Jack Felter, a history teacher, returns home to bucolic Franklin Mills, Ohio, to care for his father, a retired pilot who suffers from dementia and is quickly losing his memory. Jack would love to forget about Franklin Mills, and about Sam, the girl he fell in love with, who ran off with his best friend, Tony. Except Tony has gone missing.
Soon Jack is pulled into the search for Tony, but the only one who seems to know anything is Tony’s last patient, a paranoid boy named Cole. Jack must team up with Cole to follow Tony’s trail-and maybe save the world. Their journey will lead them to Manhattan and secret facilities buried under the Catskills, and eventually to a forgotten island in the Pacific-the final destination of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
When Jack learns the details about the program known as the Great Forgetting, he’s faced with the timeless question: Is it better to forget our greatest mistake or to remember, so it’s never repeated?
Early praise for The Great Forgetting:
“The Great Forgetting is blasphemous, riveting, insane, and glorious.” ―Andy Howell, astrophysicist
“Renner is skilled at constructing intricate puzzles in his books . . . Here the author makes the most outlandish conspiracies plausible not only to his protagonist but to readers as well . . . The plot might be over the top, but it’s a fun ride.” ―Library Journal
“Renner weaves conceivable means and motive through a variety of conspiracy theories and a reimagined reality to create a unique blend of genres. Anything but predictable, this meandering but suspenseful tale will certainly keep readers guessing.” ―Courtney Ophoff, Booklist
“A fascinating concept . . . worth the read.” ―Kirkus Reviews
“Packed with thrills.” ―Publishers Weekly
“A lost friend, a mysterious Pacific island and an evil conspiracy come together in strange ways in Renner’s sci-fi/conspiracy thriller/fantasy novel . . . A tale you won’t forget.” ―New York Post