The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron

What isn’t written, isn’t remembered. Even your crimes. Nadia lives in the city of Canaan, where life is safe and structured, hemmed in by white stone walls and no memory of what came before. But every twelve years the city descends into the bloody chaos of the Forgetting, a day of no remorse, when each person’s memories — of parents, children, love, life, and self — are lost. Unless they have been written. In Canaan, your book is your truth and your identity, and Nadia knows exactly who hasn’t written the truth. Because she is the only person in Canaan who has never forgotten. But when Nadia begins to use her memories to solve the mysteries of Canaan, she discovers truths about herself and Gray, the handsome glassblower, that will change her world forever. As the anarchy of the Forgetting approaches, Nadia and Gray must stop an unseen enemy that threatens both their city and their own existence — before the people can forget the truth. And before Gray can forget her.

The Forgetting is an utterly absorbing read from start to finish. I found myself lost within the world, reliving the story long after I had finished it. Questioning what I would do in Nadia’s position, in the position of any member of the society. Is it okay to change your memories, what role does memory play in who we are as a person.

The Forgetting is a wonderful blend of genres; fantasy and science fiction, with a slight dystopian feel. I absolutely loved it!

I loved it so much that as soon as I finished it, I was online searching for a sequel. To my delight it had already been released. The Knowing however is more of a companion to The Forgetting and as such can be read as a stand alone novel.

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The Knowing by Sharon Cameron

Samara is one of the Knowing, and the Knowing do not forget. Hidden deep in the comfort and splendour of her underground city, a refuge from the menace of a coming Earth, Samara learns what she should have never known and creates a memory so terrible she cannot live with it. So she flees, to Canaan, the lost city of her ancestors, to Forget.

Beckett has flown through the stars to find a dream: Canaan, the most infamous social experiment of Earths antiquity. Beckett finds Samara in the ruins of the lost city, and uncovers so much more than he ever bargained for: a challenge to all he has ever believed in or sworn to. When planets collide and memories clash, can Samara and Beckett save two worlds, and remember love in a place that has forgotten it?

The Knowing is another remarkable read by Sharon Cameron. It builds on the first novel bringing even more depth to the world of Canaan, further entwining Earth’s history with it’s own.

It is a hard push for me to choose which book I enjoyed the most. I found myself completely lost in these novels, my only regret is it isn’t a trilogy.

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