The Forgotten Hours Book Review TW: Sexual Assault & Child Abuse

Whew, this was a heavy book. Before I get into this, I want to put up a trigger warning that this book and my review will discuss sexual assault, rape, child abuse, and dissociation. Please don't read further if these topics upset you!

The Forgotten Hours is by Katrin Schumann and I got this book for free in January as part of the Free Book program with Kindle Unlimited. It follows a 25 year old woman named Katie who is still dealing with the aftermath of her dad being accused of raping her best friend, Lulu, 10 years prior. Her father is now about to be released from prison and Katie is struggling with feeling the need to still defend and believe her father but also to uncover the dark truth and listen to what her former best friend had to say. As Katie digs through court transcripts, witness testimonies, and family secrets, her world shifts upside down and everything is questioned. 

What I most liked about this book is the way it dealt with such taboo topics, bringing them into the light to be talked about and educated from. The author showed how common victim blaming is and how that is so damaging and unhelpful. The author touched upon dissociation and how common that is in abuse victims and how this shouldn't negate what the victim is trying to tell people. The book talks about how sexual abuse victims can freeze and shut down when going through abuse, making it impossible for them to say "No!". And the book also talks about how some older men groom younger girls, showing what that looks like and how to be aware, and even showing the flawed and disturbing thought process going through the older man's mind. 

This book weaves taboo topics with beautiful nature imagery set in the lake town where the crime happened as well as conversely, busy and bright Manhattan. I'm giving this book 4.5/5 stars, I reserve 5 stars for books that are my favorite and that I'll reread again and again. But for me, this book is so heavy and heartbreaking, I don't think I could handle rereading it. I love how informed and gentle the author was and I loved Katie's quest for truth, even if it meant destroying her life. 

I highly recommend this if you're interested in mysteries of sorts, family secrets, and want to learn more about how to spot child grooming, sexual abuse, and how to treat victims of abuse. Please regard the trigger warning however, because this is a heavy topic. 

Alette