Zoë Nielsen was just like any other ten-year-old walking to school, not knowing that a chance encounter with Thurman Hayes would lead to her abduction and imprisonment in a converted nuclear bunker, 4,000 miles away, beneath a remote ranch house in Arizona. Enslaved in her underground tomb, deprived of food and light and water, the girl Zoe once was steadily begins to disappear… But over time Thurman grows tired of the rapidly maturing Zoë, and when he decides it is time to get rid of her, Zoë must finally make her bid for freedom. Forgetting Zoë is a moving, epic tale of courage, survival, horror and loss, that explores how a bond of affection and intimacy can develop between captive and captor.
Forgetting Zoe
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Review
I read Forgetting Zoë with great pleasure, admiration, and envy. What a writer. The characters are so sharply drawn they're etched into the page... Captivating. A great storytelling achievement. (Tim Pears )
A convincing portrait of how childhood brutality is passed down the generations...Direct in its depiction of abuse, Forgetting Zoë is never less than psychologically acute. (Financial Times )
Very provocative...Powerfully done. (Tom Sutcliffe Saturday Review, Radio 4 )
Terribly convincing...The ventriloquism is very skilled. (Kevin Jackson Saturday Review, Radio 4 )
A convincing portrait of how childhood brutality is passed down the generations...Direct in its depiction of abuse, Forgetting Zoë is never less than psychologically acute. (Financial Times )
Stockholm syndrome is a curious but understandable condition, intelligently and vividly explored by Ray Robinson...Ray Robinson is a writer with keen observation. His prose is hard, abrupt and sinewy...It is a novel that contains violence but also stillness, that reveals more than it makes explicit...A mature and accomplished work.
(Allan Massie The Scotsman )
Very provocative...Powerfully done. (Tom Sutcliffe Saturday Review, Radio 4 )
Terribly convincing...The ventriloquism is very skilled. (Kevin Jackson Saturday Review, Radio 4 )
Book Description
A moving and powerful novel from the author of the much-acclaimed Electricity
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read my first Ray Robinson novel, 'The Man Without' early last year, and have been eagerly awaiting 'Forgetting Zoe' on the strength of it. Glad to say I've not been disappointed!
'Forgetting Zoe' is a novel that confronts the seedier, more twisted aspects of human nature, focusing on the abduction of the young Zoe by Thurman Hayes, a psychologically damaged man whose inferiority complex drives him to the extreme lengths we see in this book.
But the novel isn't solely 'about' the abduction: the novel's scope is much broader, turning its lens on the girl's absent father and guilt-stricken mother, the abductor's troubled past, and the fascinating complexities of Stockholm Syndrome where the captive grows attached to the captor. Nor is the tone unremittingly bleak: there are moments of tenderness and compassion that are all the more striking for their unlikelihood.
Faced with this kind of material, other novelists may have laid the portent and gravitas on thickly for the 'benefit' of the reader, but from what I've read so far, a Robinson novel is never far from a surprising twist that will drop the reader squarely into the thoroughly researched and vividly imagined reality of his characters. Robinson also knowns how a good thriller operates too, and I found myself returning to 'Forgetting Zoe' with an urgency I've not felt since reading Cormack McCarthy's 'The Road' (the author has spoken about his admiration for McCarthy's work, so hopefully he won't feel too embarrassed by the comparison).... Read more ›
'Forgetting Zoe' is a novel that confronts the seedier, more twisted aspects of human nature, focusing on the abduction of the young Zoe by Thurman Hayes, a psychologically damaged man whose inferiority complex drives him to the extreme lengths we see in this book.
But the novel isn't solely 'about' the abduction: the novel's scope is much broader, turning its lens on the girl's absent father and guilt-stricken mother, the abductor's troubled past, and the fascinating complexities of Stockholm Syndrome where the captive grows attached to the captor. Nor is the tone unremittingly bleak: there are moments of tenderness and compassion that are all the more striking for their unlikelihood.
