Sometimes there's a town called Indianola. And sometimes there isn't.
June, 1993. Claire has been dumped in rural Indianola, Texas, to spend her whole vacation taking care of mean, sickly Grammy. There's nothing too remarkable about Indianola: it's run-down, shabby, and sweltering, a pin-dot on the Gulf Coast.
Except there is something remarkable. Memories shimmer and change. Lizards whisper riddles under the pecan trees. People disappear as if they never existed. Yesterday keeps coming unspooled, like a video tape. And worst of all, a red-lightning storm from beyond our world may just wipe the whole town off the map, if Claire and her maybe-girlfriend Julie can't stop it.
Because reality doesn't apply in Indianola. Indianola is not supposed to exist.
Surprising, brilliant, and, like, totally tight, Forget This Ever Happened is speculative horror at its finest, featuring an OwnVoices Queer romance and dark, dazzling world-building.
About the Author :
Cassandra Rose Clarke is a speculative fiction writer and occasional teacher. Her first adult novel, The Mad Scientist's Daughter, was a finalist for the 2013 Philip K. Dick Award, and her YA novel, The Assassin's Curse, was nominated for YALSA's 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults. She is a graduate of the 2010 Clarion West Writers Workshop and holds a masters degree in creative writing from the University of Texas at Austin. Her short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons and Daily Science Fiction. Visit her at CassandraRoseClarke.com..
Sandy Rustin is an actress and playwright. Her sketch comedy musical about parenthood, Rated P (For Parenthood), opened to critical acclaim off Broadway at the Westside Theatre in 2012; her one-act comedy, Fireworks, recently won the seventh annual Nor'Eastern Playwriting competition; and her newest full length play, The Cottage, was selected as part of Midtown Direct Rep's 2013 Theatre in the Loft Reading Series. A graduate of Northwestern University, she currently lives in New York City.
Review :
"Clarke slowly ratchets up the tension of this fascinating, genre-bending mystery."
-- "Booklist"
"Clarke unfolds the town's mystery with a compulsively building menace, while delightfully alien monsters, sweet queer representation, and a riot grrrl soundtrack keep even tense moments fun."
-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"
"Will send readers through a twisty labyrinth to a satisfying conclusion."
-- "Kirkus Reviews"
