Ten years ago, Claire Hines lost her unborn child-and her short-term memory-following a heartrending tragedy. With notebooks, calendars, to-do lists, fractured pieces of the past, and her father's support, Claire makes it through each day, hour by hour, with relative confidence. She also has a close-knit community of friends in the remote Alaskan town where she teaches guitar to the local children. It's there, in the reminders.
As determined as Claire is to regain all that's disappeared, she'd prefer to live without some memories of her before life-especially those of her mother, Alice, who abandoned her, and Tate, the ex-boyfriend who broke her heart.
But when Alice and Tate return from the past, there'll be so much more for Claire to relive. And to discover for the very first time. Through healing, forgiveness, and second chances, Claire may realize that what's most important might not be re-creating the person she was, but embracing the possibilities of being the person she is.
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(Lake Union Publishing, 1 December 2020, 279 pages, ebook, bought from @AmazonKindle, #AmazonFirstReads)
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I've looked forward to another book by this author since I read The Secrets of Lost Stones, so I knew this had to be my Amazon First Reads choice this month. The premise really intrigued me as I've read and enjoyed books about memory loss and amnesia in the past. I was looking forward to seeing how the author dealt with the subject. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book, Claire copies by writing everything down, setting up a detailed schedule for every day and setting up reminders on her phone. It also helps that she lives in a small town where everyone rallies round her to be her memory, help her and nobody is bothered by how many times they need to introduce themselves. I fell in love with the town and the people who cared so much. This is a real tear-jerker. A great read.
