Cameron, Sharon. The Knowing.

Cameron, Sharon. The Knowing. Scholastic Press  2017     435p  $18.99   ISBN 978-0-545-94524-0    ms/hs     Science Fiction. E-BN         

Sometimes the elements of storytelling come together in such a fashion that the reader is propelled forward through the pages of a novel.  Sometimes the characters are charismatic and so well-developed that they are in control of a story, and the reader is just along for the ride.  In this novel both of the above characteristics are present, and the reader will appreciate the journey taken by young Beckett to find the lost city of Canaan on a planet far from Earth.  When he meets Samara, the two spark a relationship that is as unique as they come.  Samara is one of the Knowing, a group of descendants of previous travelers into space who set themselves apart from others in the Underneath, keeping secret the trait that separates her from typical humans.  Samara can scan her mind for memories, both painful and joyful, and can even remember information scanned from books.  Samara has been climbing up to the Outside where she uses her skills to help wherever possible, since the Outsiders are not part of the Knowing, and it is there that she meets Beckett.  Both Beckett and Samara grow to distrust people whom they previously trusted, and as the plot thickens, it becomes detrimental to both that they have broken the rules of their civilizations.  Beckett interferes in a colony when he is supposedly there to learn.  Samara interferes by choosing to forget, thus exposing her colony to dangers from the outside.  The paradox?  If Samara achieves her goal of forgetting events like the pain of her brother’s death and the role she played in her friend Nita’s death, will she also forget her love for Beckett?  If Beckett achieves his goal of breaking into the Underneath with a potion that will make all of the Knowing forget, will the colony then be overrun by the commander of the space ship and her followers and returned to Earth, where they will be virtual slaves?  The drama unfolds, the climax is exciting, and the falling action wraps up a nearly perfect book.  Sharon Cameron shows herself to aptly provide fresh new voices in futuristic scenarios that are believable yet unbelievable at the same time.  Her use of technology is remarkable, as are her imaginative ideas about what could happen in the future. Middle-school and high-school libraries have to stock copies of this novel, as well as its companion novel, The Forgetting.  Stand-alone novels they are, yet readers who love Cameron’s writing style will want to dive into another quickly.

Summary: In a settlement called Canaan, Sam is one of the Knowing, a group who has moved underground, believing itself to be special because members never forget anything.  She respects her skills but rebels.  Beckett is on an expedition from Earth to find the lost colony established years earlier.  He violates every rule about remaining uninvolved, and together, Sam and Beckett try to save the Knowing and the Outsiders.    

Science Fiction                               --Martha Squaresky