Review: All is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker

All is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker
Published by St. Martin's Press on July 12, 2016
Genres: Suspense, Thriller
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher

Young Jenny Kramer is attacked in the woods outside a party Fairview, Connecticut.  The attack is brutal, lasting over an hour.  Rather than allowing her to deal with the trauma of the attack, her parents agree to treat her with a controversial drug that will erase her memories of the attack. Though her body heals, she's overwhelmed with emotions that permit her from healing completely.  Her father, Tom, becomes obsessed with tracking down the attacker, feeling guilty for not being able to protect his daughter. Her mother, Charlotte, attempts to maintain a facade in which their life is perfect, untarnished, despite devastating secrets she keeps from her family.

Narrated by Dr. Alan Forrester, the psychiatrist hired to treat Jenny after the attack, the reader is granted a unique perspective to a truly horrific crime, one that devastates a small, perfect town.  The resulting investigation uncovers a wealth of damaging secrets and lies, proving that everything is never as perfect as it seems.

This is quite an intense read! From the early pages as the reader uncovers and experiences the tragic attack of a young girl, following breadcrumbs of revelations about the activities of the residents of this small town, there is barely a moment of reprieve.  That it is narrated by a psychologist directly involved in this investigation adds a unique spin on the storyline, given that his identity isn’t revealed immediately.  Instead, we follow as he describes the reaction of the family, the town, the victim in this terrifying incident.

There are bits that are quite brutal in the description, but done so with intent and meaning, to truly capture this crime.  Additional storylines, including a war veteran suffering from PTSD and a patient Dr. Forrester was unable to cure, add to the complexity of this thriller, especially once they begin to combine and affect one another.

This is one of those reads in which the narrator, and the characters, are wholly unreliable. Each has their own motive, some more intentional in their methods than others. They all act on the premise that they are attempting to protect the ones they love, when in fact they are doing more harm than good.

The film rights have already been purchased by Resse Witherspoon’s production company. This doesn’t surprise me in the least. This was an incredibly compelling, transfixing, and difficult read at times, but one that will transform to film dramatically. Undoubtedly one of the top thrillers of the summer!  Highly, highly recommended.