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    The Story of Forgetting: A Novel
    The Story of Forgetting: A Novel
    The Story of Forgetting: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Story of Forgetting: A Novel

    Written by Stefan Merrill Block

    Narrated by Patrick Lawlor

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Abel Haggard is an elderly hunchback who haunts the remnants of his family's farm in the encroaching shadow of the Dallas suburbs, adrift in recollections of those he loved and lost long ago. As a young man, he believed himself to be "the one person too many"; now he is all that remains. Hundreds of miles to the south, in Austin, Seth Waller is a teenage "Master of Nothingness"-a prime specimen of that gangly, pimple-rashed, too-smart breed of adolescent that vanishes in a puff of sarcasm at the slightest threat of human contact. When his mother is diagnosed with a rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's, Seth sets out on a quest to find her lost relatives and to conduct an "empirical investigation" that will uncover the truth of her genetic history. Though neither knows of the other's existence, Abel and Seth are linked by a dual legacy: the disease that destroys the memories of those they love, and the story of Isidora-an edenic fantasy world free from the sorrows of remembrance, a land without memory where nothing is ever possessed, so nothing can be lost.

    Through the fusion of myth, science, and storytelling, this novel offers a dazzling illumination of the hard-learned truth that only through the loss of what we consider precious can we understand the value of what remains.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 16, 2008
    ISBN9781400177172
    The Story of Forgetting: A Novel
    Author

    Stefan Merrill Block

    Stefan Merrill Block grew up in Texas. His first novel, The Story of Forgetting, won Best First Fiction at the Rome International Festival of Literature, the 2008 Merck Serono Literature Prize and the 2009 Fiction Award from The Writers’ League of Texas. The Story of Forgetting was also a finalist for the debut fiction awards from IndieBound, Salon du Livre and The Center for Fiction. The Storm at the Door is his second novel. He lives in Brooklyn.

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    Reviews for The Story of Forgetting

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    • 4/5
      I’ve been reading poetry almost exclusively for about three years running, so I was both excited and a little wary upon picking up The Story of Forgetting, Stefan Merrill Block’s debut novel. It had been so long since I’d read so many words at one go…I guess I’d forgotten how one can become immersed in a story, carried effortlessly along by fictional devices like plot & character. Luckily, Block’s novel provided an immediate reminder of such pleasures.The novel’s strengths lie in the clear, compelling voices of the two main characters, Abel Haggard and Seth Waller. Block moves seamlessly between these two narrative threads. Abel Haggard, a 68-year old hunchbacked hermit, is constantly haunted by memories of his now-absent family. Seth Waller is an awkward adolescent, who strives for what he hopes will be an impenetrable protective wall, or “Mastery of Nothingness”, but manifests more as “weirdness with nothing to compensate for it…nothing greater or more profound than its zit-encrusted, slouching, skittish, Too-Smart surface.” (pg. 225) These two main characters are simultaneously repulsive and endearing, and my fondness for them kept me reading.The plot is relatively simple: Seth embarks on a research project to uncover his mother’s mysterious family history in order to fully understand her familial curse of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The plot also propelled my interest for the majority of the book—a genetic mystery novel!—although the final discovery is not particularly surprising or unexpected, which was a little disappointing.The main storyline is intercut by two different threads: textbook-ish and scientific information about Alzheimer’s disease, and a fable about Isidora, a mythical land of forgetting. I enjoyed the science more than the myth; the Isidora chapters come across as too broad, and a little heavy-handed in terms of the allegory and “memory loss” symbolism.Perhaps my poetry-bias caused me to be particularly charmed by the sharp & well-defined details throughout the book. Block is deft at setting the scene and fleshing out even the most minor characters: Abel’s horse (Iona); Abel’s truck (humorously dubbed The Horseless Iona); and Seth’s classmate Victoria Bennett, nicknamed The Sloth, as her movements are “slouching and sluggish…her hair was a long brown tangle…whenever possible, she avoided predators by disappearing into the trees.” (pg. 79) Block offers many lovely moments such as the description of the game that Seth plays with his mother, before her illness: “My mom & I also had another game…one of us would start to pretend to be the other…” (pg. 125) I felt that the story was the most interesting and original in these moments, and the interactions that Abel and Seth have with the more minor characters best reveal their foundational human-ness.In the end, I wanted a little more of these elements—and less of high-concept historical mystery and scientific theory—but enjoyed the journey nonetheless. I’d definitely recommend this engaging book for its solid engine and warm heart.
