Title: Forget Me Not
Series: Mnevermind trilogy, #2
Author: Jordan Castillo Price
Genre: Contemporary/Sci-fi
Length: Novel (171 pages)
Publisher: JCP Books (February 19th, 2014)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts
Blurb: No two people are exactly alike, but Elijah Crowe is very, very different.
Elijah is on the autism spectrum, so the tasks of day-to-day life most people breeze through are a challenge for him. His career suffered because he never got the hang of schmoozing, and now he wastes his talents teaching classes at the mall. His social circle is limited to his ex, his therapist, and a structured inclusion group at the Rec Center. The one bright spot in his life is the memory science of Mnemography.
Although he loves nothing better than devouring the latest research and tinkering with all the specialized equipment, he never clicked with any other experts in the field until he met Daniel Schroeder. Daniel runs a memory palace—he even writes his own mnems—and that shared interest alone would make him fascinating. But Daniel and Elijah met under unusual circumstances, where the statement, “I like you, and I think you like me,” held some surprising nuances.
Now Elijah suspects he’s gay, but the few prominent people in his life are less than supportive. Some are downright hostile. Elijah might not be neurotypical, but he’s plenty smart. Surely, there’s some way to get people to accept him for who he is. If only he could figure out how.
Product Link: http://jcpbooks.com/ebook/forget.html
Reviewer: GiGi
Review: The thing I like about the Mnevermind trilogy is that this constructed futuristic world of Mnem technology is highly believable. The characters are engaging, the plot a bit mind-bending, and the entire story thoroughly unique. Forget Me Not introduces us to the mysterious Elijah Crowe, who high tails it off at the end of The Persistence of Memory after a sexual encounter with Daniel. Jordan has done her homework. We get to look into the mind of a highly functioning genius who is on the spectrum of those living with an autism disorder. Instead of a generalized clinical description of an autistic person, we get to understand why Elijah needs to stimm, or stimulate with the touches to himself and twitches we so often turn away from when encountered. We get taken along for the ride as he starts to analyze the world around him, getting lost, and taken off track, only to remember lessons learned from his many therapy sessions as Elijah applies them to allow himself to function on a daily basis. We see how he views his relationships and how he tries to wade through basic social interaction, without the filter we have to understand basic body language and nuances of communication. It may sound like heavy reading but Price presents this material in such a smooth flowing, fascinating way, that I found myself totally engrossed. I was brought through the gamut of emotional reactions throughout the story, from Elijah’s fear when he is threatened by a coworker, to his confusion in his developing relationship with Daniel, his confusion about his own sexuality, and his heartbreak when the stress gets to be too much for Daniel and he strikes out verbally at Elijah in misunderstanding of his disorder.
I don’t want you to think this entire book is entirely about Elijah’s experience with autism spectrum disorder, because there is so much more going on. We’re brought back into the intriguing world of Mnem as Daniel, Big D, and Elijah attend a conference about new Mnem technology. Daniel, desperately seeking a way to help rid his father if his persistent memory or Mnem, gets duped for a short time into believing a new development can provide the answers. After a confrontation leads to hurt and misunderstanding between Daniel and Elijah, Eli makes the effort to bridge the distance, not only to save their growing relationship but also to help Daniel find a way to heal his father. By the end of Forget Me Not, many characters enter the stew and someone from Daniel and Big D’s past shows up to stir the pot and create even more turmoil in Daniel’s life.
Jordan Castillo Price constantly raises the bar in her writing. Her style is unique, as she paints her characters and unique worlds in shades of gray and black, dark but intriguing, with layers and depth of character that keep me hooked. The thing I like most, being a fan of m/m fiction, is that Jordan is foremost an amazing psy-fi/paranormal/mystery/suspense writer…that her main characters are also gay seems secondary. I would like to see this in the real world, that we get to judge characters/people by what they do, how they interact, how they treat those around them, not by their sexuality.
I highly recommend this trilogy, be sure to read them in order. And if you are not already familiar with Jordan Castillo Price, invest in her backlist…you won’t’ be disappointed.