History ButForMeItWasTuesday / Literature

** In ''Alpha'', Earl tells his old Soviet enemy and rival werewolf Nikolai to be more specific about the person Nikolai claims he's here to kill him in revenge for, replying that "he's killed a mess of folks." When Nikolai reveals [[spoiler:[[CrusadingWidower it's his wife, Lila]]]], Earl can only get a surprised "I'm drawing a blank" out, which prompts Nikolai [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge to go full-on werewolf mode on him]]. [[spoiler:That's because Earl ''[[SubvertedTrope didn't]]'' kill her, the BigBad did it and planted evidence that suggested it, prompting Nikolai to hunt Earl down while simultaneously sending Earl on the chase after him [[TheChessmaster for his own plans]]]].

* ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'''s Lord Brocktree: Bucko Bigbones confronts Karangool, the fox who killed his family and left him for dead, and Karangool has no idea who he is. Bucko corners him and explains before taking his revenge. And then he ''[[OhCrap does]]'' remember.
-->"Well, let me tell ye a story, aboot a puir young hare who was left fer dead by a wicked ole fox who beat 'im wi' a swordblade..."
** Usually almost all villains never bother to remember who their slaves/prisoners/murder victims are unless they either "Stand out by how strong they are" or "The slave/prisoner escapes, and the villain leader immediately goes berserk to get said slave/prisoner back" (not because they are personally worth anything to the villain, but simply because they defied the leader)
* In the second book of ''Literature/TheBaroqueCycle'', Jack Shaftoe confronts the man who sold Eliza into slavery before killing him, tells him that he is taking revenge for a woman who he enslaved. Since the guy has done this countless times, he is genuinely puzzled for the last few seconds of his life.

* Used in Creator/JamesSwallow's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novel ''Faith & Fire''.
-->'''Vaun:''' Tell me what I have done to earn such enmity.\\
'''Verity:''' You...You don't even know? Does killing mean so little to you that you dismiss it from your mind with every murder?\\
'''Vaun:''' For the most part, yes. Let me see if I can guess. A father? Or a brother, perhaps?
** He does remember eventually, after some jogging of his memory.
--->'''Verity:''' My sister, Lethe Catena [...] You ended her like some common animal!\\
'''Vaun:''' Ah. Of course. There's a bit of family resemblance between you, isn't there?

---> "Jesus?" he murmured, "Jesus — of Nazareth? I cannot call him to mind.".

* A dark twist on this trope in ''Literature/TheDeadZone''. Johnny Smith has been in a coma for four and a half years. When he wakes, everyone else has had years of normal day-to-day living to move on with their lives, but to Johnny, it's as if he had a fantastic date with the woman he loved and was planning to propose to, and then woke up the next day to find she had left him, married another man, and had a baby with him.
* In the Creator/StephenKing short story "[[Literature/NightmaresAndDreamscapes Dolan's Cadillac]]", the wife of the protagonist/narrator (Robinson) is killed by a crime lord she was going to testify against (Dolan). For a few years or so, Robinson follows Dolan to learn his habits and routine, all while plotting his revenge. During one harrowing incident, however, Dolan's car breaks down on the road, and Robinson is forced to pass him. He's angered when Dolan doesn't even recognize the man who's wife he had ordered blown to smithereens in her car. Later, however, when he's cooled down he admits that this is actually a good thing for him, as it means Dolan will not be on his guard about any threat Robinson may pose to him. Ultimately subverted when, after Robinson says the first few words of his BestServedCold speech, Dolan immediately identifies him.
* The original title of ''Literature/AllQuietOnTheWesternFront'' is ''Im Westen nichts Neues'' ("Nothing New in the West"). It ends with the last surviving character getting shot by an unseen sniper followed by a TitleDrop. For him it was the day he was killed; for the war, it was just an ordinary day with nothing to report.
* In the [[Creator/IainBanks Iain M. Banks]] novel ''[[Literature/TheCulture Inversions]]'', the Lady Perrund becomes courtesan to the King after a rival warlord's soldiers killed her family and raped her. [[spoiler: It is only at the end of the book after she has murdered the King that we discover it was actually him and his men that committed the atrocity. The King had never recognised her and had most likely forgotten the incident, allowing her to get her revenge.]]
* In Creator/TamoraPierce's [[Literature/TortallUniverse Protector of the Small Quartet]]. [[TheHero Kel]] has a fear of heights due to her brother dangling her over the edge of a tall tower when they were kids. When speaking about it, she says that the worst part was when she spoke to him about it: he didn't remember.
* The protagonist of ''Literature/HowlsMovingCastle'' assumes this trope will apply to the witch who cursed her, and therefore that she'll be able to pretend she has no connection to the witch. Unfortunately, she underestimated how much the witch hated her.
* ''Literature/RealmOfTheElderlings'' takes place in a fantasy kingdom composed of six duchies- four coastal, two inland. The royal family is based in a coastal duchy. In one throwaway conversation in the first book, Chade grumbles to Fitz that the people blame the king for everything from "bad weather to fires". In the third book, Fitz travels inland and discovers that, years ago, huge swaths of vital farmland were ravaged by fire and have never recovered, causing widespread hardship and economic depression. Fitz then realises just how out of touch the coast and inland are with each other- for the coast the fire was a minor annoyance, but to the people living there, "it must have seemed like the [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt end of the world]]"