Faced with this kind of material, other novelists may have laid the portent and gravitas on thickly for the 'benefit' of the reader, but from what I've read so far, a Robinson novel is never far from a surprising twist that will drop the reader squarely into the thoroughly researched and vividly imagined reality of his characters. Robinson also knowns how a good thriller operates too, and I found myself returning to 'Forgetting Zoe' with an urgency I've not felt since reading Cormack McCarthy's 'The Road' (the author has spoken about his admiration for McCarthy's work, so hopefully he won't feel too embarrassed by the comparison).... Read more ›
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Simon Savidge Reads
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Fictional stories of child abductions have become more prevalent in books in the last few years, as has the device of writing from children's perspectives in these novels (such as in `Room') or in other `current topics' (I am thinking of `Pigeon English' which I have just started) its almost become it's own genre in a way. Well, I think so. With this in mind I went into reading `Forgetting Zoe' by Ray Robinson with a mixture of `oh here we go again' along with `go on, impress me, do something different'.
On Friday October the 8th 1999 a ten year old girl by the name of Zoe Neilsen suddenly vanishes on the way to school. This shocks the inhabitants of the small island, just off Newfoundland, is immense, it's a place where people leave their doors unlocked and trust their neighbours. The people it doesn't come as a shock to are the readers of this book, as for 50 pages leading up to this we have been given an insight into the twisted and disturbing childhood of Thurman Hayes, the man who we soon to discover, with an all too familiar feeling of history repeating itself, has abducted her. Zoe has become one of those children who `disappear at a mile a minute' in fact Zoe is now in a bunker 4000 miles from home.
I found the way Robinson put us first in the mind of Thurman Hayes was a particularly clever move, it throws the reader off as they watch the victim of child abuse become the abuser. (Unless of course you read the blurb, I hadn't thankfully, which gives away practically the whole storyline. Publishers, why do you do this?) The fact you feel for him when he lives with such a tyrant as one parent, and complete denial ridden doormat of another, makes the sudden change throw you out of step. Robinson has pulled the rug from under your feet.... Read more ›
On Friday October the 8th 1999 a ten year old girl by the name of Zoe Neilsen suddenly vanishes on the way to school. This shocks the inhabitants of the small island, just off Newfoundland, is immense, it's a place where people leave their doors unlocked and trust their neighbours. The people it doesn't come as a shock to are the readers of this book, as for 50 pages leading up to this we have been given an insight into the twisted and disturbing childhood of Thurman Hayes, the man who we soon to discover, with an all too familiar feeling of history repeating itself, has abducted her. Zoe has become one of those children who `disappear at a mile a minute' in fact Zoe is now in a bunker 4000 miles from home.
I found the way Robinson put us first in the mind of Thurman Hayes was a particularly clever move, it throws the reader off as they watch the victim of child abuse become the abuser. (Unless of course you read the blurb, I hadn't thankfully, which gives away practically the whole storyline. Publishers, why do you do this?) The fact you feel for him when he lives with such a tyrant as one parent, and complete denial ridden doormat of another, makes the sudden change throw you out of step. Robinson has pulled the rug from under your feet.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By AbigailSPaul
Format:Paperback
I had been recommended this novel to read and was really nervous about picking it up, because of its focus on child abduction - this is not something I want to read about in my spare time, to be honest. However, I was so glad I did because Robinson has managed to turn a disturbing and uncomfortable subject matter into a beautifully written and sensitive page-turner that avoids the usual gruesome shock-tactics to keep your attention. With so much media hysteria about these cases in the real world, it was refreshing to read a sensitive portrayal of child abduction that conveys the deeply sad circumstances of all the protagonists involved (something that is simply glossed over in media reports of such cases). I loved his convincing descriptions of the landscape - you are transported right into the middle of the desert - as well as the empathy shown to the complex characters. The book's pace quickens the further you get into it and you become hooked. But again, the culmination of the story is not over-egged and I was pleased that Robinson chose a measured and respectful ending for Zoe. Will definitely put it on the agenda for our next book club.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Vanessa
Format:Paperback
Forgetting Zoe is the story of a girl who is abducted from an island off the coast of Newfoundland, by a disturbed, dangerous individual named Thurman Hayes. He keeps her captive in a purpose built bunker in deepest Arizona. The story follows not only the relationship which develops between Thurman and Zoe, but also the devastation her abduction causes in her village. Ray Robinson's novel powerfully, yet delicately, depicts the shock, guilt and sadness which Zoe's mother Ingrid, faces and has to come to terms with. The situation changes Ingrid as a person to such a degree that she becomes more and more distant from those she cares about, including her partner Einar who, as he becomes a suspect, causes Ingrid to question her judgement about everything she has ever known.
