NEW RELEASE
The Art of Forgetting - Camille Noe Pagan (2011)
Marissa and Julia became best friends at high school. Their friendship is one marked by polar opposites, everything from their family background, personality and appearance - Marissa being the reserved and average-looking of the pair, while Julia, the alpha female, is rich, charming and beautiful, and always surrounded by admirers. When Marissa falls in love with Nathan, whom she meets during her job at the coffee shop downtown, she decides to keep their relationship a secret, until she realises Julia is also attracted to him as well - forcing Marissa to make a decision between romance and friendship. Fast forward 10 years, and both women are each crafting out a career for themselves in New York. Marissa is a senior editor at a health magazine and in a steady romance with Dave, while Julia has just been promoted to senior publicist at the New York City Ballet. As the two friends meet up to celebrate the latter's promotion, a car accident changes everything. With both memory loss and a distinct personality change, Julia becomes a changed person. Now Marissa has to assume the role of being the big sister, taking care of her best friend, with the hope there will be some sign of Julia acting like herself again. This debut novel is a poignant tale of friendship and love, with an amazing flow and great characters, one which you definitely have to read with your best friend. (XT)
From health journalist Camille Noe Pagan comes The Art of Forgetting, which asks can a relationship survive when the memories are gone? The summary says: "Marissa Rogers never wanted to be an alpha; beta suited her just fine. Taking charge without taking credit had always paid off: vaulting her to senior editor at a glossy magazine; keeping the peace with her critical, weight-obsessed mother; and enjoying the benefits of being best friends with gorgeous, charismatic, absolutely alpha Julia Ferrar. And then Julia gets hit by a cab. She survives with minor obvious injuries but brain damage steals her memory and alters her personality, possibly forever. Suddenly, Marissa is thrown into the role of alpha friend. As Julia struggles to regain her memory - dredging up issues Marissa would rather forget, including the fact that Julia asked her to abandon the love of her life 10 years ago - Marissa's own equilibrium is shaken. With the help of a dozen girls, she reluctantly agrees to coach in an after-school running program. There, Marissa uncovers her inner confidence and finds the courage to reexamine her past and take control of her future." The Art of Forgetting is out in June. You can read an excerpt at the author's website.