Forgive Me

ISBN: 0739344102

Author: Ward, Amanda Eyre

Condition: New

Product Description From the acclaimed author ofHow to Be Lost comes a gorgeous new novel about love, memory, and motherhood.Nadine Morgan travels the world as a journalist, covering important events, following dangerous leads, and running from anything that might tie her down. Since an assignment in Cape Town ended in tragedy and regret, Nadine has not returned to South Africa, or opened her heart-until she hears the story of Jason Irving.Jason, an American student, was beaten to death by angry local youths at the height of the apartheid era. Years later, his mother is told that Jasons killers have applied for amnesty. Jasons parents pack their bags and fly from Nantucket to Cape Town. Filled with rage, Jasons mother resolves to fight the murderers pleas for forgiveness.As Nadine follows the Irvings to beautiful, ghost-filled South Africa, she is flooded with memories of a time when the pull toward adventure and intrigue left her with a broken heart. Haunted by guilt and a sense of remorse, and hoping to lose herself in her coverage of the murder trial, Nadine grows closer to Jasons mother as well as to the mother of one of Jasons killers-with profound consequences. In a country both foreign and familiar, Nadine is forced to face long-buried demons, come to terms with the missing pieces of her own family past, and learn what it means to truly love and to forgive.With her dazzling prose and resonant themes, Amanda Eyre Ward has joined the ranks of such beloved American novelists as Anne Tyler and Ann Patchett. Gripping, darkly humorous, and luminous,Forgive Me is an unforgettable story of dreams and longing, betrayal and redemption.From the Hardcover edition. From Publishers Weekly Before Nadine has fully recovered from an assault that left her hospitalized, she is already on a plane to South Africa. As luck would have it, she flies the same flight as two parents who are to appear in front of a tribunal created in the postapartheid era to reconsider the crimes of political criminals. Their testimony will decide the fate of a young woman who was involved in the murder of their son, Jason. A hard news journalist, Nadine wants the scoop, but returning to South Africa will bring up some dark memories from her past. Lee's narration proves to be the best part of this audiobook. Her soft and smooth voice captures and improves the emotion and energy of the book. Her accents and different vocal characterizations are also impressive and consistent. While she will seduce listeners, her skill won't necessarily improve the story, which feels hackneyed and forced. Though Ward provides an intriguing look at the issue of recovery in postapartheid South Africa, her protagonist's personal journey proves clichéd and counterintuitive to the politics of the story. Simultaneous release with the Random House hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 30).Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter One Nadine hears the parrots. So picturesque in the evening, floating over the courtyard while she sips tequila and deciphers the days notes, the birds make the hot dawn intolerable. Two thin pillows cannot block the cacophony. Nadines sheets press against her body. She remembers the warm lips of a local journalist, but wakes alone. A room at La Hacienda Solita includes breakfast. Slowly, Nadine makes her way to the wooden table outside the kitchen. She orders eggs, beans, coffee, and juice from the girl. The juice arrives in a ceramic glass filled with ice cubes, and Nadine drinks it, though she should not. The girl-no more than ten-stands next to the table, her bare feet callused. She watches Nadine. There is a communal shower. Nadine uses Pert Plus shampoo, bought in an American Rite Aid on her way back over the border: she was in a Laredo police station when the news of the twelve dead boys came in. Nadi