The Summer We Forgot, page 35
Wingman of the year.
The coast guard arrested Brent off the shore of Alabama last week. Now he’s in prison without chance of bail.
Dad hasn’t gotten over the betrayal. I doubt he will.
I sure won’t.
30A rallied behind us once the truth got out. The whole community expressed their support on social media, even signed a petition for local school systems to teach about predators and assault. Big news outlets heard our story and begged for interviews.
Our lawyers won’t let us breathe a word about the case until after the trial.
Darby glides her hand up my back. “Get us out of here.” She leans against the pilot chair, blonde hair wagging in the breeze, her sunny aroma warming my lungs.
Let the record show Darby Wallis is my girlfriend.
Eliza blasts the radio as I guide my cabin cruiser toward open water. Cyrus and Spooner goof off, swinging their beach towels, shotgunning sports drinks. The scene jars me, like we shouldn’t be allowed to act normal after what we experienced.
Darby lolls against me and rocks with swells. I drape my arm over her shoulders, a bittersweet feeling expanding my chest. We have hope again, for prom and graduation, more afternoons of Spooner acting like an idiot. We have dread too. We don’t talk about that part. Soon, we’ll go to court, and the Forgotten Summer will make another appearance.
A Note from the Author
When I was younger, I hid journals in my wardrobe, buried them under scrapbooks and postcards. I swore never to let them see the light of day. At thirteen and fourteen, the thought of anyone reading my “secret” words turned my stomach into a wasp nest. If people read them, they’d know what was inside my head, and what was inside my head didn’t seem to match the persona I’d created for myself. I was the good girl who wanted to please and feel accepted. I couldn’t afford to let anyone exhume my deepest and darkest from their hidden places.
Only recently have I dug those journals from their storage bin and read them aloud.
Before I comment, I want to thank you. Thank you for giving me your attention. For welcoming my words into your life. I don’t take your time for granted. Whenever I start work on a new project, I imagine myself seated across from a reader, and I think about what I want to say to them—to you. I hope this YA murder mystery spoke to your secrets, your unreckoned history; it sure did to mine.
Writing The Summer We Forgot challenged me to take a long, hard look in the mirror and confront my past. High school. Boys. Lost friends. Finding peace and self-acceptance . . . maybe even self-forgiveness. I wove personal experiences throughout the novel.
Several of my family members live near 30A, so I’ve spent many summers on the highway, sipping lavender oat milk lattes from Amavida and exploring Grayton Beach State Park.
Along with going to camp almost every summer from ages six to seventeen, I went on a marine retreat to the Barrier Islands with my sixth-grade class. Our eccentric science teacher organized the trip. I used him and my camp experiences as inspiration for Dr. Horowitz and Choctawhatchee.
Minus the unsavory bits.
My sister Shealy and her friend Ashlyn deserve credit for this book’s beginning. A couple of years ago, on our drive to 30A, they said I should write a YA book set in the area, comparable to their favorite show, Outer Banks. I’ve always loved mysteries and thrillers, everything from Nancy Drew to true-crime, so I jumped at the chance to write my own. I pitched the market to my editor, then workshopped a few concepts. Here we are!
In many ways, the story told itself. I wanted the book to read like a montage, a scrapbook, to feel nostalgic and lyrical like a Taylor Swift song. It went deeper, though, and surprised me with its message. I didn’t expect so much of my own history to infuse its pages.
Trauma plays an important role in the novel. I did my best to approach the topic with sensitivity and inclusion. Truth is, no one leaves high school without skeletons in their closet. We’ve all experienced pain, and we each carry it differently. I hope this story validates, provides a safe place, and confirms . . .
You’re not what people have done to you. You’re not what you’ve done to yourself. You’re not the past. You’re the future. Not what’s been done. What you’ll do.
We’re all in a coming-of-age story. Maybe now is the time to exhume our deepest and darkest from their hidden places.
Then again, perhaps some memories are better left forgotten. ;)
XO
Caroline George
Acknowledgments
This book bears the fingerprints of many brilliant people. Thanks to . . .
My literary agent, Tessa Hall, for her constant support and encouragement.
Kim Carlton and Erin Healy. I believe writers are only as good as their editors, and I have the best in the business. I keep threatening to scratch their names onto the cover.
Caitlin Halstead and Tim Green, for making the novel gorgeous.
Kerri Potts, Margaret Kercher, Amanda Bostic, and the TNZ Fiction team. They’re my heroes.
Detective Tracy Call and author Jeff Zentner, for being gracious fact-checkers.
Grace George, for letting me stay at her house in the name of research.
Collin Church, for tolerating my late-night poetry and writing samples.
Stephanie Kehr, Hope Peeler, Aleigha Israel, Katie Pilson, Kelly and Jamie Capers, Lindsay Frist. I don’t know where I’d be without their friendships.
Mabry Collins, for solving a plot hole and being the best roommate, photographer, and travel pal. We lived in Hawaii while I edited The Summer We Forgot.
My family, for enduring my frequent writer meltdowns, countless hours of murder documentaries, and talk about the judicial system. I also want to commend my little sister for letting me pal around with her high school friend group.
The Henchfolks. (You know who you are.)
My online community, for reminding me why I write.
Jesus. By no means is He last place. Without Him, I am wordless, I have nothing. Everything about me is credited to Him.
Master’s Academy, where I attended middle and high school. My experiences there, people I knew, and who I was inspired portions of this book. To everyone who knew me in high school, I’m different now. The girl you remember, who spent her waking moments in pursuit of an author career—she exists, but she realizes her own life story is more important than the ones she writes. I made peace with her, and I pray you’ve made peace with your histories. Thanks for being part of my story, even if only a few chapters.
Lastly, I want to thank you for allowing me to live my dream.
Publishing takes a village.
Discussion Questions
Darby hides what she considers flaws to please her family. Do you relate with her need for perfection? Have you ever kept secrets to protect your self-image?
Later in the book, Dr. DiMarco reveals the counselors elected to forget parts of the summer. Why do you think Darby forgot her mended relationship with Morgan?
The counselors’ parents make questionable decisions regarding the Forgotten Summer. Who do you believe responded best to the situation, and who made damaging choices?
Along with solving a so-called murder, the story focuses on the importance of remembering. What are your thoughts on memories and their roles in our lives? Do you believe memories can be altered?
Nostalgia provides the book with both comforting and eerie atmospheres. Does remembering the past ever cause you to feel uneasy? What sparks this feeling?
Sensory details play a major role in the recall of memories. When you think of summertime, what comes to mind and why?
Near the end of the book, the counselors reckon with their pasts and make peace. If you were to write a letter to your younger self, what would the letter say?
Because of the counselors’ decision to investigate the Forgotten Summer, Annabelle finds healing. Why? What do you notice about her character arc?
The story includes many antagonists. Who do you consider the primary villain? What makes a person capable of being a villain? What might make you a villain?
Although the book ends with a solved case, it leaves room for speculation—and continuation! What troubles do you think lie in the counselors’ futures?
About the Author
Caroline George is a multi-award-winning author of YA speculative fiction. She graduated from Belmont University with a degree in publishing and public relations and now travels the country, speaking at conferences and writing full-time. A Georgia native, Caroline aspires to one day host The Great British Baking Show and delights in being best known for writing the phrase, “Coffee first. Save the world later.”
Instagram: @authorcarolinegeorge
Twitter: @CarolineGeorge_
TikTok: @authorcarolinegeorge
Caroline George, The Summer We Forgot
