Remember to Forget
In a coma, and with his family in disrepair, can Richard make peace with himself and them?
In a coma, and with his family in disrepair, can Richard make peace with himself and them?
In a coma, and with his family in disrepair, can Richard make peace with himself and them?
Family life, Fantasy (general), Fiction (general)
Richard, a successful businessman, is deep in a coma. Unknowingly to all, he can hear everything said around him. He has no choice but to listen as his wife Anna and daughter Ella long for his passing. He also has a son that no longer acknowledges his existence. His family lay in waste, the fallout of his selfish life spent pursuing money and excess. Frustrated by what he has now learned about his family, he wishes someone could hear him so he could apologise. Just as all is lost, a voice inside his conscience says, “I can hear you.”
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Gibbings reinvents himself in this quick read. While exploring new grounds, he shows us that life is fragile, love is deep, and stories are told to teach the reader something. It may be titled "Remember to Forget" but this one will stick with you for days. So happy I got to read this! ~ Jason Donnaly, Goodreads
For a guy who tends to stay within the realm of dark humor, this was a surprising read from Jonny. It's quick and to the point, making you think of all the things you can let go of to improve your life. The premise of the book I believe is something many people have thought up, but Jonny expands on the idea leaving it stained in your mind. If we could actively pretend to have forgotten the horrors of our lives and those we inflicted on others, who would we be? ~ Larrimore Black, Goodreads
From the writer of Malice in Blunderland comes this unexpectedly heart-warming novella about a husband and father winning back the love of his family. It’s very well written, well paced and just like his first novel could easily be turned into a film. However, while Malice in Blunderland would be an edgy satirical flick, Remember to Forget reminds me of one of those afternoon made for TV movies that pulls on the strings of your more sensitive emotions, of love and happiness and what the really important things in life are. A guilty pleasure, you’re unable to switch over and are welling up by the end of it. I thought this novel made a beautiful statement about the gifts that family and partnerships have to offer and Gibbings should be extremely proud of what he has achieved. But I also missed the hedonistic laugh out loud storylines from his first novel and the angry political righteousness of his blog. The versatility of Gibbing’s writing nevertheless suggests that there is plenty more to come, and that he is an author to watch out for. Five stars ~ Chris Morten, Goodreads
Well, just wow. Having been one of the first to have read his first book 'Malice in Blunderland' I was very lucky to have been offered a chance to read Gibbings new book before published. Gibbings had me laugh till I cried, this time Gibbings had me crying my heart out. What a beautiful, emotional and amazingly wonderfully crafted little book it is. The story takes you from the bedside of Richard in a coma, able to hear his family in tatters. Helped by what I think is one of the darkest and best incarnations of what an angel could be, they set about trying to repair his family. Death, love, loss and how we lose sight of what is important. This is truly a beautiful, uplifting and touching book. I think this novella will cast Gibbings in the realms of the talent he deserves, this is one skillfully and lyrically written book. "The heaviness of the small, empty word worried little about his armour, overwhelmingly crushing him as it fell from his daughter’s lips. He was a vessel, his family his cargo that he selfishly sailed into oceans of isolation and regret only to foolishly run aground. His family now waited on the shore for him to sink from view so they could profit from what flotsam and jetsam would wash ashore. He wanted to open his eyes and look upon his wife. She was the star he once navigated by. He wasn’t foolish, he knew just as all stars, what he saw and what is, were not the same. The distance between him and his star so vast that the love that once shone so bright died so very long ago. Even if he were able to open his eyes they were taped down to protect them from drying out. Not something he needed to fear now. Two tiny globes of tear formed in the cusp of each eye." If you are a mother, father, been through good and bad times,have strained relationships, this book will touch you quite deeply ~ Wesley Clarke, Goodreads