The Sudden Appearance of Hope

This book is both very different from and very similar to The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. For those of you expecting a second installment of Harry August or something involving time travel, you may find yourself disappointed. It isn't that. It's similarity with Harry August is the unique storytelling device and the exploration of self and how that fits into the larger world. Hope Arden is forgettable. Literally. Sometime in high school and for reasons unknown, people stop remembering Hope. At first it's more like she slips their mind. Her dad forgets to pick her up from school but knows who she is when he sees her. Soon, however, her family and friends start forgetting her entirely. She could be standing right in front of her parents and saying that she is Hope, their daughter, and they would have zero clue as to who this strange girl is. For the rest of her life, she will only be "remembered" by other people while they are in her presence (with a couple of notable exceptions), with their eyes on her. About a minute after she leaves their sight, she is forgotten completely. She could walk right up to them again and the person would think they were meeting for the first time. This presents some strange difficulties. How is a person supposed to hold a job if their boss and coworkers forget she exists once she leaves their sight? Inevitably, Hope becomes a criminal. Being forgettable is a plus when you are a thief! She cannot hide from cameras, however, and that's where the action kicks off... Hope has become aware of an app called Perfection. She will see this app as both a nemesis and a savior at various parts of the story. Her search for Perfection (the app) and those responsible for it serve as a way to explore the larger theme of identity. Who are you if nobody can remember you? It all sounds a little strange and it is...but it is amazing and worth it! Some things were left unclear and I am hoping that means Ms. North will be returning to this world soon!

I liked this book, it was interesting with thoughtful characters and some really original and unique ideas. The writing style I would describe as alternative, in that the author uses all sorts of devices to convey the story and how our protagonist Hope copes with her bizarre condition. I loved the snippets of information along the way, given either as dictionary style explanations to the meaning of words or just rantings in Hope's head as she strives to remain memorable, or at least effectual (adjective: successful in producing a desired or intended result; effective) in a world that cannot remember her. "Perfection" the ultimate App is the villain and is a brilliant commentary on society's ever growing self obsession. For me it was a very real experience reading it, I'm glad I got this book!

Good book but not as good as her Harry August book. The main character in this book likes to soothe herself with knowledge - this is interesting at first but as the book progresses the pages and pages of her knowledge imo detract from the story. I was faithfully reading everything so I didn’t miss anything important but realized about half way through the book that if I started skipping lines when she gets into her recounts I actually wasn’t missing anything at all. The story itself is great and exciting. It’s almost like the portions of her knowledge recounts are commercials and I just want to fast forward and get back to the story. Still a good book but not as good as her Harry August book. They are both quite lengthy so if you are considering one or the other I’d go with Harry.

She’s endlessly and inexplicably forgotten. She’s resorted to a life of crime. She’s struggled with her own identity and what it means to exist. The story of Hope Arden is a heartbreaking and riveting one, a story that pulls you in from the very first word. The concept itself is one that leads to initial questions from us: How did this happen? How does she live with this “condition”? Will she ever escape this way of life? Hope, our narrator in “The Sudden Appearance of Hope” by Claire North, immediately pulls us in with the way she speaks. From the description alone, we can understand that something is different about this girl, about how she chooses to exist. “No matter what I do, the words I say, the crimes I commit, you will never remember who I am. That makes my life difficult. It also makes me dangerous” (North). Hope immediately takes us on a journey into her crime filled life and into her desire to destroy Perfection. Perfection is the lifestyle app that tells consumers how to dress, what procedures to get done, what foods to eat, what places to visit, what exercises to do, etc. Basically, people have become photocopies of each other in order to feel important and appear “perfect” to each other and themselves. This forced perfection, this type of brainwashing that has occurred within the general population, has become a deep hatred of Hope’s. With a death pushing her over the edge in her conquest of Perfection, Hope sets out on a mission to eliminate the program that has, in her opinion, taken away so much from humanity. Hope is surrounded by plastic people, by consumers who can never get enough from the app and the services it provides. While Perfection seems to be an unrealistic thing, the reflection on what we consider to be the “real” world makes you think as you continue to read. Who’s to say this won’t be similar to something that happens down the line? With the constant pressure from the media to look a certain way, especially for girls, who says an app like this won’t be developed with equally as disastrous consequences? Hope’s story, although strange, can easily be seen as reminiscent to what we all already experience. Like Hope chooses, if you refrain from conforming to “perfection”, you’re forgettable, you’re disposable, you’re unimportant. But is being remembered worth sacrificing your sanity and understanding of existence? Overall, “The Sudden Appearance of Hope” is a book that I highly recommend for readers. Personally, I’ve never explored this genre in depth before but this book captivated me from the very beginning. Trying to understand why Hope is the way she is and how she is able to live prevents you from putting the book down. With enough of a mixture of adventure, mystery, romance, and friendship, this novel is one that is destined to stick with you long after you finish it. North does an incredible job of creating a memorable character in our world even though she is forgotten in hers.

