Forgotten by Catherine McKenzie

Forgotten
Author:  Catherine McKenzie
Publisher:  Harper Collins Publishers Ltd
Published 2012
Pages:  368
Genre:  General Fiction
ISBN 9781443409919
Source:  Borrowed

Emma Tupper is a dedicated lawyer with a bright future.  But when she takes a month-long leave of absence to go on an African vacation, she ends up facing unexpected consequences.  After she first falls ill and then spends six months trapped in a remote village that has been hit by a devastating earthquake, Emma returns home to discover that her friends, boyfriend and colleagues thought she was dead--and that her life has moved on without her.

As she struggles to recreate her old life, throwing herself into solving a big case for a client and trying to reclaim her beloved apartment from the handsome photographer who assumed her lease, everyone around her thinks she should take the opportunity to change.  But is she willing to sacrifice the job, relationships and everything else she worked so hard to build?

In Forgotten, Catherine McKenzie puts a modern twist on a classic tale of discovering who we really are when everything that brings meaning to our lives is lost.

Forgotten is one of those wonderful novels that holds you spell-bound from beginning to end.  Catherine McKenzie writes of a strong protagonist whose life is turned upside down when she becomes victim to circumstances beyond her control.  She has been missing for six months, even considered dead!  But she can explain.  However, Emma finds she cannot pick up where she left everything.  Her job, her apartment...everything has changed.

Considering all, it is unnatural for us to expect anyone, even someone as strong as Emma, to breeze through this radical change of event.  She has some weak moments, burrowing under her blanket, even sleeping in her roommates bed, but all this makes her real.  She is a very strong individual who loves to argue so her career in law is well-suited, but we see this trait throughout the story and it has some humorous outcomes.  A fireball in the courtroom, Emma is somewhat clumsy, vulnerable, and, yes, quirky outside of the courtroom.  

Books with strong female protagonists, who also show their vulnerabilities, face tribulations, though sometimes with some reluctance, and conquer their inner demons are too few and far between.  Thank goodness a friend recommended this book, lest this incredible author should go unnoticed by me.  Forgotten is that good friend you welcome with open arms, sharing a world of life, strife and triumphs, with a few tears and good laughs along the way.  Forgotten is, well, memorable.... for all that is good and warm and strong in fiction.

Highly recommended.  (Some language.)