How Memory Works and a Man With a Seven Second Memory – Radiolab #amnesia #radiolab #research

“Remembering is an unstable and profoundly unreliable process–it’s easy come, easy go as we learn how true memories can be obliterated, and false ones added. And Oliver Sacks joins us to tell the story of an amnesiac whose love for his wife and music transcend his 7-second memory.”

Memory and Forgetting – Radiolab.

I did a lot of research for The River Leith. The above Radiolab episode was some of the most interesting and memorable. The section on Clive Wearing was touching, amazing, and very depressing all at once. I absolutely recommend this episode for anyone curious about memory and amnesia.

Memory is everything.
After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves. Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain.
For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach’s choices may come back to haunt him.
Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.

 

Lethe, Leith, Same Difference…Only NOT! #edinburgh #dunedin #underworld

The River Lethe (pronounced Lee-thee) was a river in the Greek Underworld which the souls of the soon-to-be-reincarnated dead drank from in order to have their memories of their prior lives wiped so that they could go forward into their new lives unburdened by the information from their old ones. When looking for a name for my amnesiac character, I liked the idea of playing with the Greek’s river of forgetfulness, and so I chose a man’s name that was similar: Leith.

As it turns out, there are actually several Rivers Leith. Check it out:
1)

The Water of Leith, aka the River Leith, in Edinburgh, Scotland, complete with a naked man sculpture by a famous artist named Antony Gormley (any relation to Amelia?). This river does not appear at all in the book. Not even a little.

2)

The River Leith in Dunedin, New Zealand. This river is part of some bike course and they ride their bikes through part of it and then carry the bikes over other parts. This river does not appear in the book at all, either. Not a mention!

3)

This River Leith is in Cumbria which is part of England and I don’t think it has to do with the other River Leith in Scotland, but I might be wrong. Sometimes I am. It happens. And, yep, this one isn’t mentioned in the book either.

The only rivers mentioned in the book are monsoon-swollen rivers in India and the River Lethe. So, folks out there looking for books about any of these gorgeous rivers? This probably isn’t the book for you, unless you like boxers with amnesia and enjoy a bit of the gay romance from time to time. And if you do enjoy that, really, who can blame you?

Hey, readers, I’ll be out May 18th. In the meantime, I’ll be right here, looking like this, and you can visit anytime.