From one of our most critically acclaimed authors comes this masterly story of one man's attempt to extricate himself from his past, and its disastrous consequences. Thomas Railles, a former parttime spy for the CIA, is a respected painter living in the south of France with his beloved wife, Florette. One day Florette goes for a walk in the hills and is killed by unknown assailants. Her death is devastating to Thomas, and he struggles to find a way forward in a world that seems defined by violence and grief. Each night he tracks the war in Iraq on the evening news, and Florette's killers are still at large. Suddenly Iraq is on his doorstep: French officials have detained four Moroccan terrorists and charged them with her murder. Thomas is invited to witness their interrogation. The experience completely undermines him, his world is utterly changed, and he finds himself unable to remain at a distance from America, the country he left long ago. Just's most gripping, insightful, and nuanced novel yet, Forgetfulness will haunt its readers and show the corrosive effects of today's war and its unexpected consequences for the individual conscience.

• 2007fiction