We Came Here to Forget by Andrea Dunlop
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Publisher: Atria Books (Simon & Schuster Audio)
Release Date: July 2, 2019
Length: 320 pages (10 hrs. 26 min.)
Amazon

{A Bit of Backstory}

Single Sentence Summary

After a family tragedy turns into a public scandal, Olympic-class skier Katie Cleary disappears into a new life in Buenos Aires.

From the Publisher

“Katie Cleary has always known exactly what she wants: to be the best skier in the world.…

But as the upward trajectory of Katie’s elite skiing career nears its zenith, a terrifying truth about her sister becomes impossible to ignore – one that will lay ruin not only to Katie’s career, but to her family and her relationship with Luke and Blair.

With her life shattered and nothing left to lose, Katie flees the snowy mountainsides of home for Buenos Aires. There, she reinvents herself as Liz Sullivan…”

The Draw

• The audiobook version narrated by Julia Whelan.
• A newish setting for me in Buenos Aires.
• I tend to enjoy dual timeline stories.

{My Thoughts}

I always like it when an author is able to put together seemingly disparate parts into a cohesive story and Andrea Dunlop did just that in We Came Here to Forget. She managed to bring together an elite ski career with dancing the tango, snow-capped mountains with a bustling foreign city, and the pride of victory with the shame of scandal. She seamlessly accomplished this by using dual timelines for her leading character, Katie/Liz.

“I felt a chill run through my body. At the time I would have told you it was exhaustion, overwhelm, and confusion all happening at once, but looking back, I know. That feeling was the devil walking into the room.”

Katie grew up in Idaho and took to skiing from the time she was 5. The trajectory of her life was defined by getting better and better at her sport, putting more and more time in, moving closer to trainers, qualifying for bigger and bigger competitions until the Olympics became reality. Throughout this past timeline, you not only follow Katie’s career, but her closest relationships with both family and friends.

“The thing about tragedy is that it isn’t about just getting through it. It’s about getting on with your life when the dust has settled, but the landscape is bombed out, smoke in the air, charred remains at your feet.”

In Buenos Aries Katie is calling herself Liz. She fears being recognized, going out of her way to avoid anyone who might realize her true identity. Herein lies the mystery of We Came Here to Forget. Why is Katie afraid? What happened back at home? Why has she given up her career? As she’s learning to tango and finding the solace of friendship in a quirky group of expats with secrets of their own, more and more answers are revealed.

As with many dual timeline stories, in We Came Here to Forget I liked one more than the other. The mystery of the story lived in the past timeline and that was the one I was always most eager to get back to. The present, in Buenos Aires sometimes felt a little trifling. But near the end, as the past got closer and closer to the present, I found them equally compelling. A few plot points in the story felt a little too usual for my taste, but those were offset by other elements that you rarely find in fiction. These added a depth and richness to the story, and that combined with the fantastic narration of Julia Whelan made We Came Here to Forget my favorite audiobook so far this summer! Grade: A-

Narration: This really goes without saying, but ANYTHING read by Julia Whelan is fantastic and We Came Here to Forget is no exception. She does voices so well (including men’s) that she makes it almost impossible not to get lost in the story. Grade: A

If you liked this book you might also enjoy:

• Before the Wind by Jim Lynch – A family with sailing in their DNA tries to overcome their differences and reunite for one of the biggest sailing competitions in the Northwest. (my review)
• The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir – A young woman’s attempts to wrestle her parents for control of the narrative around their family scandals. This one is also excellent in audio. (my review)

Disclosure: There are Amazon Associate links included within this post.