Try to Remember

"This is a powerful and courageous novel about a family struggling to know the truth about its past without being destroyed by it. You either need to read it or know somebody who does."
--Phyllis Theroux, author of California and Other States of Grace
    


Phoebe Fairchild--in her twenties, high-achieving, and her father's favorite--is unaccountably depressed. Her new therapist, Sahra Meehan, becomes her lifeline, and with Sahra as her guide, Phoebe begins to uncover what she believes are childhood memories of her father: an inappropriate touch here, a look there, then more. Phoebe's parents are at first unbelieving and then shattered when Phoebe accuses her father of sexual abuse, and Claire and Harvey Fairchild's loving marriage of twenty-five years is thrown into question. When Phoebe tries to involve her sister, Bess, in the therapy, the family is in danger of splitting apart completely. Insightful, richly detailed, and wonderfully written, Try to Remember is a harrowing novel about the heart of an American family, and how good intentions can threaten to destroy so much.
    


"Vibrant with insight. . . . Try to Remember is that unexpected miracle: a morality tale that doesn't preach, as well as a riveting psychological whodunit; and a bittersweet meditation on family and the depth of parental obligation."
--Madeleine Blais, author of In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle
    


"Try to Remember is a compelling story. . . . Kotker understands that she is writing about a complicated cultural as well as psychological phenomenon, and she does it with superb sensitivity."
--Joan Jacobs Brumberg, author of The Body Project: An Intimate History of American  Girls
    


"No parent will remain unshaken by Try to Remember, but in today's world--when sexual abuse within the family is suddenly a much-discussed topic--perhaps every parent and older child should read it."
--Susan Allen Toth, author of How to Prepare for Your High School Reunion: And Other Midlife Musings
    


"Zane Kotker's novel Try to Remember is a psychological thriller that's both timely and timeless. Pertinent as this morning's headlines, the book is a compelling read, which Kotker's stylistic gift transforms into a work of art."
--Hugh Nissenson, author of The Tree of Life
    


"What I love about Try to Remember is that it immerses you in a beautifully written novel, and it also gives insights into the delicate inner workings of a young woman and a family. "
--Elizabeth Loftus, Ph.D., professor of psychology, University of Washington, and co-author of The Myth of Repressed Memory

Zane Kotker is the author of three previous novels. She lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.