Two Sides to Amnesia:

A Comparison of ‘Loving a Lost Lord’ by Mary Jo Putney and ‘The Wild Road by Marjorie M. Liu

by Stacey Agdern

Loving a Lost Lord, Mary Jo Putney: 5 Stars

The Wild Road, Marjorie M. Liu: 5 Stars

Amnesia is a plot device which has been used in Romance Novels through the years with varying affects. But using amnesia doesn’t necessarily dictate either the plot or the message of a story. In fact, two relatively recent books by two different authors use amnesia to discuss two completely opposite themes. ‘Loving a Lost Lord’, Mary Jo Putney’s brilliant return to Historical Romance, uses amnesia to emphasize the idea of a return to home and family. On the other hand, ‘The Wild Road’ Marjorie Liu’s evocative 8th novel in her Dirk and Steele Series, uses amnesia to emphasize the idea of breaking free, of starting anew.

In Putney‘s novel, it is the hero who is an amnesiac. He is found on a beach in Northwest England in 1812, rescued by the heroine and brought into her life. He is also told he is her husband.

She frowned uncertainly. “Can you have forgotten I’m your wife, Mariah Clarke?”

My…my wife? He stared, incredulous. How could he possibly forget being wed to a woman like this? But even though he didn’t remember their marriage, his fears diminished as he compulsively clutched her hand. “Then I am …a most fortunate man.”

Throughout the story, the hero struggles to recover his memory. It does come back, albeit slowly, and in the form of dreams that focus on particular points in his life, mostly centering on his closest friendships. At the close of some of the earliest dream sequences, Putney writes:

He couldn’t remember names or any of the conversation. But he felt the good will and affection that flowed among them. Friends. He had friends.

It is the appearance of these close school friends that begins the process of re-establishing the facts of his life.

As Mariah bit her lip at the thought of so much wealth, Adam said warily, “I sound…prosperous.”

“Rather more than prosperous, Masterson replied with amusement. “And you’re kept rather busy as well. You’re the Seventh Duke of Ashton.”

But with the understanding of his responsibilities, comes the realization that he doesn’t like the person he was, primarily because he’d separated himself for too long from his heritage.

Struggling with thoughts he couldn’t quite clarify, he skimmed his fingers along the bronze wheel of fire that contained the dancing Shiva. There was a deep complicated connection between his amnesia and the way he had hidden so much of his inner nature. But he wasn’t sure how he could make himself whole again.

It is the heroine’s steadfast faith in him, even as she goes through her own family related troubles, which makes the hero feel confident in his reassessment of his own personality and needs. At the end of the book, Putney writes:

“I suspect that I have loved you before,” he murmured. “Hindus believe in reincarnation, you know. That could mean we’ve loved before, and will again.”

“I like the idea that we are bound together through time. World without end, amen.”

In Liu’s, it is the heroine who is an amnesiac. She finds herself in a hotel room, in the present day, possibly having committed murder. The hero discovers her as she is trying to break into his car.

Lannes turned the corner and saw his car parked along the street. The impala. It was a muscle machine, long and hard and black as pitch—a relic from the late sixties, a masterpiece of design that combined all the best of beauty and power. Classic. Wild.

Someone was trying to break into it.

Lannes had excellent night vision. The thief was a woman…And his vision blurred. Just for a moment. All Lannes couold see was a halo of blond hair. Stunning. Unnerving. Nothing like the woman in the bar. She looked like she was in the first stage of a panic attack, all heart and fear and claustrophobia.

She is entirely unable to recover her memory, and even though it bothers her, it does not affect her ability to deal with the problems that life and fate throw in her path. In fact, only with the appearance of reinforcements the hero calls in to help the pair in their quest, does the heroine gain understanding of her own identity.

Lethe sat up, stared at Koni. “Say what you mean. You think I might be faking the amnesia.”

“I think you might be exaggerating it,” he replied, with brutal honesty. “Because you need help.”

“Stop,” Lannes said.

“So you can ignore the coincidence of her stumbling on someone like you? With your history? Your…background?” Koni shook his head. “No, man. Don’t be that dumb.”
…

“I don’t know who I was before,” she said coldly. “But I’m no liar now. Don’t ever accuse me of being one again. Especially when it comes to Lannes.”

But with that understanding, comes nothing. No feeling, no attachment to the person who she had been. And even though it is difficult for her at first, it is the hero’s unwavering faith in the heroine’s spirit, (to the point where he gives her a new name), that helps her deal with the fact that her connections to her old life are gone…and that she must start anew. As Liu writes towards the end of the book:

“Yes,” she said simply, tears finally spilling free. “Yes, Lannes. I think maybe you’re better than anything I could have imagined. And I’m glad I don’t have my memories. I hope I never do. Because when I look back, fifty years from now, I want all my memories to start with you.”

Both Putney and Liu are masters of their chosen craft. Putney’s historical romances shine with polish and insight; Liu’s paranormal romances evoke deep feeling and heartfelt intelligence. But the line that separates them comes not only from their chosen subgenres, but the direction they choose to take them. The choice to break away from the past and to envelop ones self in a brand new world, is a theme that Marjorie Liu often builds into her Paranormal Romances, and it resonates through “The Wild Road.” But the choice to reconnect with home, family and one’s past is a theme that not only resonates throughout “Loving a Lost Lord”, but also evokes Mary Jo Putney’s own return to historical romance.

The bottom line, however, is that whichever book you chose, you’ll be in good hands.