Draft:Reminders of Him
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Reminders of Him
Intro: Reminders of Him is a romantic novel by Colleen Hoover published on January 18, 2022. The novel focuses on Kenna who returns to her hometown after serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake. She hopes to reunite with her four-year-old daughter, but everyone in her daughter's life is determined to shut Kenna out. The novel includes themes of romance, grief and forgiveness. Hoover describes it as “one of the saddest books I have written.”
Plot: The novel is about Kenna who is sent to prison after a tragic accident that resulted in her boyfriend Scotty’s death. She spends several years in prison filled with guilt and regret over what happened. Kenna also gives birth to her daughter Diem in prison, who she is not allowed to see. When Kenna is released from prison she is determined to meet her daughter who was taken away from her. As Kenna steps out into the world, she feels lost and alone. She knows that she has a long way to go to prove herself to Diem and the people around her. Diem is being raised by Scotty's parents, Patrick and Grace, who are protective and view Kenna as a danger to their granddaughter. They blame Kenna for the loss of their son, and this makes Kenna's journey even harder.
On her first day back in her hometown, she takes a cab to her new apartment. She then makes her way to what she thought was a bookstore where she and Scotty used to hang out. But to her surprise that bookstore is now a bar. She sits down in the bar and starts writing a letter to Scotty. Kenna writes many letters to Scotty where she expresses her suffering, her remorse, and her hope for a future with Diem. These letters are a means of communication with the one person who has ever fully understood her. When she is done writing her letter the waiter asks her what she wants to order. They instantly become attracted to each other. Kenna says: “He is good-looking in a way that a girl who is trying to get custody of her daughter should want to stay away from.” They end up kissing and only then does Kenna learn his name: Ledger, Scotty's best friend. Kenna introduces herself as Nicole because people will recognize her otherwise. She knows who he is, but he doesn't know who she is.
One day Ledger sees Kenna, or as he knows her, Nicole. She is looking at Patrick’s and Grace’s house when he walks up to her. He asks her why she is looking at their house and she doesn't answer his question. He then realizes who she is. Ledger 2now knows that he kissed his dead best friend's girlfriend. He gets mad thinking she has tricked him so that he would lead her to Diem. Ledger leads her to his house and they talk heatedly. She cries and asks to see her daughter but he threatens to call the police. Kenna panics because she doesn't want to go back to prison, so she promises not to contact the family. He gives her a ride home and she is devastated. Finally she is in the same town as her daughter yet she has never felt farther away from her.
Ledger feels betrayed and taken advantage of. He is very angry. Yet he cannot deny the tension between them and neither can she. It was love at first sight and they both know it. Despite the circumstances, they begin some form of relationship. A secret relationship. It's electric between them and they fall for each other. They both feel that what they are doing is wrong, partly because of Scotty. Despite their love for each other, their guilty conscience is always there. Another reason is that they both know it's not right to keep their relationship from Patrick and Grace. Ledger knows it's wrong to keep meeting the woman they believe killed their son. Patrick and Grace are very stressed about Kenna showing up. They do not want her in their lives. However, one day Patrick sees Ledger's truck at Kenna’s apartment. Patrick confronts Ledger and hits him in the face. Ledger does not hit him back. Instead he leaves them a letter –– a letter Kenna has written to Scotty about the night he died, explaining what really happened. Kenna and Scotty were in a car accident. Kenna was driving drunk and they crashed. She was accused of causing his death, but in reality she panicked and tried to get help. She didn't know that Scotty was still alive and that she left him there to die.
Kenna also wrote about how bad she felt after that. She was completely destroyed. The regret and sadness ate her up from the inside and she wanted to kill herself. She tried to commit suicide but failed. That's why she looked so cold during the trial, she couldn't get a word out. This made Patrick and Grace very frustrated and they have held it against her until now. They didn't understand how devastated she really was. They forgot that she also lost Scotty. But now they understood. Now they forgive her and apologize for keeping her daughter from her all these years. Patrick and Grace felt it was easier to blame the tragedy on someone, but now they don't anymore. Kenna finally gets to meet her beloved daughter, which is an emotional meeting for Kenna. She and Scotty move in together and see Diem every day. Kenna and Ledger then become pregnant and have a son, who they name Scotty. They live happily together and she can finally tell herself that she is not a bad person.
Major themes: The novel includes themes of romance, grief and forgiveness.
Romance (and love): The book is a romance and based on a lot of love due to many reasons. One of the reasons is Kenna's love for her daughter, Diem, who she has never met. It shows the strong bond a mother has with her child and that the love of a mother to her child is overwhelming. She is determined to meet her and she ignores the circumstances. Another way the book is romantic is Kenna and Ledger's relationship. They begin a complex relationship that develops over time. Even though they both somehow feel that their love for each other is wrong, they can't stop themselves from being with each other. The book explores how love can overcome great obstacles.
Grief: Grief is a central theme that permeates the entire story. Kenna is deeply saddened by her past life situation, especially the loss of her boyfriend, Scotty. Her feelings of guilt and regret after the tragic accident that took his life weigh on her throughout the book. This grief affects her identity and how she sees herself as a person. Kenna also has to deal with the grief of being separated from her daughter, Diem. Not getting to be a part of her life and not getting to see her grow up is a constant reminder of the life Kenna has lost. Diem's grandparents, who take care of her, also mourn Scotty. Their grief colors their perception of Kenna and makes them dismissive. They see her as a reminder of their loss, creating tension and obstacles for Kenna as she tries to reunite with Diem.
Forgiveness: There are different types of forgiveness in the book. One type is self-forgiveness. Kenna struggles to forgive herself for the accident that took the life of her boyfriend, Scotty. She feels great guilt and shame, which prevents her from seeing herself as worthy of being a good mother. Her journey is about learning to accept her past and understanding that mistakes do not define who she is. Another type of forgiveness is between characters. Ledger, who was a close friend of Scotty, also struggles with his feelings of grief and anger. When he gets to know Kenna and her story, he begins to change. Their relationship becomes a place where they can give each other forgiveness and support. Ledger sees Kenna as more than just his background, which helps him heal. Patricks and Grace's forgiveness is also an important part of the story since she then got to see Diem for the first time and move forward.
Genre and style: Reminders of Him is a fictional novel about romance, grief and forgiveness. We read the book through both of the main characters' perspectives, Kenna and Ledger. We follow both characters, their development and their thoughts.
Development history: Colleen Hoover wrote Reminders of Him in the end of 2020, and beginning of 2021 when the world was experiencing the Covid-19 Pandemic. She actually wanted to write a romantic comedy, but it didn't end up that way. Instead she ended up writing one of her saddest books. Hoover describes her motivations to write "Reminders of Him" in an interview on Youtube called: Olivia's Book Club, Colleen Hoover, "Reminders Of Him", 18 January 2022. She says “I had this story in my head for a while about this young mother trying to reunite with her child. That subject really pulled on my heart-strings since I am a mother myself”.
Publication history: She published the book 18 January 2022 and it is her 23rd book.
Literary significance and reception: Readers have reviewed the book on Goodreads and given the book about a 4.5/5 rating:. “A troubled young mother yearns for a shot at redemption in this heartbreaking yet hopeful story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover”.
Awards and nominations: The book was nominated for Readers’ Favorite Romance (2022) by Goodreads Choice Awards. Apart from that, the book was very well received by readers. However, Hoover has received both nominations and awards for other books she has written. For example This Girl and Confess
External links:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58341222-reminders-of-him