THE PROMISE OF FORGETTING

Brian Freeman’s ‘The Night Bird’ a thriller of the mind

By Holly JoHnson

Have you ever wanted to erase a memory? To un-see something you saw or un-hear something you heard? To change the way something happened?

Dr. Francesca Stein can help people do just that in “The Night Bird,” the first novel in the Frost Easton series by Minnesota author Brian Freeman. Stein helps people forget the tragedies or fears that paralyze their lives. She manipulates reality so that her patients can move on from memories that haunt them. But the events of the book make her question if what she is doing is helping or actually hurting people further, especially as she struggles with her own less than perfect family history.

Frankie, as she is called, is a psychiatrist respected in the scientific field for her expertise in memory reconsolidation. However, her methods are controversial and some feel like her mind altering techniques are unethical. She is a workaholic who has wrapped herself in a coat of self-reliance that keeps others just far enough away so they can’t crack her exterior of competence.

“The Night Bird” begins when Lucy Hagen’s roommate, Brynn, who had been a patient of Dr. Stein, suddenly leaps from the Bay Bridge. Lucy is left at the scene horrified trying to figure out the sudden erratic behavior of her friend. When Detective Frost Easton of the San Francisco Police Department arrives at the bridge, he and Lucy become unseemly partners as they piece together what happened to Brynn. Over time the tragic deaths of two other women are linked to Dr. Stein, and Lucy and Easton find themselves in a dangerous web of theories. Detective Easton, also a victim of haunting memories, uses his connections to find out about

Dr. Stein’s work. He discovers that her testimony allowed a suspected sociopath to be exonerated of rape charges. However, many, including Easton’s superiors, are convinced her patient is guilty and may be behind the mysterious recent deaths.

Easton, Lucy and Dr. Stein eventually begin unraveling the events but not without putting themselves in peril.

In the end, Dr. Stein, Lucy, and Easton are changed but not through memory reconsolidation. They each have new scars that need healing, but they will use them to manage through the next phases of their individual journeys. Freeman states on his website that he wants his characters “to live in the real world, where morality means tough choices and a lot of shades of gray. I hope that’s why readers relate so intensely to the people in my books.” The cast of players in “The Night Bird” faced real and personal challenges that readers can certainly identify with.

The “Night Bird” had me engaged from the beginning, and kept me guessing right up to the end. I would recommend Freeman’s Frost Easton series as well as his other riveting stories. Freeman has been chosen by the Ludlum estate and Putnam Books to continue the Jason Bourne tradition so if you are a fan of the classic Ludlum series look for Freeman’s new book, “The Bourne Evolution.”

I don’t often reach for a thriller but I am glad I did in this case, although, I don’t think I will be looking into memory reconsolidation.

TURN THE PAGE

If you like this book by Brian Freeman, you may enjoy these books.

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

The Drift by J.T. Ryan

Aces and Eights by David Archer

Michelle Nelson is the owner of The Pet Authority. Proper socialization and when it needs to happen

adding a new furry member to your family is a very exciting time. While making this lifetime commitment, it is extremely important to socialize your pets properly. between 3 to 14 weeks of age for puppies and 3 to 9 weeks of age for kittens, your new pets experiences, or lack of experiences, will shape his/her adult personality and behavior. during this sensitive time, you will need to provide your pet with a variety of daily, positive and unique experiences for proper socialization. early socialization begins at 3 to 5 weeks of age; they learn to interact with their littermates as well as people. exposure to adults, both male and female, children and different ethnic backgrounds are all very important. if you are buying a pet from a reputable breeder or a rescue, it is important to ask about their socialization program. (Puppy mills and poor breeders will have no socialization program). Growing up on a farm, i quickly learned that finding the new batch of kittens was a top priority. We knew if we didn’t find them when they were young to play with them, they would be impossible to catch when they got older. at 8 weeks of age, most puppies and kittens are ready to leave the rest of their litter and go to their forever home. this is when you have control over the socialization process. Until your pet is fully immunized, most of the socialization process will be done at home. this is the time where you need to engage all your pet’s senses, including sight, sounds, smells and touch. start with having friends and their pets come over for a visit, allowing them to warm up to each other at their own pace. again, continue exposing to male and female, different ages and ethnic backgrounds during this process.

expose them to different objects used around the house, especially items that make different sounds like vacuum cleaners and kitchen appliances, or the garden hose and the lawnmower. even the crinkle of a plastic bag, the pounding of a nail, the slamming of a door, your hair dryer, all will help to desensitize your pet to new noises. it’s important your pet learns early on there is no reason to fear these sounds. don’t forget about getting your pets used to being handled, by you and others. Pay special attention to the handling of the paws for nail trims, cleaning their ears and introducing a toothbrush for proper dental care. Give them regular baths so they get used to the bathing process — this includes cats, too. even putting your fingers in their food bowl while they are eating, removing the food and then putting it back in the bowl, helps them to not become food aggressive. you never know when a toddler will decide to put their little fingers in the food bowl while your dog is eating. you want the variety of experiences to be safe and positive, so if your pet shows signs of being anxious, do not force her to proceed, but divert to play time instead. you can always try again tomorrow. remember, you want your pet to go their own pace. the socialization process doesn’t end at 12 weeks, it continues throughout the first year of life. make sure you are introducing your pet regularly to new experiences, whether it’s a walk around the lake, a trip to the dog park, a visit to the Pet authority or a sporting event; give your pet the extra grace they need to be comfortable with each new experience.