Cover of THE FORGOTTEN ROOM; photo courtesy of NAL
THE FORGOTTEN ROOM by Karen White, Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig
Three female authors, three generations of characters, and one continuing story could have spelled disaster. It must at least have been daunting to novelists Karen White, Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig to attempt such a feat. But they have managed to combine their talents to provide an engaging and entertaining novel titled THE FORGOTTEN ROOM. It moves across time through three generations and unifies the story along the way.
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The story involves three women. Olive is discovered in the story during the 1890’s. She works in the home of a rich family as a maid. Lucy is described as a secretary living in the 1920’s. The home where Olive worked is now a boarding house for young women. Finally we meet Kate, a doctor in the 1940’s. She works at a hospital which is the mansion where Olive worked and Lucy lived. In this building, on the top floor, is a forgotten room.
There is a central plotline to this story involving Olive and the son of the master of the manor. Their relationship colors the lives of all who follow in this generational saga. Lucy is Olive’s daughter and Kate is Lucy’s daughter. Each is involved in a love story with a man who might just be totally wrong for each woman. Still these stories of unrequited love affect the reader and mold the overall impression of love being worth whatever it costs.
It is assumed each author chose a character and told her story. This would be easy enough to do. But how did they manage to make each chapter in one generation seep into the story of the other two? The generations do not take place in a vacuum. A phrase here or an action there can hold great impact for the stories that are to come.
White, Williams and Willig do this almost seamlessly. They sublimate their individual storytelling skills into one pattern and make the book have one total effect. The characters are different but they have traits and emotions that are similar. You are convinced the three women are related and each chapter hands off the plot to the next one in line. It is a wonderful way to tell a story because each main character is as strong and as compelling as the other two are.
The concept of having a three author story is not something I would endorse overall. There are just so many ways it could go wrong. However in the hands of these three talented authors everything goes oh so right.
Readers of THE FORGOTTEN ROOM will make sure this romantic novel is not forgotten anytime soon.
THE FORGOTTEN ROOM is published by NAL. It contains 384 pages and sells for $26.00.
