The Unforgotten
by Laura Powell
For fans of Louise Penny and Tana French, this haunting debut novel “with a slight Broadchurch feel” (Sunday Herald) explores the devastating repercussions of a long-ago crime as it delves into forbidden relationships, the emotional bond between mothers and daughters, and the dark consequences of harboring secrets.
It is the summer of 1956, and fifteen-year-old Betty Broadbent has never left the Cornish fishing village of St. Steele or ventured far beyond the walls of the Hotel Eden, the slightly ramshackle boarding house run by her moody, unpredictable mother. But Betty’s world is upended when a string of brutal murders brings London’s press corps flooding into the village, many of whom find lodging at the Hotel Eden. She is instantly transfixed by one of the reporters, the mysterious and strangely aloof Mr. Gallagher—and he, fully twice her age, seems equally transfixed by her.
The unlikely relationship that blooms between Betty and Mr. Gallagher is as overlaid with longing and desire as it is with impropriety and even menace. And as the shocking death toll rises, both Betty and Mr. Gallagher are forced to make a devastating choice, one that will shape their own lives—and the life of an innocent man—forever.
With narratives that shift from 1956 to the present day and back, The Unforgotten is a mesmerizing and eerie portrayal of two people bound to each other by a secret that has the power to shape, and destroy, lives.
The Unforgotten releases February 6th
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Forbidden romance? May/December romance? I went into this one expecting and hoping for a gripping thriller and mystery to solve. What I found was neither thrilling, nor all that mysterious. The mystery of the 'Cornish Cleaver' is more side story to Betty's romance than anything else. For most of the book, the murders do little more than supply the reason for Mr Gallagher to be in this small village. So, while I didn't find the thriller I was hoping for, I can enjoy a good romance, except this one just wasn't all that good. The characters aren't at all likable, which makes it hard to invest oneself in the story, and the romance was more disturbing and pitiful than anything approaching romance. The back and forth between past and present could have added to the story, but what I found in the present was an aging woman who never got over her first love, She has plenty of regrets, but they apparently didn't bother her enough to do the right thing until she's approaching the end of her life. Sad, yes, compelling reading material, no. I almost DNF'd this one more than once, but out of sheer determination, I did finish. We do get an interesting twist in the end, but by the time I got there, it was just too little, too late to save this one for me.
** ARC provided by NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books
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