The Art of Forgetting

In Pag%C3%A1n's uneven debut, diet editor Marissa Rogers is driven but lacks confidence, thanks largely to her appearance-obsessed mother. When a brain injury changes her best friend, Julia, from beautiful, independent alpha woman to needy, cat-obsessed, purple-clad shut-in, Marissa's life takes a turn as well. A recovering Julia is intent on reuniting Marissa with Nathan, the college sweetheart that Julia personally coerced Marissa into dumping. Though Marissa has often thought about Nathan, she has a fine relationship with Dave, a reliable workaholic. As Julia's change creates distance between these two old friends, Marissa grows closer to her religious sister, Sarah, who helps her navigate her relationships. Meanwhile, at work, Marissa is forced to fend off the barbs of an ambitious editorial assistant, a plot line that feels tacked-on in order to give Pag%C3%A1n a chance to reveal the toil and tedium behind the glamorous veneer of magazine life. Though it's not without humor, Pag%C3%A1n's prose feels stale and clunky, and moments of revelation seem pat, easy, or implausible. (June)