    • 5/5
      The theme of the book is early-onset Alzheimer's, EOA. The main characters are an old man and a teen-age boy, and the story is their journey through the past and then to each other. Amazing story with a little bit of science and a little bit of fantasy thrown in. One of my favorites of the year!
    • 2/5
      (Early reviewer review)This was an interesting book; stylistically, it reminds me some of Jeanette Winterson (which means I should love it, right?). Unfortunately, I didn't love love love the book. It took me a lot to slog through more than half of it.There were moments of the book where I was like "Oh, this is beautiful," bright shining moments where the characters came to life and I enjoyed it immensely.Unfortunately, throughout most of the first half, the characters felt flat. You meet Abel and Seth, two people who have been told the stories of Isidora, a fictional place where none of the citizens remember anything. And each has the lineage of familial early onset Alzheimer's. Abel is waiting for his daughter, who left home 20-plus years ago, and Seth, who is trying to track down his mom's heritage to continue to track the passage of this disease from past to present.I really wanted to love this book. It deals with the idea of memory, love, loss. All of the things I love to read about and explore. Block's writing of it, with long sentences and paragraphs, felt, through more than half of it, forced and stilted.
    • 4/5
      The story of forgetting was a well written and intriguing story of how families are affected by alhzeimers disease. I enjoyed how the two stories of the old and the young man are eventually linked up. I also enjoyed the story of idylwahl and the mad duke and the madness that sprung up in the town. I also enjoyed the paragraph that dealt with memory and choice - I thought that was a brilliant piece of writing. Its main con is that I always felt kind of detached from the characters and the story. I didn't really care what was going on with the characters, and usually when I enjoy a book it is because I am feeling what the characters are feeling.
    • 4/5
      This is a beautifully tragic book, about love loss and the importance of memories. A family's history of dealing with a fictional type of Alzheimer's pairs well with the fairy tale version of life without memories that they have come up with over the generations to deal with the loss of such.I enjoyed the story of Seth and Abel and their relationships with Jamie, a woman facing this disease. It is a lyrical book, full of wonderful prose. It is a cautionary tale of holding on too tightly to memories that are destined only to fade in the minds of the people who should hold them tightly.This is a well researched fiction, though never did I feel as though it was a textbook about a fake disease. The balance was walked perfectly for this reader's suspension of disbelief.
    • 4/5
      For reasons inexplicable, it took me weeks to pick up this novel and read the first sentence, but once I did I was hooked. I don't know what my problem was, but kudos to Stefan Merrill Block, because he drew me right into his story from the first pages. The structure of the novel is that it jumps back and forth between two different characters, two different stories. The first is 68-year-old Abel Haggard, a modern-day hermit living exactly as he did decades ago on the distant outskirts of Dallas. Abel is basically reviewing his life inside his mind and agonizing over the mistakes he has made. Through his recollections you learn about his one true love, and how he lost everything he had. Now he's waiting for something... and trying to hang on by his fingertips to the life he has. The second story revolves around 15-year-old geek, Seth Waller. I'm a 39-year-old woman, but I can't tell you how much I related to Seth. My social skills are considerably better, but we're both science nerds and were high school outcasts. Through Seth, we learn the story of his mother's diagnosis with early-onset Alzheimer's in her mid-thirties. As painful as it is to watch her decline through Seth's eyes, it doesn't touch the sadness of the strained relationship he has with his father. Scenes between the two of them broke my heart, as each tried to deal in his own way with tragedy. Seth copes by embarking on a "scientific study" of his mother's illness. While these two equally compelling narratives are unfolding, there are two more narrative threads weaved throughout the novel. One is the story of the orgin of the Alzheimer's mutation that plagues Seth's mother. It starts with patient number one and moves forward through history. The other thread is actually what ties the stories of Abel and Seth together. It's a series of tales of a mythological land called Isidora--stories that were told to both Abel and Seth in their childhoods. It sounds like a lot is going on, but all the threads blend to form a satisfying cloth that is neither too busy nor boring. The novel moves at a fast pace, and I found myself (surprisingly) equally captivated by the tales of both Seth and Abel. They were rich and fully-formed characters with distinctive voices and personalities. When I started the novel I thought the mystery would be: How do their stories intersect? That really isn't it. You just want to see these tales through to their proper conclusion. One more thing... Reading what I've written, this novel sounds like a real downer. I can't pretend the subject matter is happy, but my personal tolerance for tragedy is incredibly low, and I really enjoyed this promising debut.
