In NIGHT, FORGOTTEN, Meghan Joyce Tozer writes a deeply intense psychological thriller about Julie, a young woman who must cope with the aftermath of a sexual assault that changes her life, her marriage, and her relationships forever.
Today, Meghan Joyce Tozer joins us with a letter to librarians touching on the ways in which libraries have transformed her writing and her love of books.
PLUS Make sure to fill out this form for your chance to win a finished copy of NIGHT, FORGOTTEN.
Dear Librarians,
First of all, thank you for the work you do every day as the keepers of human wisdom, history, and creativity. Libraries have always been sacred places for me. I’ll never forget the joyful anticipation with which I first entered Widener Library’s labyrinthine underground stacks as a freshman at Harvard, or the thrill of walking across Harvard Yard, privy to the universe of knowledge hidden below ground. Even earlier, before I learned to write, my mother would bring me to the children’s room at our local library every morning. She believed in the transformational power of reading and was committed to instilling within me her love of books, a love passed down to her from her own mother, an Italian-American schoolteacher. Even after her death, my Nonna’s passion continues to reach me, and now reaches my young daughter, too, through the books we read together. As John Milton realized back in the seventeenth century, books contain “a life beyond life.” They exist across time, offering immortality to the stories and voices within them.
As I wrote my novel NIGHT, FORGOTTEN, I knew I wanted to use a book as a narrative symbol connected to the bonds of intergenerational wisdom. My protagonist, Julie, has always resented her late mother, Patricia. In addition to her cold disposition, Patricia’s career as a renowned psychologist prevented her from building a loving relationship with Julie before her sudden death. When Julie becomes pregnant as the result of a rape she doesn’t remember, she finds comfort in the last book her mother wrote, called HEALING FROM TRAUMA. Through her book, which is the result of her life’s work, Patricia posthumously offers her daughter “a life beyond life.” Julie struggles to rebuild a life with her husband and the unexpected baby, while searching for the truth about what happened to her on the night she became pregnant. Beyond its exploration of the endless ways mothers reach out to their children in life and after death, NIGHT, FORGOTTEN contributes a new perspective to the national conversation around abortion access.
I wrote this book from a place of vulnerable authenticity. For three years leading up to #MeToo going viral, I worked as a sexual assault prevention activist, speaking about my personal experiences and hearing from educators, parents, senior citizens, high school students, and everyone in between. I witnessed the way this kind of personal story sharing can promote individual and community growth where previously, none seemed possible. As my mother taught me, books can offer us a similar experience.
Reading fiction is an opportunity for transformation. It would mean so much to see NIGHT, FORGOTTEN featured in your library’s programming, or included on a reading list for your patrons. I know it will inspire robust, healing, and transformative conversations.
Warmly,
Meghan Joyce Tozer
NIGHT, FORGOTTEN by Meghan Joyce Tozer; 9781990259425; available now.
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Libraries are the most underutilized public institutions. Everyone who does frequent the library, give a shout out to the hard-working staff. They are awesome!