Cover Image: The Beautiful Fall

The Beautiful Fall

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Member Reviews

What if every 179 days your life reset? What if everything you loved, held dear, worked for and dreamed of was forgotten and you were forced to start over? This is the life of 31 year old, Robert Penfold.

When we first meet Robert he is in a fresh state of amnesia, his former self has left detailed instructions in the form of a letter, with all of the directives that he needs to resume his life. A carefully regimented and solitary life designed to protect him in his almost infantile state. By design his reclusive existence involves as little contact as possible with the outside world - he’s far too vulnerable and perpetually living in fear of “The Forgetting” and the likely consequences should he not stick to the protocol.

With 12 days until the world as he knows it ends, Julie appears on his doorstep. But will her arrival upset all that Robert thought he knew about himself and his carefully laid plans? .

These are flawed characters, in a nightmarish situation. It’s hard not to empathise with the hand that life has dealt Robert. Although I thought the concept clever, I found the motif of his large project a little laborious and tad overdrawn in places, although that all became much clearer as the story unfolded.

Once the plot unraveled and the pieces shifted into place, my interest intensified and I had trouble putting it down. There is a real tangible sense of the ticking of time, as we count down the final days before The Forgetting. The unexpected twists had me clutching at my proverbial pearls, with a few unexpected revelations that entirely changed my affection for the characters.

An amazing premise which had intrigued! It really got me thinking about how precious our memory is and that without it, most things that we value in our lives would seem hollow and meaningless.

At the very core this is a love story, in the same vein as The Time Traveller’s Wife. You will find yourself holding your breath, right alongside the characters.

With gratitude to NetGalley, Text Publishing and author Hugh Breakey for the opportunity to review this advanced reader copy, Thank you.

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Why haven't see anyone waiting for The Beautiful Fall to come out?! I feel as if this book will be an underrated book, let's change that! It tells a beautiful story about personality, free choices, life decisions, marriage and so much more!

The main character, Robbie, loses his memory every 179 days. The book begins with a letter which was written by his "past-self" and we read his last 12 days. He encounters a woman called Julie. She turns that 12 days into an emotional roller-coaster. I have to say that I feel a little uncomfortable while reading their first days. Especially thoughts of Robbie, like she's just an object, lessened my joy coming from reading but after a while everything makes sense. And at first, I felt the domino parts take too much role, but their meaning, etc was brilliant. In addition to that, I felt the ending was rushed and hanged in the air.

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This story sucked me in from the first page, which opens with Robbie’s letter from his past self. It’s a clever way to communicate the issue of Robbie’s episodic amnesia — a form of memory loss that strikes every 6 months. The reader is given the same information as Robbie when he experiences the first moments of “the forgetting” before jumping into the last 12 days of his current memory cycle.

At the urgent recommendation of his previous self, Robbie survives through structure, control and isolation. Things change when Julie enters his life. She’s beautiful, flawed — and they have an undeniable connection. What follows is a story with twists and turns that explores love and identity.

I started this book because I was initially curious about Robbie’s amnesia, but kept reading to see how his relationship with Julie developed — and to see if we would get to experience a forgetting firsthand. This book kept me guessing in the best ways.

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a fair review.

CW: alcoholism

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Entertaining, well-written, and a whole lot of confusing fun, The Beautiful Fall was a pleasure to read. Coming off from a litany of non-fiction books, this return to fiction sucked me in upon the first sentence. No, literally. Check the book's description and see what I mean—it quite literally pulls you in, practically compelling you to read more to satisfy your curiosity. Intrigue and interest go hand in hand in this one.

Synopsis

This story is centered around Robert Penfold, a 31-year old recluse with a neurological condition that causes him to forget his identity approximately every 179 days ("the forgetting") and his highly regimented life. Rigorous exercise every morning. The same basic meals every day. Not a soul to talk to. Oh, and a strenuous project involving dominoes that he devotes his life purpose to.