    • 4/5
      I had forgotten how effortless reading could be until I passed through almost a hundred pages of Block's new novel without even realizing I was reading. Well written with only a few self-conscious passages, where the reader was aware of the author (rather than the narrator)--only a handful of times in over three-hundred pages did I sigh because the story was lost in an attempt to convey skilled writing. The rest of my time was spent listening to the stories told by an awkward yet intelligent teenage boy and a hump-backed elderly man, becoming a fossil in his own home. The story was poignant and heartfelt, moving and aware... but at times I wanted more story--I more wanted to lose myself in the pages than be reminded of the pain in the world. The research performed by the author (and, indeed, his own experiences, as explained in the author's note at the end) was much appreciated and the story felt, as a result, complete. The interweaving legend of Isidora, however, was a little inconsistent and at times felt as though it were being shaped to fit the other two stories, rather than its long-lived existence affecting the relevant lives, as we were to believe.As a side note -- I felt the actual title & cover could have been better matched... The washed out greens in the version I received made my eyes want to forget the story and read something more memorable (pun intended ;).Note: Review based on ARC.
    • 3/5
      Abel and Seth are well-developed characters with distinct voices that you want to spend time with. I had no trouble finishing the book in one day, and thought that each individual chapter of the book was interesting and well done. I will be mildly interested in Block's next book, unless he continues to explore these topics and themes.The major problem with this novel is that the plot is too predictable. Once you get to the midpoint of the story and figure out who everyone is, it is obvious how the book is going to end.An additional problem is with the Isidora tales. I think they would have been more effective pared down and embedded into the narrative instead of broken out as separate chapters. Featuring them as separate chapters in a novel with two narrative voices whose paths are converging sets an expectation that there will be some sort of confluence with the rest of the story, and I was disappointed when it did not occur.
    • 2/5
      PLUS –•Interesting subject matter and a clever idea.•I liked both main characters, Seth and Abel, and liked the alternating narrative.•The scientific sections (albeit for a fictitious medical condition – Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease does exits of course, but not in the hereditary way described in the book) were an interesting addition. MINUS –•Didn’t enjoy the sections about Isidora. I found them unnecessary and distracting from the main plot.•The ending, and the reason why Seth and Abel’s stories were linked was pretty obvious from very early on.
