Forget Me Not

A Novel

By: Alexandra Oliva

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

She was born for all the wrong reasons. But her search for the truth reveals answers she wishes she could bury in Forget Me Not, a suspenseful and deeply moving near-future thriller from the author of The Last One.

"A page-turning mystery...highly original, sharply insightful, and thoroughly riveting." (Kimberly McCreight, New York Times best-selling author of A Good Marriage)

What if your past wasn’t what you thought?

As a child, Linda Russell was left to raise herself in a 20-acre walled-off property in rural Washington. The woods were her home, and for 12 years she lived oblivious to a stark and terrible truth: Her mother had birthed her only to replace another daughter who died in a tragic accident years before.

Then one day Linda witnesses something she wasn’t meant to see. Terrified and alone, she climbs the wall and abandons her home, but her escape becomes a different kind of trap when she is thrust into the modern world - a world for which she is not only entirely unprepared, but which is unprepared to accept her.

And you couldn’t see a future for yourself?

Years later, Linda is living in bustling Seattle, but she has never felt more alone. With social media more ubiquitous than ever before, she is hounded by the society she is now forced to inhabit. When Linda meets a fascinating new neighbor who might just be a potential friend, and who shows her the possibility of a new escape through virtual reality, she begins to allow herself to hope for more by being sucked into a world that feels safe, but isn’t real.

What would it take to reclaim your life?

Then an unexplained fire at her infamous childhood home jolts Linda back to reality. She must return to the property for the first time since she was a girl, unleashing a chain of events that will not only endanger her life but challenge her understanding of family, memory, and the world itself.

©2021 Alexandra Oliva (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Alexandra Oliva pulls off a stunning feat in Forget Me Not, effortlessly toeing the line between humanity and technology, virtual reality and the physical world. Her novel overflows with heartbreak, loneliness, terror, and compassion but never once sacrifices the propulsion of story. She presents the reader with a difficult choice - linger over the finely crafted prose or tear straight through to the stunning conclusion. Either way, you can't go wrong.” (Ivy Pochoda, author of These Women)

“Captivating characters carry this absorbing cautionary tale.... [A] riveting, moving masterpiece of both character and plot.” (Shelf Awareness)

“Harrowing ... Oliva is a writer to watch.” (Publishers Weekly)

Another hit story

This is the second book I’ve listened to of hers and I will be waiting for her third. The author is very good at making you care about her characters, which to me is the most important thing. Quick pace, engaging story, interesting characters, intriguing plot. What more are you looking for?

Just get it and buckle up for a wild ride

Nothing like reading a well written book to remind yourself of how a great book feels. The story, the prose, the characters this is so well written and enjoyable. It will keep you up at night wondering how and why just like Linda. Set in a realistic future Alexandra ties multiple time lines together with ease. I don't want to give anything away but I defiantly have a book hang over.