I guess I am in the minority on this one - maybe this is more for YA readers… I certainly don’t fit that readership. Read 200 pages and still waiting for something interesting to happen. ( )

This review first appeared on scifiandscary.com - the publisher provided a copy for review consideration
I first got into horror in the 1980s, when Hollywood was trying forget the nasty excesses of the 70s and was plundering the 50s back catalogue for ideas. John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’ is the best of the remakes from that time (in fact it’s probably the best remake ever) but it’s definitely not the only one. In literature, authors like Stephen King weren’t exactly retelling stories from the 50s, but they were definitely paying homage to them. Skip forward to the 2010s and a similarly nostalgic eye is being cast upon 1980s horror. ‘Stranger Things’ is a smash and the recent movie adaptation of King’s ‘It’ chooses the 1980s rather than the 1950s for it’s backstory. Everything old is new again, as they say.
Rio Youers’ ‘The Forgotten Girl’ captures that modern 1980s nostalgia, despite being set in the present day. It’s a psychic thriller that’s reminiscent of books like Stephen King’s ‘Firestarter’; that turns out to be both a good and a bad thing. It’s well paced, gripping and has a heart; but it’s also a bit too familiar.
The plot is that of a straightforward thriller, with a horror twist. Protagonist Harvey gets attacked by a gang of thugs looking for a girlfriend he doesn’t remember having. As the story develops we discover that Sally (the girlfriend) has the ability to wipe people’s memories and has a powerful enemy in the vicious politician Lang. There are plenty of thrills, some brutality and a respectable emotional core in the chase that follows. It’s gripping, very readable and I ended up really caring about the characters. If there is a problem with the story, it’s that the “boy meets girl, boy saves girl” thing doesn’t feel that fresh in 2019.
It’s still a fun ride though. Youers has a great sense of pace and a talent for creating people with believable motivations, even when the things they are doing are either fantastic or appalling. He’s definitely a talented writer, but the book ends up feeling a bit too much like other things. Its central theme is the abuse of power, its setting is small-town middle American and its heroes are blue collar joes. In the end, as fun as it is, it ends up feeling like a really cover version of a Stephen King novel. That’s not the worst thing in the world, but I suspect Youers can do better.


( )

Youers is becoming a favourite of mine. Every book is a guaranteed solid read. I found, through the reading of this, that I really enjoyed three things that often don't snug together very well.

The first is, the sort of SF/horror premise of someone who can reach into your head and yank your memories from you. Then, through the course of the novel, different people with different abilities begin to show up. While there's times Youers seems to be on rather shaky ground trying to keep it real, he mostly succeeds, and in the end, makes it work.

The second is the action pieces. The author absolutely does not shy away from brutality, and it ramps up the stakes exponentially. As well, the car chases and other action sequences are stellar. And not just more of the same old same old.

Finally—and this is where he really shines—Youers writes about relationships like no one else I've ever read. He has an absolute knack for making his characters live and breathe on the page in just a couple of paragraphs, and you immediately fall in love with the ones you're supposed to. But it's detailing those little moments where nothing much happens, but they create a memory that lasts a lifetime...he writes them, the reader experiences them, and they're as real as real can be. It's a beautiful thing to behold.

But, of course, none of this would be worth much if he also wasn't masterful enough to blend all of this into an engaging story that first hooks you, then drags you along until the final page.

And the author does that too.

Well worth the read. ( )

I'm not a coward. A case of mistaken identity....

Salt of the earth, quinoa eating, busker, Harvey is thrown into a world he never would have imagined. Gigantic thugs, mind manipulations, and a vague memory of the girl in the blue dress...Harvey has his eyes opened to so many different aspects of his life as he fights to regain the love that was stolen from him.

@stmartinspress @rioyouers @macmillan

Rio Youers has an amazing suspenseful, riveting novel about two main characters, Harvey and Sally/Mirranda. ( )