    • 4/5
      The Story of Forgetting is an engaging and complex story that revolves around a familial genetic curse of early-onset Alzheimer's that goes undetected until the affected person is in their late-30s. When it strikes, they start forgetting the things closest to them in time and begin living their lives in reverse until, at the end, they forget to breathe, their heart forgets to beat, and they die.The story comes together through different tracks: Abel, a 70 year old man living near Dallas in his childhood home and gradually being surrounded by suburban houses as he sells away the family farmland; and Seth, a 15 year old living in the suburbs of Austin whose mother, Jaime, is beginning to forget. Jaime never told her husband or son anything about her childhood -- she wouldn't even tell Seth her maiden name -- so when Seth finds out that the disease is genetic, he begins a quest to trace his mother's history as a way of understanding his own potential future.Laced through these two storylines are the tales of Isidora, a family mythology about a hidden land where no one remembers anything and everyone is content in the moment. These stories are passed from generation to generation, and are one of the only hints that Jaime gives Seth about her past. The book also takes us through a scientific history of the disease, going back to the first mutated chromosome on an English Duke in the 1800s. We watch as his affairs with local women multiply (he is very discrete, since he can't remember anything) and his illegitimate children continue the legacy of the disease.I really enjoyed this book -- the subject matter is unusual and interesting, the characters are well written, and the pacing is excellent. It almost lets me forgive Block for only being born in 1982.
    • 4/5
      I really liked how the author blended in the fairy tale (I'm calling it that for lack of a better phrase) of Isidora throughout the story; it provided a measure of continuity to what might otherwise have been a somewhat disjointed book. It's easy to peg the conclusion from the beginning but I still really enjoyed getting through this story!
    • 4/5
      This was a very engaging and well-written book, all the threads of the stories: the sections that covered the story of Abel and Mae, the sections by Seth about him and his mother, and the story of Isadora. I was anxious that it might fall apart near the end, but it did not. Sometimes the details of Seth's Alzheimer's research was tedious, but those parts were brief, and I believe necessary to the story.
    • 4/5
      When 15-year-old Seth Waller's mother shows undeniable signs of early onset Alzheimer's disease, he realizes how little he knows of his family history. His mother never talked about her childhood, not even her maiden name or the town she lived in. Seth never knew his grandparents, and never met any other relatives. He begins researching the disease, manages to get his hands on information identifying other patients near his Texas hometown, and tries to discover genetic links between these patients and his mother.Meanwhile, Abel Haggard lives a quiet, solitary life on a farm he has gradually sold off for new real estate development. Now in his 70s, Abel has lost everyone dear to him, including his twin brother and his brother's wife. Abel's family has also been touched by early onset Alzheimer's. Both Seth and Abel bring the reader into their world, to share the pain of living and dealing with Alzheimer's. Through Seth, you helplessly watch a parent's condition deteriorate, and you share Seth's fear of inheriting the condition. Abel knows he was spared, but like Seth he loved someone who left him far too young.The link between Seth and Abel is revealed to the reader before the characters discover it themselves. This adds an element of suspense or anticipation to the story, and an extra layer of depth and complexity. Stefan Block developed rich, memorable characters and showed particular sensitivity in his portrayal of older people and Alzheimer's sufferers, making for an impressive debut novel.
    • 3/5
      The structure of Block's The Story of Forgetting is one of the most interesting I have encountered in a while. The interwoven stories that shift between the perspective of Abel, an elderly man who has experienced his share of hardship and pain throughout life, and Seth, an awkward and inquisitive teenager trying to do what he can to save his mother's life, conspire to leave the reader with an accelerated sense of intrigue. The only truly omniscient participant in the global story is the reader, to whom the connections between the various characters become clear far earlier than to the characters themselves. The story centers around a fictionalized genetic variant of Early Onset Alzheimer's disease (EOA) that came into existence in the relatively recent past. As a direct effect, all those suffering from the disease are not-too-distantly related.Abel's story concentrates on his relationship with his brother, Paul, and Paul's wife, Mae, with whom Abel is deeply in love. During Paul's time in the war, Mae and Abel conceive a daughter, Jamie, whom they attempt to pass off as Paul's daughter. As signs of EOA manifest themselves in Paul, the family falls apart, leaving Abel alone in what remains of their deteriorating ranch in rural Texas. His daughter has long since moved to New York City, and his sole remaining reason for living is to wait for her imminent return.Seth's story focuses on his empirical investigation into the Early Onset Alzheimer's variant that his mother has been diagnosed with, in hopes of finding a way to save her life. In the course of his research, he stumbles upon a list of current living EOA sufferers and proceeds to interview them one by one to learn what he can about the disease and his mother's substantially veiled past. After a string of false leads, he eventually stumbles upon what he perceives to be the key to the mystery surrounding his mother's family: one of Seth's interviewees has a shared knowledge of the fictional world of Isidora, the setting of many of the stories that his mother told him while he was growing up.The narration of each chapter of the book alternates between Abel's and Seth's voice, and Block does an elegant job constucting heartfelt and believable prose that invokes strong feelings of solidarity between the reader and the lives of the characters. I found some of the subplots to be somewhat distracting from the larger story --- for example, the unfortunate interactions between Seth and Cara and the bizarre relationship between Seth and "the sloth." While these subplots give the reader a better idea about the type of world in which Seth is operating, I found other sections relating Seth to his father and the EOA patients he interviews to be much more compelling and enjoyable. Abel's history, in general, seemed far more developed and convincing.In sum, The Story of Forgetting is a beautifully composed story that highlights the pain of losing those you love even when they remain near to you. I was amazed to discover that the author and I were the same age: I cannot imagine creating such an impressive work at this young age. My respect goes out to him.
