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The Forgetting Time

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The Forgetting Time

By: Sharon Guskin
Narrated by: David Pittu, Susan Bennett
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About this listen

When I wasn't reading Sharon Guskin's The Forgetting Time, I was itching to return to it' Jodi Picoult

Noah is four and wants to go home. The only trouble is he's already there.

Janie's son is her world, and it breaks her heart that he has nightmares.
That he's terrified of water.
That he sometimes pushes her away and screams that he wants his real mother.
That it's getting worse and worse and no one seems to be able to help.

In desperation, she turns to someone who might have an answer - but it may not be one she's ready to hear.
It may also mean losing the one thing she loves more than anything.
Noah.


A novel that spans life, death and everything in between, The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin, and read by Susan Bennett and David Pittu, tells an unforgettable story - about Noah, about love, and, above all, about the things we hold onto when we have nothing else

 Family Life Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Heartfelt

Critic reviews

If you took to The Lovely Bones, you'll be completely engrossed by The Forgetting Time
When I wasn't reading The Forgetting Time, I was itching to return to it. And when I was reading it, my mind was exploding with questions about what's possible, what's probable, and how our lives are caught between the two. Provocative, evocative, and fresh, Guskin's book is an explosive debut (Jodi Picoult)
Irresistible . . . Part mystery and part meditation on a mother's love for her child, this clever, heartfelt book kept me turning pages long into the night
For fans of The Lovely Bones, this psychological mystery will have you hooked until the case is closed
A beautiful tale of the bond between a mother and her young son as well as a gripping mystery . . . Reading The Forgetting Time becomes a personal journey as you try to remember all that you've forgotten (Diane Chamberlain)
Original, gripping and moving -- you'll be hooked from the start
Sharon Guskin's debut is the literary equivalent of the sensation you get when, after stargazing from some hillside on a clear night, you're suddenly hit with the terrifying and exhilarating scope of the unknowable. A truly remarkable, dizzying and exquisite page-turner (Téa Obreht)
Amazing . . . An epic story about relationships
What if what you did mattered more because life happened again and again, consequences unfolding across decades and continents? . . . The Forgetting Time is about memory and forgetting, grieving and letting go, and the lengths a mother will go to for her child (Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan Train)
Gripping, deft and moving
A magical, wise, page-turner of a novel that brings to mind the early work of Alice Hoffman. I absolutely loved it. A very moving, soulful, and beautifully-made debut (Dani Shapiro, bestselling author of Devotion)
The kind of book that will make you do a big ugly cry
A bold, captivating debut . . . Guskin amps up the suspense while raising provovative questions about the maternal bond and its limits . . . You'll be mesmerized
Provocative and suspenseful
A spellbinding ride. Guskin's beautifully rendered and wonderfully told novel explores the mysteries of how we connect to one another in the deepest of ways. An amazing book (Mary Morris, author of The Jazz Palace)
A cracking read
Readers will be galvanized by Guskin's sharply realized and sympathetic characters with all their complications, contradictions, failures, sorrows, and hope. Deftly braiding together suspense, family drama, and keen insights into the workings of the brain, Guskin poses key and unsettling questions about love and memory, life and death, belief and fact
Captivating
A near perfect book club read. It has the essential ingredient: a controversial theme guaranteed to provoke discussion among readers (a trait it shares with Jodi Picoult's bestsellers)
A compelling, dynamic, and intriguing debut novel
All stars
Most relevant

Would you consider the audio edition of The Forgetting Time to be better than the print version?

I wouldn't know - I have never had the print version. The audiobook does the job as you're doing other things.

What other book might you compare The Forgetting Time to, and why?

I have never read a theme like this before to compare it with, however it was refreshing and different

Which character – as performed by Susan Bennett and David Pittu – was your favourite?

Jerry - David Pittu was the better of the two narrators. Whilst good, Susan sometimes sounded a little simpering. However Davids voice and tone was strong and firm and I felt was able to portray Jerry's thoughts and feelings well - an intellectual man resigned to his fate with little fear and only a need to get to the end of this case. I could feel this though Davids reading

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I did feel like I should have been moved a little more by the whole thing, but for a first novel I thought the author still did quite well to stir emotions

Any additional comments?

There was a review or two further down that put me off by saying, 'the storyline was obvious and I guessed the ending by the middle'.. If I'm honest I don't really understand what else can be wanted from this book as I think it's clear from the beginning where the story has to go with this kind of theme, but it doesn't really take away from the story and I still enjoyed it for what it was.
I gave 4 stars instead of 5 because I wasn't keen on the woman narrator and I felt there was more to Janey that wasn't portrayed through her reading, and I did expect to feel more emotion by the end which I feel could have been achieved if written a little differently.

Don't be put off by negative reviews

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the story was good and interesting, but the really annoying american accent was very distracting.

OK but annoying narration

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Good development of the story.
You feel like you’re going on a journey with each of the characters.
Loved the peppering of exerts from books on actual research on the theme.

Thought provoking, moving story

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Where does The Forgetting Time rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best

What did you like best about this story?

The mixture of original narrative mixed with what seemed like non fictional accounts of the subject, well researched and well written

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me think about the story long after I had finished it

Any additional comments?

I have seen comments with people being put off in the first chapter - don't be fooled! The first chapter is nothing like the rest. I had no idea what I was in for until the core of the story became apparent a few chapters in. This is an unexpected and very original work, definitely worth keeping with if you're skeptical at first.

Unexpected & Inspiring

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l like everything about this book I had to keep going couldn't put the book down

noah

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