Night, Forgotten

Julie Porter's marriage to Owen seems to be exactly where it should be. The couple has settled into a house in the Berkshires that they chose together, both of their careers are climbing, and their affection for each other is stronger than ever. The one gap in their plans is a child, and Julie has already worked out how and when it will happen. The book opens in this carefully arranged life and then turns on a single evening. Owen comes down with food poisoning, so Julie goes alone to a holiday party in the neighborhood.

Her memory of the night ends at the party. She wakes in a neighbor's bathtub, partly undressed, and understands that she has been sexually assaulted. She cannot find a way to tell Owen, the police, her friends, or anyone else, so she keeps it to herself. Only later does she learn that she is pregnant, and that the baby is her attacker's.

The second part, After, follows the aftermath. Julie struggles to manage daily life with a newborn and cannot give her husband, her family, or her friends the attention they need. Determined to piece together what happened that night, she begins to act in increasingly erratic ways until the truth finally comes out. By the end, Owen, the baby, and Julie have all been changed in ways none of them can undo.