Everything She Forgot

Lisa Ballantyne’s second novel, Everything She Forgot (published in the UK as Redemption Road), is a story of abduction, repressed memory and good intentions gone awry. In this novel the author skillfully weaves together two separate but intimately connected narrative threads. In December 2013 Margaret Holloway, a teacher in her mid-thirties and married mother of two, is involved in a disastrous multi-vehicle pile-up and is pulled from her burning car by a stranger who risks his own life and suffers serious injuries in order to save her. The man ends up in hospital in an induced coma, his life hanging by a thread, and Margaret, compelled by guilt and curiosity, becomes obsessed with learning as much about him as she can, with the goal show more of finding out why he would put himself in life-threatening danger for her sake. In 1985, 27-year-old George McLaughlin, the youngest member of the Glasgow McLaughlins, a notorious crime family with a reputation for brutality and ruthlessness, believes he has found a way to escape the business. Driving a stolen car and with a bag of cash in the trunk, he makes his way to Scotland’s north coast, to Thurso, where the love of his life, Kathleen, is living with the daughter that George fathered seven years earlier but was never able to get close to. In the naïve and short-sighted fashion that we learn is typical of him, George has devised a plan: he and Kathleen will be reunited, he will finally meet his daughter Molly, love will be rekindled, and the three of them will abscond and start a new life together in Penzance, where an empty cottage that George inherited from his deceased mother awaits. Not surprisingly, things don’t work out quite as George had hoped, and he ends up speeding away from the scene of a violent abduction with a hostile and weeping 7-year-old in the car, leaving behind several witnesses, a distraught Kathleen, and a police force mobilizing for a manhunt (and don’t forget the stolen car). The tale that Ballantyne relates from this frenzied beginning is engaging on multiple levels and crammed with enough detail and backstory to breathe life into the characters, settings and situations and endow it with more than a token degree of suspense. Back in 2013, the car accident has resurrected memories that Margaret had buried, memories that eventually lead to revelations and the solution to a mystery. However, the plot’s reliance on Margaret’s slowly returning recollections of a traumatic event from her childhood presents a problem because the reader will have figured things out long before she has. Indeed, Ballantyne has structured her novel so that its credibility rests almost exclusively on the relationship that develops between George and Molly while they’re on the road together, fleeing not just the police, but also George’s family and a tenacious self-serving reporter. It is here that Ballantyne succeeds in brilliant fashion, giving us a high-stakes chase amidst the gradually blossoming connection between two people that passes convincingly through stages of antagonism and suspicion toward a state of cautious trust, mutual affection and something approaching love. The story does have a few problems besides Margaret’s awakening memory. Readers will notice the author’s proclivity for sentimentality, particularly where Molly and George are concerned. As well, the moral world of the novel is lacking somewhat in depth, eschewing shades of gray in favour of stark black and white, where absolute good on one side stands in opposition to absolute evil on the other. Several characters depicted as unremittingly cruel and loathsome strain credibility, and readers may find some of the human-on-human cruelty depicted here gratuitous. Still, in Everything She Forgot aka Redemption Road, though maybe not up to the standard she set for herself in her stellar debut novel, The Guilty One, Lisa Ballantyne has crafted an enjoyable and diverting page turner, albeit one that comes with a few caveats. show less

In Everything She Forgot, author Lisa Ballantyne weaves an intriguing suspense thriller that captivates the reader's attention and makes it hard for them to put the book down. Set in London and Scotland, and alternating between the present (2013) with flashbacks to the past (1985), this multi-layered story features four alternating perspectives with intertwining themes of love, family, childhood trauma, sacrifices, secrets, lost memories, choices made, and consequences.

When Margaret Holloway is involved in a near-fatal car accident during a blizzard and is saved by Maxwell Brown, a mysterious burn-scarred stranger, long-held suppressed memories from her childhood come to the surface. As Margaret searches her memory to uncover her hidden show more traumatic childhood past for her true identity, the author intertwines Margaret's search with a man's abduction of his seven year old daughter, and a newspaper man's determination to uncover the abduction.

