anyway. Will Stevie get all the answers she's looking for or will she be stuck in that town forever?
I'll admit that the writing style spends more time on imagery details than I'd like, but my mind zoned right past these to what was actually happening in the plot. Otherwise, I loved Derrick's writing. She mentioned at a panel that she fictionalized some of how a coma and amnesia work. I'm glad that she did, as I think the story benefited from that. I also appreciate that the book begins before the accident. The audience gets a cache of information about Stevie and Nora before it's all taken away from Stevie. This is one of the stories where every last thing falls into place by the end, a little reward for the attentive reader. I hope Derrick does a lot more writing in her future because I'll be reading everything she releases.
If you're familiar with Pittsburgh, you are in for a treat somewhere in the second half of Forget Me Not. Nora and Stevie go on a date to Pittsburgh. More specifically, the Squirrel Hill Night Market. Having been there myself and having grown up in Squirrel Hill, I can say that it's delightfully accurate. The layout is perfect, although it could stand to put more of an emphasis on how crowded the event gets. When the stalls are described, I noticed that the origami-mounted animal heads were mentioned, something I very recently noticed at a different Pittsburgh event. Best of all, the violin lady that plays under The Manor theater marquee is featured! She's been a fixture in Squirrel Hill my whole life. I love having Pittsburgh-based authors writing my preferred genre!
Derrick dedicated Forget Me Not to "the queer kids living in a place like Wyatt", Wyatt being the name of the bigoted town this book is set in. Stevie is half-Korean and gay, Nora's mom is abusive, and Stevie's new friend Ryan is also Asian. This book handles a lot of prejudiced attitudes that do not always get changed. With the amount of bigotry in the world still, it's important to be reminded of what it's like for marginalized folks in conservative communities. I may live in the relative safety of Pittsburgh with a family that embraces me for who I am, but there are people like Nora and Stevie who can't risk coming out. I also got a look at the Korean-American and Catholic views on this kind of situation. It's important to look outside of one's own bubble, to listen and learn.
I strongly recommend Alyson Derrick's Forget Me Not to all readers. Her writing style is quite captivating, she makes you believe in "one true love", and she handles hard topics in an approachable way. With a carnival, Pittsburgh, and amazingly described food to fill the pages, you're sure to get a great read out of this. It's a story you won't easily forget.
Comments