Agatha Christie’s Elephants Can Forget features a pair of questionable deaths that happened twelve years before the events in the novel. The story concerns the murders of General Alistair Ravenscroft and his wife Margaret (Or was it a double suicide? Or was it a murder/suicide?). Detective novelist Ariadne Oliver was close friends with the Ravenscrofts, so she very much wants to know the truth about what happened to them. She asks Poirot to look into the case again, and he agrees. The truth brings up a lot from the past, some of which is very painful. At the end of the novel, Mrs. Oliver says:
‘‘Elephants can remember,’ said Mrs. Oliver, ‘but we are human beings, and mercifully human beings can forget.’’
She has a point. People often say they wish their memories were better, but sometimes, remembering can bring a great deal of hurt and pain. In those cases, being able to forget might be seen as a blessing.
In Martin Edwards’ The Hanging Tree, for instance, we are introduced to Orla Payne. Twenty years before the events of the story, her brother Callum went missing. Orla hasn’t been the same since; she’s not been doing well mentally, and she finds it hard to focus and move on. Unable to forget what happened, or at least put it behind her, she contacts the Cumbria Cold Case Review Team, headed by Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Hannah Scarlett. Unfortunately, Orla is drunk when she makes the call, and Hannah doesn’t take the matter seriously. Not long afterwards, Orla dies by what looks like suicide (or is it?). Racked with guilt, Hannah re-opens the case of Callum Payne’s disappearance. She finds out that it’s connected with a lot of past darkness, and with a present-day murder.
Catherine Ryan Howard’s The Nothing Man is the story of crime novelist Eve Black. When she was twelve years old, her parents and sister were murdered by a killer who’s been dubbed the Nothing Man. He committed other murders, too, but was never seen coming or going, so witness statements were never helpful. He left no evidence, either (hence, the nickname). Eve doesn’t remember enough to be helpful to the police, but she wants to lay her ghosts to rest. So, she’s written a memoir that’s already promising to be a best seller. Security guard Jim Doyle hears about the book and knows right away that he has to stop Eve. He is the Nothing Man, and he doesn’t want anyone to suspect his identity. Doyle decides he’s going to have to track Eve down and kill her. She knows that publishing the memoir could be very dangerous, but she wants to find her family’s killer. It all leads to a risky cat-and-mouse scenario, and all because Eve can’t forget what happened…
In Nalini Singh’s Quiet in Her Bones, we are introduced to novelist Aarav ‘Ari’ Rai. He’s recently returned to his father Ishaam’s home to recover from an injury. It’s a tense atmosphere, since Ari has never had a good relationship with his father. Still, he does like his stepmother Shanti, and half-sister Pari. Everything turns upside down when the body of Ari’s mother (and Ishaam’s first wife) Nina is discovered. She went missing ten years before the events in the novel, and everyone assumed that she had run off. She had a stormy relationship with Ishaam, so it wasn’t an illogical assumption. Now that she’s been discovered, the police dredge the case up again. Ari, too, wants to know the truth about his mother. He was always very close to her, and he has never forgotten her or the fact that she went missing. As it turns out, the truth involves more than one dark secret, and you could argue that it would have been easier on Ari if he could have forgotten what happened.
Keigo Higashino’s Malice is the story of best-selling novelist Kunihiko Hidaka. One night, his wife Rie and his best friend Osamu Nonoguchi discover his body. Immediately the police are called in, and Inspector Kyoichiro Kaga begins an investigation. As you’d expect, the two people who found the body are of great interest to the police, and Kaga considers them carefully. The challenge is, though, that neither has a motive. What’s more, each of them has a solid alibi that holds up under scrutiny. So Kaga is forced to consider other suspects. For that, he has to look into Hidaka’s history and find out who might have wanted him dead. In the end, Kaga finds that events in the past have a great deal to do with Hidaka’s murder, and that someone has been unable to forget those events.