Everything She Forgot is a fascinating suspense thriller that interweaves four people's lives in a riveting tale that has enough drama, tension, emotions, secrets, and surprising twists and turns that easily keeps the reader turning the pages in search of what will happen next. This is a complex and slow-building multi-layered story that makes the reader ponder about buried family secrets and the choices that are made. It delves into such issues as child abduction, PTSD, and how a person's mind can suppress traumatic truths when one chooses to protect themselves. I loved how the author takes the reader on a long-winding journey that alternates between the past and the present via the four major characters, their intertwining stories dovetails into one that ultimately brings a family's relationship full circle.

Author Lisa Ballantyne weaves a haunting story that will stay with the reader for a very long time.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2015/10/everything-she-forgot-by-lisa.... show less

Everything She Forgot by Lisa Ballantyne is a highly recommended character study of love and redemption set in two time periods.

In 2013 Margaret Holloway is driving home on icy, snowy roads when she finds herself in a huge multi-car pile-up. Margaret is stuck in her car and unable to get out. When she smells gas and realizes her car is on fire, Margaret is sure she is going to die. Then, out of nowhere, a man comes and tries to help her escape. He hurts his hand when breaking her window, but manages to get her out of the car. Then he seemingly disappears in the melee surrounding the huge accident.

After the accident, Margaret finds herself unable to concentrate. She is having flashbacks to the crash and strangely remembering things from show more her childhood that she thought she had forgotten, or repressed. She also finds herself drawn to find and sit in the hospital at the bedside of the man who saved her. She learns his name is Maxwell Brown and that he's had no other visitors.

Alternating chapters are set in 1982. Big George McLaughlin was born into a family of gangsters but he just wants to get back together with his first girlfriend and help raise his daughter, Molly, away from his family. When he meets Molly, now age 7, on her way to school, he ends up unwittingly abducting her. We also learn of George's childhood. While the two are on the run and bonding, a strange reporter named Angus Campbell is trying to figure out who abducted Molly and make a name for himself.

The present day story is told through Margaret's point of view, while the story set in 1985 is told through multiple points of view, although mainly through George and Angus.

I was looking forward to reading Everything She Forgot after reading The Guilty One and I wasn't disappointed. Although it is being described as a mystery, it is really more of a character study. While there is a mystery, much of it will be easily discerned early on by most readers. There are several surprises, though, that you won't figure out beforehand. What will compel you to keep reading is the quality of the writing, the answers to a few nagging questions, and the emotional connection you will feel for Margaret and George.

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of HarperCollins for review purposes. show less

Lisa Ballantyne seems to like writing in two timelines, but this makes her books more of a challenge for readers. In her new book, the current day follows Margaret Holloway, a teacher and mother of two, who nearly dies in a horrible pile-up on a British motorway when her gas tank is ruptured, only to be saved by a disfigured mystery man. Eventually, she finds him in a medically-induced coma at a local hospital and feels compelled to thank him for his kindness as she herself begins to come unglued, remembering things from her childhood. The other story is about the youngest brother of a Glasgow crime family (Big George McLaughlin), who desperately wants out, is deeply in love with Kathleen, and is rejected as a father when she gets show more pregnant. When he finally happens upon some money (illegally, of course), George goes to see her and their 7-year old daughter, Moll. By an unfortunate set of circumstances, George kidnaps Moll and goes on the lam. The two stories are brought together cleverly. The novel starts slowly, especially the storyline about the angry, devout writer Angus Campbell, but gains substantial momentum as events unfold. show less

Margaret Holloway is a devoted teacher as well as a loving wife, mother, and daughter. After fighting to keep a student in school, she begins her drive home only to wind up in a horrific multi-car accident. Margaret is trapped in her car as it begins to burn due to a ruptured fuel tank. Thankfully, she's saved by a stranger, who quickly disappears from the scene. The accident and the kindness of this stranger awaken long-lost memories in Everything She Forgot.