Claire North has a really fun, interesting style, and very unique ideas behind her storylines. I bought this book after loving "The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August," which I could NOT put down. "The Sudden Appearance of Hope" is much more character-driven and impressionistic than "...Harry August." I'd classify it as a character study that really lets you into Hope's mind and experience, which could be a let-down if you're looking for something more action-driven. Its writing style is awesome though, and North uses neat poetic devices to communicate Hope's emotions through the structure of the writing. I find myself caught up more in the complexity of her thought processes than the storyline itself (which is still interesting, don't get me wrong). There's also a strong undercurrent of social commentary on what our world considers "perfect," which might seem a little heavy-handed at times... but I find I don't mind in the scope of the novel. Overall, an engaging read in my opinion.

Loved this story, and its heroine. It works on so many levels, not only as a gripping action adventure story, but also as a fascinating exploration of the role the perceptions of others play in selfhood. Avoiding spoilers, it's safe to disclose that Hope, who relates her tale in first person, suffers the curse / dubious superpower (depending on one's viewpoint -- more on that later) of being instantly forgotten once physically out of sight. Unable to function in the ordinary world without a personal reputation (which requires "memorability"), she is forced to make her way in life as a professional thief. Which, of course, leaves her uniquely qualified to deal with an entertainingly evil corporate enemy that seeks to turn everyone into vapid Hollywood-style "beautiful people." By getting inside Hope's head, we get to experience the psychological effect her "condition" has, both on her and on those around her. Even the "bad guys" are complex, and they and Hope share a kind of mutual respect. I've read of an ancient Greek thought experiment which argued that an "invisible man" would inevitably choose to be a sociopath, simply because the temptation to get away with anything would be too great. Claire North turns that notion on its head here, as Hope has been essentially forced into a life of crime because her "immemorable" status leaves her few other options. Some of my favorite bits of the book involve Hope's conversations with Byron, arguably a true sociopath, who is astounded to discover that Hope considers her condition a curse rather than a boon. Anyway, great fun, as well as food for thought. I hope Ms. North will be resurrecting Hope in future adventures!

I love Claire North. I love that her fiction, her created universes don't rely on the fantastic or otherworldly for inspiration, but rather she turns reality ever so slightly on its head and asks the question, "ok, but what if it was just a little different?" And those ideas slowly ripple out into an engaging, engrossing story gorgeously realized throught intelligent prose that doesn't bury the reader in its intelligence, like some books can do. I picked up this book because I trusted North after reading the excellent "First Fifteen Lives of Harry August" and was not disappointed. Admittedly, this book started off on a story I didn't not anticipate, and I was concerned that it was a story I did not want. Those concerns were quickly assuaged; this book ended up being better, to me, than "Harry August", more complete, more whole from start to finish. There are of course minor gripes, bumps and whatnot that prevented this from being a higher rated book for me, but really they're too small to name. This is a very good read. Buy it.

