If I Forget You

In his powerful, emotionally moving love story, Greene (The Headmaster's Wife) candidly acknowledges life's complexities—and the many challenges that couples face as they negotiate romantic relationships and family expectations. Henry Gold falls deeply in love as a young college student in upstate New York, but the love of his life, Margot, is torn away from him by her wealthy, arrogant father. Henry moves on to marriage with another woman, fatherhood, divorce, and a restless and unhappy middle age. A large part of the novel is devoted to examining Henry's and Margot's long journeys to adult maturity. They have important things to learn about themselves and the world before they can find each other again. Their love survives the passage of decades, and a chance encounter in New York some 20 years later reignites the relationship. Greene handles this all with great sympathy and intelligence.