    • 5/5
      Stefan Merrill Block's The Story of Forgetting is a surprisingly tight, well-paced, beautifully written first novel. At the heart of the novel is the premise that all life is born of combinations of memory and chance, which well-dramatized through different manifestations of a hereditary form of Alzheimers. In The Story of Forgetting, the stories of an old man, Abel, a young man, Seth, and the mythical land of Isadora illustrate, from different perspectives, both the blessings and curses of forgetting. I was quickly sucked into the worlds that Block portrays. The characters are heartbreakingly honest in their pain, isolation, and yet tenacious hold on their pursuits of—not happiness, per se, but survival in the face of random chance. Their biblical names allude to those who are left behind, those who persisted and survived, and who carried the weight of memory. The mythical land of Isadora provides a running counterpoint to what sometimes feels like the curse of memory: Isadora is a golden happy land, where there is no memory. It raises questions about common assumptions about those who suffer from Alzheimers: rather than seen as unfortunate victims, perhaps they have escaped the weight of memory.I had a particular interest in reading this novel, in that I currently have a loved one with Alzheimer's, and know the pain of being lost to someone while they still live. It was gratifying to see this pain utilized to tell beautiful stories.
    • 5/5
      The Story of Forgetting by Stefan Merrill Block is one of my favorite reads for 2007. The author’s use of words to weave a story of two very different people is absolutely fantastic. Although Abel Haggard and Seth Waller are two very different characters, both in age and in social background, their stories are compelling and I could believe that both these men were real. Amazingly enough, the scientific parts of the book were very interesting to me as I am generally not interested in novels about science. The Story of Forgetting is about familial early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and how it affects those with the disease and those people close to them. Seth Waller is a young teenager losing his mother to the horror of this disease, and losing the balance of the family he once had. Abel Haggard is an elderly reclusive man, living in the old family homestead, passing his days with memories of what he once had and how it was lost. Both characters are completely drawn and fleshed out so that it is easy to picture them in my mind. This story will stay with me a long time.My mother suffered from dementia before her death and I understand the frustration of trying to deal with someone who is no longer the person you know and love. The Story of Forgetting is a brilliant book, I would recommend it to anyone dealing with Alzheimer’s disease and to just anyone who enjoys a compelling, beautifully written story
    • 4/5
      Once I found myself lost inside this story, I envisioned that I would write an eloquent review that perfectly summarized the story all the while inspiring others to read it. Instead I can only say: This novel is amazing. I absolutely loved it and will absolutely recommend it to everyone I know.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful book! Close to the heart with my family, though their alzheimers is not early onset. Wonderful, touching, interesting, captivating book!