Enter Julie: the woman who upends—through sheer force of her own will—Robbie's carefully crafted life, just twelve days before his next forgetting. Within just days of meeting her, he's noticing parts of the newest version of himself he's never seen before, feeling things he's sure he's never felt before—or at least, this version of him. As she becomes further enmeshed into his life, Robbie's forced to confront the growing disparity between his current comfortable existence and his future, vulnerable self, who needs his strict lifestyle more than anything, and the fact that his past self might not be who he thought. When Julie reveals a world-turning secret, it might just threaten to implode the sure, but temporary, self-identity he's fought so hard to build.

Review

Easily one of the most creative storylines I've encountered, I was intrigued by this book from the beginning. What caused Robbie's bizarre neurological condition? How did he survive each forgetting? What does he do—what can he do—in the sixth short months before each episode? All these questions and more kept me reading.

The entire book happens in the span of the twelve days that remain before Robbie's next forgetting, adding an element of impending doom to the whole book and making the plot seem that much more urgent. We watch as Robbie tries desperately to avoid Julie as much as possible, knowing the adoption of a friend, much less a girlfriend, could endanger his future self and rob him of the chance to form his own identity, independent of the influence of others.

One of my favorite elements of this read was the engaging writing of Robert's inner dialogue. The book is written entirely in the first person, and I felt like I was experiencing Robert's thoughts as he thought them, as if his narration made me a part of his own brain. A perfect literary choice, as it allowed me to understand the astute observation and self-awareness that caused Robbie to construct such an isolated life, and the mantra he repeats to ensure he never loses control of himself again. Keep to yourself to keep yourself.

Although I loved the urgency of knowing Robbie only had twelve days to prepare his current self, shut down his attraction to Julie, and come to terms with his past self, I would have liked to see the fruit of that effort and be privy to what happened after day zero. The ending felt rather abrupt and too cleanly concluded, and left me feeling a bit bereft with much to be desired. Reading the story was almost like riding a rollercoaster: cruising placidly along with a few chapters and suddenly plunging sharply down into a series of deliciously unexpected events...only to suddenly end.

In his first novel, I found Hugh Breakey's writing to be compelling and a fresh fiction voice, transporting me to the beautiful shores of Melbourne and introducing me to one of Australia's most beloved cities with this most bizarre tale. He managed to take what sounds like a set up for the newest dystopian thriller to an at-once charming, emotionally moving real-life romance of a couple who got dealt some pretty awful cards. With Breakey's background in ethics and philosophy, Robbie's fear at letting another person mold his identity and self-regard to their own preferences—even a woman he feels strangely drawn to—suddenly makes sense.

Love It or Leave It?

Disappointment with the timing aside, this book is a page-turner and very fun to read. A great combination of riveting and thought-provoking, this is a read sure to keep you on your toes until the very last page. If you're looking for a light but realistic read, this one is for you.

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Honestly, this book is awesome. The story introduces us to a man named Robbie who loses his memory after 179 days. This idea alone had me hooked right from the start. We see Robbie navigate his way through the world and around the gaping hole of loneliness in his life. The way the book opens lures you in and makes you become invested in the character and the choices he makes. Things go from strange to complicated when he meets a girl and must decide if he is willing to change everything he knows for something new. This book was so impressive that I couldn’t stop reading it. There was plenty of character development and the plot felt real and distinct. It was so well written and feels like the author has been writing forever. This book deserves so much more attention! The Beautiful Fall is a touching story and I highly recommend it to everyone.

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This book was an unexpected surprise. It kept me reading to try to unravel Robert’s story along with him. I only wish we’d been given a peek into the next few hours of his life, to see how things changed—or didn’t change—for him.

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This book was a true surprise.

The story begins when Robert finds a letter that explains who he is and why he can't remember anything. As it unfolds, we get to know very little about his past life, and even he doesn't seem to be too interested in knowing what his life was like before he started losing his memory. Then, he meets Julie and, bit by bit, we learn about his daily life, his work, his projects... And he gets to learn about himself, that he is just as flawed as everybody else.

A real page-turner, I highly recommend it.

Thanks NetGalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

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This book was a good one I have come across in a while. I enjoyed it so much that I sat down and couldn’t stop reading because all I wanted to know was what’s gonna happen next will he get the girl or will he stay away. To who ever is gonna read this book I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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