"Love Water Memory"

Jennie Shortridge is the author of five bestselling novels, including her latest, Love Water Memory, to which she applied the Page 69 Test. Here’s her report:

In this story about a missing amnesiac and the fiancé she is returned to, page 69 happens to be in the viewpoint of the fiancé, Grady (the POV alternates between him and Lucie, who suffers from a rare form of amnesia caused by emotional trauma). Rather than revealing anything about Lucie or where she’s been, Lucie is learning about Grady, all over again, which is very much at the center of the story! It’s a mystery wrapped in a love story, and here they begin that dance.

make light of it, but he dropped his head, covering the wound with his hand.

Stupid, she thought. She changed course. “Tell me about your family. Did you grow up here?” She couldn’t remember which tribe he’d said he was from; there were many in Western Washington. She knew this, she did. Salish, Duwamish, Suquamish. She knew these names, but not why she knew them. She was clearly white, whiter than white with her freckles and the bluish tinge beneath her eyes.

Slowly, he opened up. He told her about growing up in Tacoma. His dad had been a fisherman—the Puyallup had salmon rights in the Sound—but he’d died in an accident at sea long ago. His mom still lived in Tacoma and had never remarried. Grady had six older sisters, whose names he rattled off but Lucie didn’t quite catch.

“And you need to know something else,” he said, cheeks flushing, “I’ve been married before, but that was right out of high school, and it didn’t even last a year.”

“Okay.” Lucie shrugged. “Are you, we, still in touch with her?”

“No.” He glanced sideways, jaw tensing, then looked back at her. “I have a son, but I’ve never met him.”

“Oh, that must be so hard,” she said, but he looked away again and they fell silent.

Early that morning, when the doctor had discharged Lucie, he’d looked concerned. “Now, you’re going to have to go through treatment when you get home. Dr. Emma has written the contact name of the psychiatrist you’ll be seeing in Seattle on your discharge papers, and we should have

Learn more about the book and author at Jennie Shortridge's website.

--Marshal Zeringue