    • 4/5
      First, a big thank you to Random House for participating in the ER program.When teenager Seth Waller's mother Jamie falls prey to familial early-onset Alzheimers (EOA), it sets him off on a quest to discover her past and, possibly, his future. At the same time, old age and regrets begin to catch up with Abel Haggard, setting him off on an inward journey of his own. Stefan Block's first novel is a sprawling and tightly woven story of a family trying to cope with the genetic timebomb of EOA. The brutal finality and sheer randomness of the disease have long severed ties between generations of the Haggard family, leaving the survivors as isolated as the victims. Block does a fantastic job of alternating chapters between the characters Seth and Abel, giving each a distinctive and memorable voice. Interspersed with the narrative are a Genetic History, giving a background of the disease, and stories of Isidora. Those stories, an oral tradition in the Haggard family, have somehow survived the onslaught of EOA and eventually serve as a beacon to the main characters. Overall I thought this was an excellent novel, especially considering that it's Block's first. The images he presented were vivid and the characters were well defined and memorable. My only complaints are that it ran a little long and some of the long paragraphs were pretty dense. Someone has already mentioned that the Isidora stories were a weak point, and I'd agree with that. After the first few I skipped over them. I also wish he'd spent more time on the end of the novel, cutting a few of the earlier Seth/Abel chapters (some of which were tedious or repetitive) in favor of spending a little more time at the farmhouse in the last chapter and wrapping up Abel's story. Even after 300 pages, the ending of the narrative felt abrupt and the Genetic History postscript felt a little forced.At its best - and there were long stretches where [The story of Forgetting] was fantastic - reminded me of what I like about my favorite authors: a tighly-woven story, told in a way that gives you a sense of physical space, that you're not looking in on the characters, but a bystander, watching it unfold. The novel isn't flawless, but it's a heck of a debut.
    • 3/5
      The Story of Forgetting by Stefan Merrill Block tells the tale of devastation of a familial form of Alzheimer's from two perspectives: one, seventy year old Abel and the other, the teenaged Seth. In the end, the common thread of their stories is revealed in a quiet, reflective, and touching way. Surprising to say, given the young age of the author, it is the elder voice which is more convincing. The memories shared by Abel and the descriptions of his current reflective life resonate more genuinely than does young Seth's "empirical investigation" to learn about his mother's disease. The voice of Seth is often too mature in tone and too sophisticated in language (no matter how precocious he may be). In addition, the basis of his "investigation" is a bit of stretch from my perspective. The most credible passages of Seth's occur early in the book, when he describes his mother's first symptoms of illness and the actions and reactions of his which result.As a physician, it is hard for me to admit, but the passages in which Seth offers summaries of research and scientific explanations detract from the emotional flow of the book. They were a signifciant distraction rather than enhancement. Similarly, some of the first person accounts in Seth's investigation seem stiff and unnatural, created solely to be sure that certain perspectives on the disease are communicated to the reader.Abel's story is told much more convincingly and lyrically than Seth's. The complexity and human frailty of his story go beyond the center piece disease of the book's theme. It is one aspect of a multi-layered story, though it is a devastatingly important aspect. In fact, it is Abel's description of the final outcome that is most moving, most revealing. On the whole, it is an affecting description of the profound impact Alzheimer's has upon individuals, families, and generations. It is also more than that, as many families can likely claim something similar in their histories, whether medical or otherwise, that significantly impacts within and across generations. Experiencing those insights was when the book most resonated and was most satisfying.(Note: This review is based on an Advance Reader's Edition from Random House.)
    • 4/5
      Early Reviewer.Lovely. The stories of Seth and Abel were expertly woven into the tale of Isidora. Neither feels he fits into society and has made all attempts to fade into oblivion while still functioning much like those chosen in Isidora to carry the burden of remembering. Block gives them both a tone that is bleak, caring and yet hopeful. I look forward to reading this book again and to Block's future works.
