A tense tale of suppressed memories

Sometimes, suppressed memories are the ugliest memories that show up like periscopes out of the subconscious. Nine years ago, after the ‘Scarlet Christmas’, Charlie has magically rebuilt her perfect life, not knowing what is going to happen in the next couple of months. Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead revolves around the life of Charlotte Colbert, “Charlie”, who is a British woman living in New York City. She has put a lot of effort into re-starting her normal life after a horrific incident that occurred during her college graduation. Charlie, who was one of the survivors, was named a witness by the media covering the incident, not knowing that she had suppressed important details of what happened that night. Charlie’s best friend Cate was among the many Carroll University students who died in the “Scarlet Christmas” incident that happened nine years ago on Christmas Eve.

As a debut book writer, Jenny Hollander weaves in a compelling psychological thriller that explores the heaviness of holding secrets, delves deep into fragile memories, and hovers upon the shadow of guilt. Charlie is a well-known editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine who is happily married to her wealthy husband. She has everything that money can buy. But her life takes a U-turn when she hears that Stephanie, Cate's twin sister, has planned to make a documentary about Scarlet Christmas, an incident where several students were murdered. Charlie is now forced to face the lies she has told to protect herself. Though she cannot recall exactly what happened during that night, she knows that everything she has worked for in her life will be snatched away from her if the truth comes out. She is determined not to let anyone – even those who she loved once, get in her way.

The chapters in the book titled ‘Now’ and ‘Then’ take the readers on a journey into the past and present. The author's ability to create a complex, unreliable narrator is what sets this novel apart. Charlie is not the usual main character that everyone thinks of, rather she is flawed, morally dubious, and motivated by self-preservation. It also makes the storyline very captivating and unpredictable.

The author astutely plays with the mind of the main character, making her a unique character in the story. The complexity of situations has been deftly inter-connected between the past and present.

The book talks about a very basic human nature of suppressing memories, which people often ignore. This could lead to terrible consequences. Everyone who can forgive is dead will please all those who are interested in reading a nail-biting psychological thriller. Just make sure, you are tightly seated in your fav reading corner!