In the Dark We Forget by Sandra SG Wong (Review by Lara Ferguson)

4/5

She wakes with a start and realizes that she is on the ground and everything hurts. Confused and unsure, she drags her aching body off the ground and discovers that she is in the middle of nowhere, with no idea who she is or what has happened. She only knows that she has been hurt by someone and she is terrified.

This is how we meet Cleopatra Li, except we don’t yet know who she is. As Cleo sets out to unravel the mysteries that surround her and figure out who she is, her memory is painfully slow to return, and when the authorities find her brother and discover that her parents just won the lottery and are now missing, she could be their prime suspect.

As the investigation continues, Cleo discovers the facts about her life as the investigators do, coming face to face with the realities of her personal relationships, and the reality that the person she was is not the person she is. As the plot twists and turns, with tensions rising, she must confront the fact that there is a possibility that she is who she should be afraid of.

In the Dark we Forget combines the mystery and excitement of a psychological thriller with a deep look at family relationships and how they affect all that we do. It touches on problems that arise from ethnic stereotyping as well as cultural nuances in the Asian community, bringing to light the importance of recognizing our cultural biases. Sandra Wong has written a novel that keeps us on the edge of our seats, while also reminding us to be mindful.