The Forgetting Time

A Novel

By: Sharon Guskin

Narrated by: Susan Bennett, David Pittu

Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Noah wants to go home. A seemingly easy request from most four-year-olds. But as Noah's single mother, Janie, knows, nothing with Noah is ever easy. One day the preschool office calls and says Janie needs to come in to talk about Noah, and no, not later, now - and life as she knows it stops.

For Jerome Anderson, life as he knows it has stopped. A deadly diagnosis has made him realize he is approaching the end of his life. His first thought - I'm not finished yet. Once a shining young star in academia, a graduate of Yale and Harvard, a professor of psychology, he threw it all away because of an obsession. Anderson became the laughing stock of his peers, but he didn't care - something had to be going on beyond what anyone could see or comprehend. He spent his life searching for that something else. And with Noah, he thinks he's found it. Soon Noah, Janie, and Anderson will find themselves knocking on the door of a mother whose son has been missing for eight years - and when that door opens, all of their questions will be answered.

Sharon Guskin has written a captivating, thought-provoking novel that explores what we regret in the end of our lives and hope for in the beginning and everything in between. In equal parts a mystery and a testament to the profound connection between a child and parent, The Forgetting Time marks the debut of a major new talent. The program features an interview with the author.

DAVID PITTU is a two-time Tony Award nominee, as well as the award-winning narrator of countless audiobooks, ranging in genre from young adult (Scholastic’s 39 Clues series) to spy fiction (Olen Steinhauer’s The Last Tourist and Milo Weaver series) to the contemporary fiction of authors such as Jeffrey Eugenides (The Marriage Plot) and Donna Tartt (The Goldfinch) and many more.

Pittu received the Audie Award for Best Male Solo Narration for The Goldfinch, which also received the Audie for Best Literary Fiction.

Not only a veteran theater actor, he works regularly in film and television. He lives in New York City.

©2016 Sharon Guskin (P)2016 Macmillan Audio

Not the usual

Interesting, unique story. Very well written, easy listening and beautifully performed.
I will be looking out for the next book

A very unusual story. I loved it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It's not your typical story line. Unique and interesting.

What about Susan Bennett and David Pittu ’s performance did you like?

I liked that there were multiple narrators.

Not what I was expecting- but so touching

I wasn’t expecting where the book was going. It took me to a happy place of what if’s and why not’s. Tearfully joyful with the ending, everything wrapped up neatly.

I enjoyed the writing style and the narration was better than I could have hoped.

One of my favorite audiobooks thus far!

Not Great, But Not Bad

I have to say that I almost gave up on this book early on. Janie was too self-pitying and narcissistic, Noah was too much of an unbearable brat. The manner in which Janie meets Noah's father has an unsavory aspect to it (I won't give anything away) that doesn't end up having anything to do with anything, and so one wonders why it was a necessary detail in the first place. In fact, quite a bit of time is spent of Noah's father, who has no bearing on the rest of the book, so all the time spent on him is, perhaps, unnecessary.

But it gets better. All in all, I would say I'm glad I stuck it out. I would say this book is *pretty* good. Despite the subject matter, it's actually a pretty light read. Guskin gives you a straightforward, fairly uncomplicated plot. The four stars I gave to narration are mostly for David Pittu, who's great. Susan Bennett is more like a three and a half. I'm really not a fan of narrators yelling into their mics, even if the character is yelling in the scene. I listen to my audiobooks on headphones. Ouch. She was good otherwise, just nothing spectacular.

That's pretty much how I would describe this whole book--good, but nothing spectacular. Another reviewer compared this to a Hallmark or Lifetime movie. I honestly don't think that's far off. The only thing that puts this a step above is that the writing is actually pretty good. It tends toward cheesy in places, but at least Guskin can put a sentence together. (I've listened to a few audiobooks lately where that was not the case).

My one major complaint about this book is that Guskin wrote well beyond the book's natural ending. It was like I could feel her anxiety about making sure everything was tied up nice and neat in the end, with a bow. It wasn't necessary. There's a good hour at the end of this book that, if I had been her editor, I would have completely cut out. I kept checking my phone and thinking, 'How is there still 45 minutes of this book left?' The main characters' major conflicts were resolved satisfactorily; we didn't need the sappy extra chapters for each of them.

All told, I don't know if I'd recommend this per se. But I wouldn't necessarily discourage anyone from purchasing. This book isn't really a deep dive. It takes you by the hand, spells everything out, and in the end, tucks everything neatly away.

Very good- seriously recommend!

I am a firm believer in reincarnation, so I was excited to find & begin this book. Most of the characters were very well-rounded & believable, with fantastic narration & specific voices for each to help. My one exception, in Janie, may just be my opinion. I had trouble grasping her motives, thoughts, & actions, although I came to accept her by the end. It's hard to explain, so draw your own conclusions. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. As it involved children, I was concerned the situations might bother me, but the author did a admirable job of keeping the difficult parts short & tolerable.
PS- My very young daughter told me something very similar to what Noah tells his mother towards the end of the book. 💗

Fascinating!!

I couldn’t stop listening to this book. They took me on a journey and now that I’m finished, I don’t want it to end. I loved every second.

Loved it! Even if it is Fiction

Read this book on the suggestion of radio morning show host, Sheri Lynch, of the Bob & Sheri show. I really enjoyed the story, every aspect of it, from its references to Jungian archetypes to the stories of personal loss. It made an 8 hour drive home pass quickly, and I even looked forward to driving back, just to finish the book. I think being open to the notion of re-incarnation and of afterlife is probably needed to enjoy this book. Very well done!

What a BEAUTIFUL book

i was skeptical at first. The book didn't go in the direction I was expecting. And yet it was beautiful - the writing, the story, the performances. All of it.

Loved it!

Excellent story and character development. I really enjoyed the narration, especially the differences in tone between Janie and Denise.

Amazing narration

I found the story intriguing and engaging. The narration was exceptional. I highly recommend this Audible book.