Forgetting Zoe is not a gruesome, voyeuristic novel inviting the reader to excuse Thurman's actions, or simply empathizing with the distraught Ingrid, but instead is a beautiful, painful and unsettling novel which causes the reader to question their own instincts to manipulate and control in different relationships, consider the ways in which we might react to the shock of losing a loved one or the possibility of having to see the true character of someone we care about, in the cold light of evidence, and the responsibility we may have in the situation we find ourselves in.
Ray Robinson's gift of making seemingly insignificant observations vital and evocative, are what the reader can relate to, even if the subject matter is, hopefully, far removed from anything they have experienced. Robinson does not 'spoon-feed' his audience and, instead, leaves them to put the pieces together for themselves. Forgetting Zoe is truly a book which will stay with you long after you have read the last page.
Forgetting Zoe is not a gruesome, voyeuristic novel inviting the reader to excuse Thurman's actions, or simply empathizing with the distraught Ingrid, but instead is a beautiful, painful and unsettling novel which causes the reader to question their own instincts to manipulate and control in different relationships, consider the ways in which we might react to the shock of losing a loved one or the possibility of having to see the true character of someone we care about, in the cold light of evidence, and the responsibility we may have in the situation we find ourselves in.
Ray Robinson's gift of making seemingly insignificant observations vital and evocative, are what the reader can relate to, even if the subject matter is, hopefully, far removed from anything they have experienced. Robinson does not 'spoon-feed' his audience and, instead, leaves them to put the pieces together for themselves. Forgetting Zoe is truly a book which will stay with you long after you have read the last page.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Deadly Boring and Total Waste of Time
I saw very good reviews for this audiobook here in Amazon, and I was so excited to listen to it. But it was so slow and flat, with far too many unnecessary details and not much... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Behzad
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow steady on Rayski!!!
Ray has done it again the Yorkshire porker with a passion for words and talent for the forgotten worlds of characters lost has written another book also now available on KINDLE... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Wayne Kurr
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but a missed opportunity...
I really wanted to like this book and, while it is better than Emma Donoghue's Room, I can't quite bring myself to do so. Read more
Published on 30 May 2011 by bloodsimple
5.0 out of 5 stars
Twisted and Absorbing
Ray Robinson takes you on a dark ride of twisted seduction in this novel of abduction. He reels you in, smacks you across the face with horror, and makes you keep reading. Read more
Published on 17 May 2011 by Jude Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
intense
This book took me by surprise, I started reading it just to see if the first few pages grabbed me, it did! I could not put it down, read it in a day which is most unlike me! Read more
Published on 25 Aug 2010 by betty
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellant book
what can i say, im a 18 yearold who loves to read,
yes i read all the books by ray,
forgetting zoe was the most exciting read of this year,
even though it was... Read more
yes i read all the books by ray,
forgetting zoe was the most exciting read of this year,
even though it was... Read more
Published on 26 July 2010 by lollipop
5.0 out of 5 stars
One to watch
Ray Robinson specialises in the extremes of human experience: Electricity and The Man Without both looked at the world from the point of view of damaged individuals seeking an... Read more
Published on 26 July 2010 by Fat City
5.0 out of 5 stars
Holy Moly
Forgetting Zoe is still very much with me over 3 weeks after having finished it. What an accomplishment to write a novel about the most horrendous of stories and to do so in such a... Read more
Published on 26 July 2010 by lex5000
5.0 out of 5 stars
another fine book from Ray Robinson
An incredibly well written book from an interesting author who use of metaphor and simile separate his books from the run of the mill offerings of many authors. Read more
Published on 25 July 2010 by dave
5.0 out of 5 stars
will you forget zoe
This was true life.
Not fiction.
Imprisoned, abused, Relying on the man ./ or beast Thurman. Read more
Not fiction.
Imprisoned, abused, Relying on the man ./ or beast Thurman. Read more
Published on 25 July 2010 by huskyblue
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