The story begins in December 2013 on the day of the tragic multi-car accident, and alternates between December 2013 and late September and early October 1985 as we're introduced to seven-year-old Molly Henderson, Big George McLaughlin, Angus Campbell, and Kathleen Henderson. Ms. show more Ballantyne provides the backstory to George McLaughlin's life and obsession with the love of his life, Kathleen Jamieson, and their daughter Molly. George decides to find Kathleen and, once again, ask her to marry him, but he finds that Kathleen is married and seems to be quite happy in her new life. He then decides to introduce himself to his daughter Molly, only after seeing her being bullied by three girls on her way to school. That introduction turns into an unplanned abduction that forces George to run from Scotland into England with his daughter. Angus Campbell is a local reporter in the area Molly was abducted from. All he wants is to be a respected journalist and he decides that it is his duty to find out all he can about Molly and Kathleen and he has to be the one to bring Molly safely back home.

Everything She Forgot is a story that I didn't want to put down. I quickly became invested in Margaret, George, and Molly's stories and wanting to know what happens next. I wanted to know more about Margaret and her apparent obsession with the stranger that saved her. I needed to know more about George and Molly and their "adventure" into England. The more I read, the more I found myself pulled into the story. I empathized with Kathleen as she awaited news about her daughter. I felt sorry for George and the horrible childhood he had but rejoiced over the connections he was building with his daughter. His abduction of Molly may not have been planned, but it still caused needless trauma to Molly and her parents. It took a while for me to get used to the back-and-forth between past and present, but once I did the story seemed to suck me in. Did I enjoy Everything She Forgot? Yes! Ms. Ballantyne has crafted a beautiful and haunting story about memories, relationships, and the need for family. If you enjoy reading well-written stories, then you'll want to add Everything She Forgot to your reading list. show less

When Margaret is involved in a serious car crash, her life is saved by a badly scarred, unknown man who pulls her from the car before it explodes. The crash awakens half memories and sets Margaret on a journey to discover what she has forgotten.

The book alternates between past and present, telling the story of what actually happened to Margaret in the past, while in the present she has taken to visiting her unknown saviour as her life appears to be unravelling.

The story it tells is not just that of Margaret, but her mother and stepfather and more importantly her real father George. Interspersed we have the story of Angus a local journalist looking for his big scoop and who correctly, albeit luckily, realises that when 'Moll' goes show more missing it is her biological father that has taken her. Unfortunately Angus is a self righteous, mysogynistic, abusive bigot who elicits no sympathy or initial support for his theory.

I really enjoyed this book, the characters are very well drawn, if not always pleasant and likeable. But it's the young Margaret and George that are the standout characters that you are drawn to. George has had a miserable life, born into a vicious and violent family, he has spent his entire life seeking love and when he meets Kathleen he finds it. When she falls unexpectedly pregnant he feels his life is complete and is smitten with his daughter. But her parents have other ideas, given George's background and refuse to allow the relationship to continue. Kathleen and Moll are the chinks of light in George's life that he dreams about reconciling with and when he seeks to re-establish contact things take an unexpected turn.

The relationship between George and Moll is one that we watch unfold and grow and despite the anguish caused by her disappearance, and knowing how wrong his actions were, it is impossible not to be sympathetic to George, knowing what we do. As the novel progresses, it is impossible to see how the situation can end well, but didn't forsee the way plot panned out. I think the resolution to the story brought the strands together well and was a satisfactory solution.

While the book contains, some violent scenes, I would not call the book a thriller in the traditional sense and it is a sort of mystery as Margaret searches for the truth of what happened to her. Personally I find it to be a dramatic novel about families both good and bad, but ultimately it is a story about love and for George, redemption.

I received an ARC from the publisher in return for an honest review.

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Generally, a really good read. I had high expectations, having read Lisa's "The Guilty One". This didn't quite meet up to those expectations. I found the chapters about Angus where sometimes unnecessary, though what I did think clever on the author's part was how she was demonstrating that one man with supposed morals and values could behave so appallingly towards his wife and children, in comparison to a man without those supposed values (Angus compared to Brenda McLaughlin).

I was genuinely suspenseful to find out who "burn man" was, though I had my own thoughts about who he may be, as the story unfolded.

Out of all the characters in the book, I felt the most for George. It was obvious he was not given the best start in life, and had an show more air of vulnerability about him.

Definitely worth a read. show less