THE FORGOTTEN HOURS by Katrin Schumann & Giveaway

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Ten years ago, the absolute worst thing that could happen, happened to Katie Gregory. Her father was accused and convicted for raping her best friend and sentenced to six years in prison. In Katrin Schumann’s novel, THE FORGOTTEN HOURS (LakeUnionPublishing) the prose go back and forth from when the crime occurred and her father’s release. THE FORGOTTEN HOURS tackles complex characters and issues.

At twenty-four, life is looking up for Katie Greogry: she’s snagged a great job in New York City and is falling for a captivating artist—and memories of her traumatic past are finally fading. Katie’s life fell apart almost a decade earlier, during an idyllic summer at her family’s cabin on Eagle Lake when her best friend accused her father of sexual assault. Throughout his trial and imprisonment, Katie insisted on his innocence, dodging reporters and clinging to memories of the man she adores.

Now he’s getting out. Yet when Katie returns to the shuttered lakeside cabin, details of that fateful night resurface: the chill of the lake, the heat of first love, the terrible sting of jealousy. And as old memories collide with new realities, they call into question everything she thinks she knows about family, friends, and, ultimately, herself. Now, Katie’s choices will be put to the test with life-altering consequences.

Schumann’s novel comes at a relevant time. The #metoo movement and topic of consent is in the news. The novel invites readers to question loyalty within a family and one’s best friend. THE FORGOTTEN HOURS hooked me on page one, and I couldn’t stop reading until the end. Once finished, I pondered my own feelings for some time.

*****

KATRIN’S WORDS:

I was born in Germany and grew up in Brooklyn and London—as a consequence, most of my writing explores our search for a sense of belonging, and the struggle to define ourselves in the context of our circumstances. I now live in Boston and Key West, and will soon be taking over as Program Coordinator of the Key West Literary Seminar and Workshops.

My novel THE FORGOTTEN HOURS was a hard book to write and I’m hoping it will spark a million conversations. It has been called “gut-wrenching,” a “brilliant debut” with a “heart-pounding finish.” I’m also the author of a novel set in post war East Germany about loss and redemption (coming in 2020), as well as several nonfiction books.

My work has been featured multiple times on TODAY and in Woman’s Day, The London Times and on NPR, as well as other national and international media. For the past ten years I’ve been teaching writing, most recently at GrubStreet and at local prisons through PEN New England. Many moons ago, I was granted the Kogan Media Award for my work at National Public Radio and received academic scholarships to Oxford and Stanford Universities. More recently, I’ve been awarded writing residencies at the VCCA, the Norman Mailer Writers Colony and Vermont Studio Center.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing, we have one copy to giveaway. Just tell us about your first best friend. Are you still BFFs? We’ll announce a winner soon. Good luck.

GIVEAWAY: USA only please.