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FindingJane
Jul 05, 2016FindingJane rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Who are we when we’ve lost our memory? A profound question. Here’s a more intriguing one: Who are we when everyone we meet loses their memory of us? This is a brilliant premise that is flawlessly executed. Having lost her identity in a world where identity is everything, Hope must change herself constantly and live life on the edge. Because everyone forgets her within minutes of seeing and talking to her, she can’t hold down a job, get insurance (or claim it), receive adequate hospital care or get table service in restaurants. This forces Hope to become something of a spy, mercenary, thief and fence. This book is a mesmerizing story, filled with action, subterfuge, skullduggery, mental manipulation and outright murder. It’s stirringly paced, with not a dull moment in it, even during moments when Hope does nothing but wait…and wait…and wait…for people to forget her so she can move on to the next phase in her many schemes. Hope is diabolically clever, gifted with a razor-edged intelligence, cunning and a memory like a steel trap. She’s one of the most engaging characters I’ve ever read and I found myself envying her ability to calm her emotions, outwit the police, wait patiently like a hunter for its prey, master languages, martial arts, adopt and drop identities, easily acquire materials (such as lockpicks, key cards and ID) and recall obscure bits of information that stand her in good stead whenever she faces down those who would oppose her or capture her. But above the recitations of poetry, anthropology, history, music appreciation and various sciences and the ability to pick a lock in under three minutes is the quest of a lonely girl, one who longs for connection, one who asks the deep and burning question: Who am I if society forgets about me? Tangled with this philosophical question is a plot that might be lifted from contemporary science—or science fiction. A very rich and unscrupulous man is warping scientific research in order to make rich people PERFECT. And what is society’s version of “perfection”? The perfect smile, walk, speech, hair, style, fashion, clothing, car, jewelry, friends that make you one of the elite, the fabulously wealthy and famous. It is an alliance that is shifting into a cult that may very well morph into a global religion, one in which individuality may be wiped out forever. The side that Hope takes and the path she will follow to achieve her ends makes for extraordinary storytelling. This book isn’t merely reading; it’s an experience, filled with weighty subjects and memorable characters. If you would read any book this year that challenges your concepts of morality as well as stimulates your mind, “The Sudden Appearance of Hope” is that book.