Acknowledgments
This book was inspired by the work of the late Dr. Ian Stevenson and Dr. Jim Tucker at the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
I am particularly indebted to Dr. Tucker for consulting with me and for allowing me to include parts of his excellent book of nonfiction Life Before Life: Children’s Memories of Previous Lives, within this made-up tale. Anderson’s thinking on why children might remember previous lifetimes owes a great deal to a chapter in Dr. Tucker’s fascinating book Return to Life: Extraordinary Cases of Children Who Remember Past Lives.
For those who’d like to read more about Dr. Ian Stevenson, Old Souls, by Tom Shroder, is a riveting account of the man and his work; Children Who Remember Previous Lives, by Dr. Stevenson, gives an overview of his approach.
I’d also like to give thanks:
To my brilliant editor, Amy Einhorn, whose vision guided this novel through many drafts and made it an incomparably better book. To the amazing team at Flatiron Books, including Liz Keenan, Marlena Bittner, and Caroline Bleeke.
To my agent, Geri Thoma, who went above and beyond and whose wise counsel I can always rely on. To Simon Lipskar and Andrea Morrison at Writer’s House for all their help. To Jerry Kalajian at the Intellectual Property Group for working to give this story another life.
To my advisers: Rebecca Dreyfus, for endless patience, love, and confidence in me, and for good ideas both large and small; Bryan Goluboff, who always found time to help me untangle the plot; and Matt Bialer, for incredible generosity that made a huge difference.
To Bliss Broyard, Rita Zoey Chin, Ken Chen, Meakin Armstrong, Youmna Chlala, Sascha Alper, Nell Mermin, and Julia Strohm for reading drafts of this novel and giving great advice. To Catherine Chung, who helped me focus this book at a crucial moment.
To the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and Wellspring House, for perfect working environments.
To the late Jerome Badanes, whose encouragement still matters.
To the dear friends who have advised and supported me through the many incarnations of this book, especially Liz Ludden, Sue Epstein, Martha Southgate, Tami Ephross, Lisa Mann, Stephanie Rose, Shari Motro, Rahti Gorfien, Susannah Ludwig, Edie Meidav, Carol Volk, and Carla Drysdale.
To my teachers, especially the late Peter Matthiessen, who lit the spark, and Kadam Morten Clausen, whose meditation classes and extraordinary teachings helped me stay calm through the ups and downs of this process and eventually changed my life.
To my parents, Alan and Judy Guskin, who always believed in me; my wonderful sisters, Andrea Guskin and Carrie LaShell; my stepmother Lois LaShell, whose faith in my abilities never flagged; and my stepfather, Martin Rosenthal, a true original. To my incredible Cuomo in-laws, Sylvia, George and June, and the Cuomo sibs: I’m so proud to be part of your family.
To my husband, Doug Cuomo, for limitless love and support; and my children, Eli and Ben, for being so kind and so fun. Words can’t express how lucky I feel to share this life with the three of you.
Recommend
The Forgetting Time
for your next book club!
Reading Group Guide available at:
us.macmillan.com/reading-group-gold
About the Author
Sharon Guskin lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons. This is her first novel. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Reading Group Guide Information
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE FORGETTING TIME. Copyright © 2016 by Sharon Guskin. All rights reserved. For information, address Flatiron Books, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.flatironbooks.com
Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to reproduce from the following:
Life Before Life: Children’s Memories of Previous Lives. Copyright © 2005 by Jim B. Tucker, M.D. Reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Press. All rights reserved.
Cover design by Karen Horton
Cover photography © Garrod Kirkwood/Millennium Images, UK
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data for the print edition is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-07642-7 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-10333-8 (international, sold outside the U.S., subject to rights availability)
ISBN 978-1-250-07643-4 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781250076434
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First U.S. Edition: February 2016
First International Edition: February 2016