And that’s the thing about remembering. We like to remember some things, and in daily life, remembering things like paying bills is important. On the other hand, it can sometimes be easier and much less painful to forget.
*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from Bruce Springsteen’s The River.
Crime Writer Margot Kinberg 
That’s a really interesting angle, Margot, and I think in the end it’s a bit of a blessing that we can forget. It helps the pain of past things subside, for one thing. I reckon Mrs. Oliver is right (as she so often is…)
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Thanks, KBR. Perhaps it is helpful if we can forget, at least for a while. I sometimes think we need time to process very painful memories, and constantly raking them up doesn’t always help that process. As you say, Trust Mrs. Oliver to know…
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I guess it’s better to remember to forget (when the pain is acute and could lead you down sinister paths), but I don’t know if that’s possible. They say that if you suppress something without confronting it, it finally overwhelms you. I guess the human condition is tricky and difficult. Some great recommendations here. I think I have Malice though I’m not sure. Should get down to reading it. Sounds very interesting. Once again, really good article Margot.
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Thank you, OP. I’m glad you enjoyed reading the post. You make a strong point about the consequences of suppressing memories, especially if they are very painful memories. That can lead to mental and physical problems, actually. On the other hand, as you say, remembering to forget (I like the way you put that) can have its advantages, too…
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Margot, Elephants Can Remember is one of the few Poirot books that I haven’t yet read. One of these days I will do that. It sounds like an interesting premise.
Malice is one of my favorite books by Keigo Higashino, and I really like how it was resolved. Although it some ways it was an uncomfortable read.
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I’ll be interested in what you think of Elephants Can Remember when/if you get to it, Tracy. It is an interesting premise, and although I honestly think it’s not one of Christie’s best, it’s got Ariadne Oliver in it, which is always a plus for me.
I thought Malice was an excellent novel with top-notch resolution. The characters are well-drawn, too. Yes, it is a bit of an uncomfortable read, but it makes you think. To me, that’s a good thing.
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Margot, I find it interesting that four out of five novels in your post feature a novelist. Also, your post brought to mind Julian Barnes’ novel The Sense of An Ending where memory is imperfect. Thanks for this post.
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You know, Carol, it’s funny; I hadn’t thought about the writers theme when I was putting the post together. That’s really interesting how that popped up. It wasn’t deliberate. And thanks for mentioning The Sense of an Ending. I admit I’ve not read the book, but I’ve heard it’s good. Glad you enjoyed the post.
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I suppose it’s that question of “closure” – chances are you’d never forget a tragedy, but you might be able to put it behind you if you know what happened, and if justice has been done. But if the thing has been left as a mystery, I can see how it would be nearly impossible to forget.
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Oh, that’s an interesting and well-taken point, FictionFan! As you say, it’s not a matter of forgetting; you never forget a tragedy. But a tragedy without answers and closure is different. I can see how it would rankle and eat away at you. And that can drive people to who knows what…
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Forgive but don’t forget, isn’t that what they say? Difficult sometimes to put things behind you but you have to try in order for whatever it is not to sour your life. Suspect most people have had something like that happen in their lives.
The Hanging Tree was excellent if memory serves. I do like ME’s Lake District series. I must look up The Nothing Man as that sounds very intriguing.
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I like Edwards’ Lake District series a lot, too, Cath. They have a fine sense of place and local culture. And you’re right: putting things behind you can be very hard to do. Still, it’s often best if, as you say, you don’t want to sour your life. Easier said than done though, I sometimes think.
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Though it’s not considered a Christie classic, I have never forgotten Elephants can Remember. I sometimes feel that the things you’d like to forget the most are the ones you remember the most:)
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I think you have a point, Neeru. We remember things that have had an impact, and sometimes, those things are sad, or tragic, or embarrassing, or…. Those are the things we would like to forget, but we remember. And as far as Elephants Can Remember goes, I remember it, too. For some reason it’s one of those novels that have stayed with me.
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