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A funny, heartfelt, late coming-of-age story that examines the role of memory in holding us back-and in moving us forward-for fans of The Collected Regrets of Clover and Maame.
Call it inertia. Call it a quarter-life crisis. Whatever you call it, Cricket Campbell is stuck. Despite working at a zeitgeisty wellness company, the 26-year-old feels anything but well. Still adrift after a tragedy that upended her world a decade ago, she has entered early adulthood under the weight of a new burden: her father's Alzheimer's diagnosis.
When Cricket's older sister Nina announces it is time to move Arthur from his beloved Adirondack lake house into a memory-care facility, Cricket has a better idea. In returning home to become her father's caretaker, she hopes to repair their strained relationship and shake herself out of her perma-funk. But even deeply familiar places can hold surprises.
As Cricket settles back into the family house at Catwood Pond-a place she once loved, but hasn't visited since she was a teenager-she discovers that her father possesses a rare gift: as he loses his grasp of the past, he is increasingly able to predict the future. Before long, Arthur cements his reputation as an unlikely oracle, but for Cricket, believing in her father's prophecies might also mean facing the most painful parts of her history. As she begins to remember who she once was, she uncovers a vital truth: the path forward often starts by going back.
With laugh-out-loud humor and profound grace, Before I Forget explores the nuances of family, the complexities of memory, and how sometimes, the people we know the best are the ones who surprise us the most. A funny, heartfelt, late coming-of-age story that examines the role of memory in holding us back-and in moving us forward-for fans of The Collected Regrets of Clover and Maame. Tory Henwood Hoen is the author of The Arc. Her writing has appeared in New York Magazine, Vogue, Condé Nast Traveler, and Bon Appétit, among other publications. She attended Brown University, and she currently lives in New Hampshire.
Praise for The Arc:
"With giddy hilarity and stabs to the heart, Hoen's heady cocktail of satire and celebration is a delectable addition to the dating-app and matchmaking rom-com list." -Booklist
"Hoen raises some fascinating questions about love and relationships and ends on an optimistic note. The result is as thoughtful as it is thought-provoking." -Publishers Weekly
"A delightful debut about love and dating and modern womanhood that asks as many questions about self-determination and free will as it answers." -Shelf Awareness
"Funny and modern…like a rom-com's cooler big sister." -Real Simple
Call it inertia. Call it a quarter-life crisis. Whatever you call it, Cricket Campbell is stuck. Despite working at a zeitgeisty wellness company, the 26-year-old feels anything but well. Still adrift after a tragedy that upended her world a decade ago, she has entered early adulthood under the weight of a new burden: her father's Alzheimer's diagnosis.
When Cricket's older sister Nina announces it is time to move Arthur from his beloved Adirondack lake house into a memory-care facility, Cricket has a better idea. In returning home to become her father's caretaker, she hopes to repair their strained relationship and shake herself out of her perma-funk. But even deeply familiar places can hold surprises.
As Cricket settles back into the family house at Catwood Pond-a place she once loved, but hasn't visited since she was a teenager-she discovers that her father possesses a rare gift: as he loses his grasp of the past, he is increasingly able to predict the future. Before long, Arthur cements his reputation as an unlikely oracle, but for Cricket, believing in her father's prophecies might also mean facing the most painful parts of her history. As she begins to remember who she once was, she uncovers a vital truth: the path forward often starts by going back.
With laugh-out-loud humor and profound grace, Before I Forget explores the nuances of family, the complexities of memory, and how sometimes, the people we know the best are the ones who surprise us the most. A funny, heartfelt, late coming-of-age story that examines the role of memory in holding us back-and in moving us forward-for fans of The Collected Regrets of Clover and Maame. Tory Henwood Hoen is the author of The Arc. Her writing has appeared in New York Magazine, Vogue, Condé Nast Traveler, and Bon Appétit, among other publications. She attended Brown University, and she currently lives in New Hampshire.
Praise for The Arc:
"With giddy hilarity and stabs to the heart, Hoen's heady cocktail of satire and celebration is a delectable addition to the dating-app and matchmaking rom-com list." -Booklist
"Hoen raises some fascinating questions about love and relationships and ends on an optimistic note. The result is as thoughtful as it is thought-provoking." -Publishers Weekly
"A delightful debut about love and dating and modern womanhood that asks as many questions about self-determination and free will as it answers." -Shelf Awareness
"Funny and modern…like a rom-com's cooler big sister." -Real Simple
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Reviews
"At once a charming exploration of small-town life and a realistically heartbreaking depiction of Alzheimer's disease."
Kirkus (starred review)
"Hoen delivers an uplifting tale filled with wisdom, warmth, and the kind of raw emotion that will have readers laughing through their tears."
Library Journal (starred review)
"This quietly charming narrative asks readers to reconsider who is caring for whom, and to ponder the illimitability of human connection."
The New Yorker