The Forgetting Room [Hardcover]

Nick Bantock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997

Readers are invited to delve into the journal of Armon Hurt, a sad, discontented man who discovers his inner fire. When his artist grandfather dies, leaving him the family home in Spain, Armon travels to Andalusia with the intention of selling the property. Once there, however, he finds a sealed cardboard case containing a small oil painting and a surreal booklet.

As he examines these mysterious artifacts, Armon realizes that he is holding both his grandfather's last communication to him and a puzzle. He begins to decipher the conundrum, and as each new answer leads to more questions, Armon finds himself painting furiously in his grandfather's old studio -- strangely compelled to create a picture that is somehow linked to his legacy.

Featuring paintings, drawings, collages, and paper foldouts, this is no ordinary novel. The Forgetting Room is a handmade treasure, a seamless blend of artistry and language, and a tantalizing read.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

One nice thing landed in HarperCollins's lap after the recent reshuffling of the Harper empire: this new work by Griffin and Sabine author Bantock, once with the newly absorbed Collins. In this illustrated tale, a man searches for his grandfather's mysterious legacy.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Bantock's unusual Griffin and Sabine trilogy took many by surprise when it surged onto the best-seller lists, but obviously Bantock, who is an artist, a writer, and a bit of a mystic, has tapped into a universal desire for gentle stories and pretty books. His newest is an elegant and dreamy illustrated novel about one man's spiritual and aesthetic awakening. Armon Hurt, a lonely bookbinder, has just learned that his grandfather, the surrealist artist Rafael Hurtago, has died and left him his house in Ronda, Spain, with the enigmatic blessing, "May he discover his belonging." Belonging, or the sense of being connected to one's heritage and, therefore, to the creative force, is Bantock's primary theme, and here, the path to belonging is art. Reluctant to face his grief and, worse, guilt over having lost touch with his grandfather, Armon travels to Spain with the intention of putting his grandfather's house up for sale, but when he opens a cardboard case full of clues to what seems to be a treasure hunt, everything changes. As he attempts to solve the riddle, he finds himself, to his amazement and delight, in his grandfather's studio, the Forgetting Room, working on a painting, infused with memories and a new sense of purpose. This is a perfectly lovely little fairy tale and a beautifully produced book, although its delicate foldout illustrations may make circulation risky. Donna Seaman

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 105 pages
• Publisher: Harper Collins; 1st edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0002251760
• ISBN-13: 978-0002251761
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #705,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Darkly beautiful, July 16, 2000

By 

Krista - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Forgetting Room (Paperback)

Like the Griffin and Sabine trilogy by the same author, "The Forgetting Room" is a pleasure to the senses. Nick Bantock fills the pages with lavish art, often in inventive forms such as collage, letters, and fold-out inserts.

On top of the fascinating, appealing artwork, though, Bantock includes an interesting story line. As in the Griffin and Sabine stories, the plot line of "The Forgetting Room" has a haunting dark side. Bantock explores the nature of the artist and the intensity of the relationships that artists tend to form.

Bantock also sets up a kind of game for the narrator, and the reader, to play. The game itself is ultimately more compelling than the answer. Armon, the main character, eventually discovers that he must confront the personal demons, or duende, of his own past and the past of his grandfather, before he can fully recognize his own identity as an artist. Unravelling the mystery behind the past is an intriguing process, made enjoyable by the beauty of Bantock's artwork.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Expecting more, February 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Forgetting Room (Paperback)

After learning that Nick Bantock had written more books after Griffen and Sabine, I was eager to try them all . "The Forgetting Room' sounded like a good bet. But the very small print, the less than top quality production, and the story itself, in my opinion, make it third rate. I will carefully consider the reviews before trying another.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not top-notch, but still good, April 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Forgetting Room (Paperback)

The Forgetting Room has an entertaining story and beautiful artwork, all in Bantock's neo-surrealistic style. I can't complain about the ideas presented in this novel, but Bantock does not explore them in depth. Of course it doesn't spoon-feed, but some readers will question if it brings the food close enough. If you're a Bantock fan, or you don't mind completing Bantock's ideas, this book is good. Otherwise, I recommend you read Bantock's "Griffin and Sabine" or Crimmins's "The Republic of Dreams," both of which go deeper into their subjects.