The
Forgotten Hours
by Katrin Schumann delves into a timely subject. It is a thought-provoking
story about a woman's search for the haunting truth regarding
her best friend and father. The main character Katie wanted
to believe that her father was perfect, that he was the same
person she knew and loved. But once he was accused of statutory
rape, she had to reconcile if her father was being honest
with her. As she searched for facts that would give her answers,
Katie wondered does she forgive, ignore, or cut off ties.
Schumann noted, "A few years ago I had two friends, almost
at the same time, involved in a really nasty and complicated
law case about consent. The cases were not related. I had
this front row seat about the experiences of the accused and
accuser. I felt pulled along in the emotional tide and realized
that people who love them are also victims. I did not want
to commit to one side or the other or jump to conclusions.
There are so many grey areas. At the time of writing this,
there was the Jerry Sandusky case. I saw on television, the
harrowing look of his wife and a comment she made struck me,
"This is not the man I know." It is disorienting
to think we do not know who people really are."
Ten
years ago, when Katie was fifteen her teenage best friend
Lulu accused her dad of rape. Because there was an age difference
of about thirty years, he was sent off to prison for nine
years. Katie was loyal to her father and never questioned
his innocence. Now, with her dad's release date approaching
she must come to grips with what really happened, after being
hounded by reporters and knowing she could no longer keep
her boyfriend in the dark To make matters worse she must return
to the Eagle Lake cabin where the incident occurred. While
there she discovers letters about the trial that provoke in
her questions about her father's innocence and her own memory
of what happened.
This story is a page-turner that also speaks to broader questions
of sexual abuse, family loyalty, and the uncertainty of memory.
Interestingly, throughout the novel, Schumann has readers
questioning who is the predator, the accused or the accuser.
The plot's themes are all the more powerful in today's current
environment.
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