I agree with every other three-star review posted here. The first half of this book is powerful, and then the story starts to drag. What I liked: 1. This is an original tale narrated by a character who truly lives in the “now.” 2. The first half ot the book is a page-turner as we’re slowly shown the horrors (and perks) of Hope’s situation. 3. Hope is a fascinating observer of everyone around her–intelligent, perceptive, and an adept puppet-master . 4. The author gives us many incisive observations about the nature of time and identity, the superficial narcissism of western civilization, and the bankruptcy of American values. What I didn’t like: 1. The book should have been about half as long. In the second half, North struggles hard to land the plane, and the ending was something of a let down. 2. The secondary characters (Byron14, Luca Evard) aren’t compelling enough to account for the powerful effect they have on Hope and others. Byron14, in particular, has almost superhuman powers of manipulation–a person who engages in a series of unbelievable machinations (always successful) that discount the complexity of real human beings. Not credible. 3. At first the list of details describing each new place Hope visited were engaging and fun to read--and accurate as far as I could tell. But after the ninth or tenth repetition of this device, it got tedious. 4. What about racism? Hope, a woman of African heritage, lives in a world where she’s subjected to a never-ending cascade of first impressions, often in an elitist setting. Yet not once is she the victim of institutional racism or the more overt kind. Essays by sensitive, well-educated, African-American women (Tressie Mcmillan Cottom, Kim McLarin, Brittany Cooper) show the many ways that racism is pervasive in the real world. Why doesn’t Hope ever encounter anything like this?

As with all her other books, true originality and flawless execution. By now, I just trust that any book by Ms. North will be excellent.

I bought the “The Sudden Appearance of Hope” without realising the book “The first fifteen lives of Harry August”, which I had read some months ago, was written by the same author. “The Sudden Appearance of Hope” has a story line written in a peculiar way diverse to other books I have read, going back and forward within the life of Hope, a young woman who has the unwanted power of being forgotten by anyone within a few minutes of being away from sight. The beginning of the book was of slow reading, the writer wants us to understand or have an overview of Hope’s life before and after people, including her family, had begun to forget her. The book is written with a great sense of humor which together with its thrilling story made it a great book to read for several hours during the day. It took me a couple of weeks to read it. It was difficult to put it down without the desire to carry on reading and wishing to know what is next. Brilliantly written, I could not expect less from the one who wrote “The first fifteen lives of Harry August” being another fantastic book.

Amazing story draws you in and keeps the pages turning right to the end. Brings you to a place in thought of the background noise of life where we all strive. Striving for what is different for each one but in the end when the noise stops - we actually see that what we were striving for is pretty meaningless. Great read !

I can honestly say that Claire North became one of my faovurite authors. It was 3rd her book I've read and I think that every one was excellent and this one so far is the best in my opinion. The author has an ability to create so good internal monolgues I could read her on and on and never be bored. It is just my kind of prose. But the Sudden Appearance of Hope is great not only in a style of writing. Everything just clicked for me in this one. First of all, the main character - Hope. She is a woman everyone forgets. Literally forgets. You can talk with her one moment, then turn around, wait a few minutes and forgets not only a person but having a conversation with her. What can a person like that do? You may think, everything, there's almost no boundaries when no one can remembers you. But is it really freedom? Hope is a lonely person and her loneliness is o visible on pages in this book, that I could almost feel it myself. I definitely felt a deep empathy for her, and I think, in the circumstances, she was a good person. It was almost painful to see how desperately she craved for a contact. When no one can remember you, you can't form a family, you can't have a legal job, you make no real friends. There's so much more to say about Hope but I think that even better is to read a book. And the plot is not only about a Hope and her struggles, but also about Perfection. An innovative app that can make you ... well, perfect. But is it? This book touches a lot of moral concepts and the theme of being perfect is strong here and I loved everything about that. Claire North again makes an unusual story in a way that only she can.

Ich war am Anfang irritiert und brauchte längeres Einlesen, um den Sinn hinter diesem Buch zu verstehen. Wir vergessen viel zu schnell und lassen uns blenden von fremden Einflüssen, von Äußerlichkeiten. Jede wird vielleicht einen anderen Sinn in dieser Geschichte finden. Für mich: Sich selbst finden und sich treu bleiben bei ständiger Reflektion, sowie meine eigenen, aber auch die Werte anderer bewahren.