    • 4/5
      The Story of Forgetting is a unique combination of story, character and technical writing and Stefan Merrill Block is a smart, talented writer who synthesizes fiction and scientific fact seamlessly. He cleverly weaves together three distinct story lines that illuminate the cruel and horrifying descent into Alzheimer's, and its impact on those who bear witness to this loss of loved ones.Abel Haggard, now a reclusive hermit, is spared the disease that ravages his family, but is tragically cursed- physically, romantically and socially. Seth Waller, a bright but troubled teenager struggles to understand his mother's demise, his father's withdrawal and the disease itself; his character is a well crafted, believable portrait of teen isolation and intensity. The mythical utopia of Isidora, where memory does not exist, provides balance to the intertwined stories of Abel and Seth and the disease that connects them.I highly recommend The Story of Forgetting as both a challenging and enjoyable read. Occasionally, I found myself checking to determine fact from fiction, because they were sometimes indistinguishable in the intriguing passages on genetics, history and the science of memory. Often I found myself marking passages that were well written, and there were many. Unfortunately, I share with the author the painful, confusing loss of my grandmother to dementia, and I found many passages that rang true to my family’s experience. Finally, the author's notes on the origins of the story, its evolution and his very personal connection with the subject matter provided a welcome and informative addendum to this story.
    • 4/5
      Seth is a 15 year old science nerd with minimal social skills who is trying to cope with his mother's early-onset Alzheimer's. Abel is an aging recluse living on his family's farm as the world changes around him, reflecting on his life. They tell compelling parallel stories that the reader learns are linked, early in the narrative. Both narrators know stories about a fantasy land called Isidora, and while I enjoyed the book overall, I did not feel that the Isidora stories were necessary or added much to the book.
    • 5/5
      It was a mixture of fun and sadness to read Stefan Merill Block’s book The Story of Forgetting; fun in the sense that some of the situations were just funny and imaginative; sad because of the main subject of Alzheimer’s. The medical part was off-putting to me at first, but I came to appreciate Seth’s search for understanding. Though the medical information that Block inserted in Seth’s narrative made me wonder if it was fact or fiction, so I appreciated the Author’s Notes at the end of the book. I really did like the book because of the way Block interwove the lives of the characters. Giving us a glimpse of how people react to the unknown. Abel trying to understand the relationship of his brother Paul and wife Mae; Seth trying to get through puberty and understand his mother’s illness, in these glimpses we can see through the difficult times the joy of love.
    • 3/5
      Two men struggle with the impact of Alzheimer's Disease on the ones they love. One young man seeks answers during the onset of his mother's illness, while an older gentleman reflects how the ilness shaped his past.
    • 3/5
      The Story of Forgetting is an ambitious first novel by Stefan Merrill Block dealing with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The book alternates between two narrators, 68-year-old Abel and 15-year-old Seth, interspersed with the story of a fictional land called Isadora, and partly-scientific information about a strain of early-onset Alzheimer's.In my advance reader’s edition, the chapters on Isadora are in italics, and those with the real and pseudo-science are titled “Genetic History Part …” (1,2,3,4, or 5). Abel’s and Seth’s narratives are clearly identified by their names. I found it interesting that the subtitles for Seth’s chapters (Abstract – Background Research – Problem – Hypothesis – Procedure – Data – Results – Data Analysis – Conclusion – Future Directions) mirror the organization of a science experiment write-up or a research report.Seth, an awkward loner, is trying to interview the sufferers of this strain of early-onset Alzheimer’s that live near his home in Austin, Texas. He hopes to learn more about his mother’s past and his own prospects with the disease. His mother has been struck by the illness, and even his father knows little about her background.Abel is a lonely hunchback whose homestead north of Dallas is being encroached by suburbia. He reminisces about his mother and twin brother, both of whom had early-onset Alzheimer’s, as well as his brother’s wife, with whom he may have fathered a daughter he hasn’t seen for 21 years.It’s probably predictable where this is heading, and indeed, once the reader learns the name of the mother and the daughter, it’s pretty clear. I found the first part of the book moved slowly and I was easily distracted, but the story picked up after this point.Block does a marvelous job with the characters of Seth and Abel, the latter particularly amazing because Block was only 24 when he wrote the book. I found Seth to be a very realistic 15-year-old, reminding me of my own precocious and nerdy son at that age. Both characters elicit empathy.I also enjoyed the book's settings. Block was spot-on with his characterization of the expansion of the Dallas area, especially into the plains of the north. And the "Westrock" outside Austin sounds suspiciously like the West Lake Hills area.In my opinion, the sections on Isadora are the weakest part of the book. In an afterword, the author states he wrote these while in college, and they have the feel of being forced into the story. The metaphor of a land of no memory is fitting in a story on Alzheimer’s, but the passages themselves are too long and are distracting.I particularly enjoyed the science-based “Genetic History” chapters and was impressed that Block included citations to real publications in his narratives. Block has worked in cognitive development and memory labs at various universities, and I felt I learned a lot about early-onset Alzheimer’s. It was clear to me that the genealogy he described (Mapplethorpe and his descendents) was fiction. Perhaps the mythology of that section made Isadora seem even more unnecessary.My only other gripe with the book is the frequent use of meaningless sentence fragments outside of conversations, for example: “But.” “And then.” While his first novel isn’t flawless, Stefan Merrill Block has a gift for characterization, and I will be interested in reading his future endeavors.
