. Athena's Books: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac...What We Forget
Friday, May 22, 2009

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac...What We Forget


I love YA fiction, but I didn't expect to like it as much as I do. But, it turned out to be one the most memorable novels I have read. With Memoris of a Teenage Amnesiac,Gabrielle Zevin reveals a narrative better suited for the older teen and young adult--not the middle school crowd. As we all know, it's hard enough to figure out who you are during high school without becoming an amnesiac. And, for the main character, Naomi, losing her memory means losing the person she had become during her teen years. Not being able to remember anything about her personal life in a way imprisons Naomi to be someone she does not know, but who others expect. She leaves what she's supposed to know about herself. At the end, we nearly have a bittersweet ending, but her best friend comes to her rescue. My favorite part is when her father says that we forget everything and that just about when we forget everything, we fall in love again. That particular passage was so beautiful, poignant, and true that I even cried. Not just for Naomi and for what she once was, what she gained, what she lost, and what she would become, but also for the truth that this is what life is for all people. You look back and you don’t really remember anything except what is now, even though back then you thought your present would be your now later. Hope I made sense with that last sentence. Just read it--it’s an awesome book! Don’t get turned off by the title or worry people will think you’re reading something just for teens because the book is really meaningful and extremely well written.

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