How we remember

Mysterious Skin
by Scott Heim

Two boys share the same trauma. One, Brian, loses those hours from his life until remembering it a decade later. The other, Neil, carries it as a fond memory until grappling with what it really means to be liked.

Heim explores how we remember, but more compelling is how we think about how we feel. For 10 years, Neil remembers being sexually abused by his baseball coached as a series of romantic encounters. And then he realizes that maybe that didn't make him feel so great or so safe.

How do we trust our memories or even how we feel about what we remember?