Forget Me Not

This harrowing near-future thriller from Oliva (The Last One) centers on 24-year-old Linda Russell, whose mentally ill mother, Lorelei, artificially conceived her in an attempt to replicate the 14-year-old daughter Lorelei lost in an accident. A few years after Linda was born, Lorelei realized she wasn’t a clone and left Linda to fend for herself. When Linda finally escaped Lorelei’s walled estate at age 12, she was thrust into the spotlight, trading one nightmare for another. Now Linda hides from the world in her Seattle apartment, interacting only with her new neighbor, computer scientist Anvi Hendrickson, and the characters who populate the virtual reality games to which Anvi introduced her. She’s content to remain there—until her childhood home catches fire, returning her name to the headlines and compelling her to confront her past. The overstuffed plot contains myriad soapy twists, but Oliva also deploys some devastating reveals that illustrate trauma’s ripple effects. A present-tense narrative creates immediacy and drive, capturing Linda’s mental state and investing readers in her plight. Oliva is a writer to watch. Agent: Lucy Carson, Friedrich Agency. (Mar.)