    • 3/5
      Very well written novel and not the least depressing even though it deals with the subject of Alzheimer's .
    • 3/5
      Conceptually, Alzheimer's is a disease that affects us all. So in applying the concept to fiction, an author cannot rely upon a general universality to market his book alone. From the very beginning, we have little understanding of who the protagonist is or what he stands for. All we know is that he covets. And without understanding why, we as readers, have no empathy for his situation. Thus, why should a reader turn the page? Assuming the writing is good enough to make us turn the page for a cad as a protagonist, the next element a reader needs is tension--a driving forward momentum, anchored in space and time that propels us to turn the page. The Story of Forgetting offers little to no tension, as it immediately retreats to backstory to explain why we, as humble readers, should allow the cad to continue doing the things he does. When an author makes this kind of error, however, he loses the driving force of what makes a book compelling. Relying upon a universal cause to attract readers is not a substitute for character, plot, and story. The author, Mr. Block, is young. He will be around for a while. The Story of Forgetting was not ready to be published, shame on Random House, but Mr. Block will be back, and he will be better. Don't give up on him. And Mr. Block, keep up your drive to write.
    • 5/5
      I am generally hesitant to read new books by first-time authors, which is why joining the Early Reviewers group was a big change for me. There are just gads and gads of new books out there and I have to admit that I rarely try a new book unless it has been recommended to me somehow. What a wonderful surprise for me to read The Story of Forgetting and enjoy it more than at least the last dozen or so books I have read!This is a wonderfully imagined story that I think of as neat and complete. From Abel's narration of the past to Seth's narration of the present, the story comes together at the end like a zipper...and like a DNA strand! I enjoyed the writing style, the differences in perspective, the subject matter. My grandfather died of Alzheimer's, and the descriptions of "the death of" this skill or that ability were exactly right.I will recommend this book to my book club once it is released.
    • 5/5
      Today I finished The Story of Forgetting, by Stefan Merrill Block (Review written December 2007).This is a beautiful debut novel, an epic story centered around generations of a family afflicted with Early Onset Alzheimer's.I usually select books when I feel I can personally relate to their subject matter. At first, since I'd never had any experience with the disease or known any family members who have, I thought it wouldn't interest me, at least not on such a deeper level.I couldn't have been more wrong. The story was more than a book centered around a disease that the majority of us (albeit, incorrectly) think we are familiar with. The Story of Forgetting is a patchwork of nuances -- memories found and memories lost, that connect those related by both blood ties and love.Despite my initial reservations, I discovered that the book spoke to me through a universal theme -- one of its main characters had attempted to forever escape her past. This left open the possibility that she would one day need to come full circle and return home. I had always considered the need to return to my home state of Alabama, to come to an understanding of my own past and the parts of it that haunt me. By choosing this seemingly unfamiliar book, I came face to face with my own inner thoughts.