It’s hard to imagine an amnesia romance story that hasn’t been done before. “What would you do if you forgot the love of your life existed?” is a question that’s been asked time and again in literature. Yet, in her solo debut novel Forget Me Not, Alyson Derrick deftly takes a new approach, asking a compelling and original follow-up question: What would you do if you couldn’t tell anybody about the love of your life in the first place?
Stevie and Nora have been secretly dating for two years. Forced to remain in the closet due to the intolerant small town they live in, there’s only one thing that’s been getting them through their last year of high school: California. After graduation, they have a plan to move to Los Angeles, where they can go to college, live together, and not have to hide anymore.
These plans are foiled when Stevie has a terrible accident and hits her head. After waking up from a brief coma, she’s lost her memories from the last two years. She doesn’t remember getting into college, discovering her sexuality, or even her girlfriend Nora.
What comes next is both honest and bittersweet. As Stevie grapples with the difficult parts of her memory loss, she also gets to know Nora all over again. The novel explores the beauty of a situation like this—falling in love with your significant other for a second time—while also letting the reader feel all the pain it entails. Stevie must deal with figuring out who she is in relation to her sexuality, whereas Nora has to deal with having meaningful memories of Stevie that she doesn’t share.
Overall, Forget Me Not is a fresh and welcome spin on amnesia romances. Without her memories, Stevie has to learn to overcome her fear of how coming out will change how other people see her when she’s no longer sure how she sees herself. Yet Alyson Derrick uses rural charm, the hopefulness of young love, and the idealism of growing up to show that though it causes pain, there can also be beauty in forgetting.
Leo Downey, who lives in Thetford, is a senior at Thetford Academy. He writes about music, books, and pop culture.