Review: If I Forget You by Thomas Christopher Greene

Henry Gold is a divorced poet living in Manhattan. Twenty-one years ago, he was forced to cut ties with the love of his life, Margot Fuller, the daughter of a prominent family.  Needless to say, after all these years, he's startled to see Margot walk into his life again.  This chance reunion rehashes long-buried secrets and a passion that has ceased to wane, despite years of separation.

I adored Greene’s previous novel, The Headmaster’s Wife. When I learned he’d penned another novel I was thrilled beyond belief.  Unfortunately, it didn’t meet my expectations.  The Headmaster’s Wife was full of intensity, a novel I referred to in my review as  “a beautifully written exploration of love, of family, and how the loss of someone so dear to you can send your entire world, your very being, into a downward, out of control, spiral.” In comparison, If I Forget You is cliche, a novel lacking in much character development.

Henry and Margot were forced apart due to a mistake, an accident. Forced to decide between his freedom and jail time, Henry reluctantly agrees to end ties with Margot.  Two decades later, they are reunited and find that the passion that once burned between them is still alive. It has the potential for so much more, but instead I found it lacking. Margot’s stuck in a marriage free of love and passion. Upon reuniting with Henry, she’s ready to throw that all away to rekindle their relationship. And then there’s a secret that once again pushes them apart and…I just grew weary of it all. Henry’s character is rather developed, but I felt Margot’s fell flat. I found their relationship and reunion to feel fabricated and forced.  I didn’t care at all about either character, certain that within days of reading this novel I will have forgotten it entirely.  It lacked the intensity and the draw of Greene’s previous novel.

Upon finishing this book, I contemplated whether or not my feelings would be the same if I didn’t compare it to its predecessor. To do so, to compare to an author’s previous work, is natural. But was I cheating this latest novel? Was I failing to give it the chance it deserved. So, I attempted to judge it on its own merits…and found I was unable to do so. Unfortunately, to me, it still felt forced and fake, lacking in all of the characteristics that compelled me to read and enjoy it.

So, if you haven’t read The Headmaster’s Wife,  I do encourage you to do so. Let that novel be evidence of this author’s talent. We’ll just call this most recent novel a failed attempt to recreate it.