* In ''Literature/TheKiteRunner'', Assef, the main antagonist, recounts the abuse he took at the hands of the Soviet occupiers of Afghanistan. He says he eventually encountered the Soviet officer who had beaten him in prison: the officer did not remember Assef, but as Assef told the man before killing him, "I do not forget a face."
* In ''[[Literature/AlexRider Stormbreaker]]'', the death of Alex's uncle and last living relative sets in motion the events that lead [=MI6=] to recruit him as a secret agent. When Alex meets Yassen Gregorovich, the assassin who carried out the murder, Gregorovich merely shrugs and says 'I kill a lot of people.' However, he probably wasn't denying it so much as invoking AMillionIsAStatistic, and knew exactly who Alex was talking about, both because it happened fairly recently and because [[spoiler: in later books, its established he knew Alex's father personally and considered him a friend, and recognized Alex on sight. It's unlikely he didn't know who Alex's uncle was.]]
* Literature/SisterhoodSeries by Creator/FernMichaels: Played with rather oddly in the book ''Sweet Revenge''. Reporter Ted Robinson, who is not quite a hero at that point, asks Rosemary Hershey a question about two people. Rosemary says in a genuinely puzzled tone "Who?" Her soon-to-be ex-husband, Bobby Harcourt, pokes his head into the room and states that those are the two people she killed, along with their young daughter. She killed three people and she is the only one who apparently did not even bother to remember them. However, she ends up remembering the name of the young daughter - Diana. She actually blocked that out and presumably other details of her killing them. Once she remembers, however, she is unable to stop thinking about it!
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'' there's a somewhat uncommon Heroic example. Harry forgets that in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets The Chamber of Secrets]]'' (three books prior), Ginny spent most of the year possessed by Voldemort. For Ginny it's probably the most significant event of her life thus far, but Harry had an encounter with Voldemort three out of his four years at Hogwarts thus far, so he didn't really consider how that particular one had affected someone else. When he says he forgot about it, and her reply is [[WhatTheHellHero "lucky you"]], but Harry feels sincerely sorry and apologizes.
** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', Harry is woken up in his dorm by a surprise visit from Dobby and screams. His roommates slowly wake up and Seamus just casually asks Harry if he's being attacked again.
** ''Goblet of Fire '' also has a monetary example. Harry buys Ron and Hermione expensive gifts, and Ron pays him back, unintentionally using fake money that disappeared later. Ron realizes this towards the end and he tells Harry he shouldn’t have bought him something for Christmas, but Harry, who’s quite wealthy due inheritance from his parents, has a hard time explaining to Ron that he didn’t even notice the money going missing. Harry also gives Fred and George his Triwizard Tournament winnings of 1000 galleons as a business loan, both because he just wants to distance himself from the events of the tournament and because he doesn't really need the money. Of course in both cases it’s awkward to explain that the money genuinely doesn't matter to him while he still doesn't want to offend anyone. He does tell Ron and Hermoine about it the following when they start wondering what the twins must have done to get that much money and Ron isn't upset at all, mostly because it means there's no way for his Mother to blame him for his brothers running away from school to start a joke shop since it's Harry's fault.
* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
** [[spoiler:During Oberyn Martell and Ser Gregor Clegane's fight, Oberyn reminds Gregor that he raped and murdered Elia Martell, Oberyn's sister, and killed her children. Gregor replies with "Who?" Thanks to Oberyn's [[StopSayingThat constant, incessant reminders]], Gregor eventually does remember, and before he kills Oberyn he acknowledges that he murdered Elia's chldren, ''then'' raped her, and then killed her, [[InThatOrder He wants Oberyn to know the order it happened]]. It's possible that Gregor just pretended not to remember to taunt Oberyn, as neither Oberyn nor Elia are just random people, this was during the previous monarch being overthrow and Elia was married to Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and ''kind of important''. Even DumbMuscle like Gregor would probably remember those events.]]
** [[spoiler:Tyrion used to have a wife, Tysha who truly loved him. Tywin convinced Tyrion that she was a paid whore only to break his spirit (and because she was a commoner). Not only that, but he made his entire garrison violently gang-rape the poor 13-year old girl before Tyrion's eyes. And then forced Tyrion to participate as well. When Tyrion finds out the truth, he attacks Tywin, and holding him at crossbow-point, asks him about Tysha. Tywin doesn't remember the name, and when Tyrion tells him who Tysha was, Tywin can't recall what happened to her after the gang rape.]]
* Subverted in ''Literature/TheReckonersTrilogy'': David remembers every single detail of the day that Steelheart murdered his father. He's shocked to discover that ''so does Steelheart''. The reason he killed David's father was because the man managed to injure him, [[NighInvulnerable the first and only time that had ever happened]] (at least since getting his superpowers). Since Steelheart is otherwise apparently invulnerable, he spent considerable effort ensuring no one left the scene alive to possibly work out his secret weakness, with only David escaping, meaning the event was just as important to him as it was to David.
* ''Literature/MonsterHunterInternational''
** In ''Alpha'', Earl tells his old Soviet enemy and rival werewolf Nikolai to be more specific about the person Nikolai claims he's here to kill him in revenge for, replying that "he's killed a mess of folks." When Nikolai reveals [[spoiler:[[CrusadingWidower it's his wife, Lila]]]], Earl can only get a surprised "I'm drawing a blank" out, which prompts Nikolai [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge to go full-on werewolf mode on him]]. [[spoiler:That's because Earl ''[[SubvertedTrope didn't]]'' kill her, the BigBad did it and planted evidence that suggested it, prompting Nikolai to hunt Earl down while simultaneously sending Earl on the chase after him [[TheChessmaster for his own plans]]]].
** In ''Nemesis'', this is Franks's reaction when Earl accuses him of killing his LoveInterest. [[spoiler:Like the above, also {{subverted}}; the woman in question was the only one Franks spared during the fight]].
-->'''Earl:''' YOU KILLED HER!
-->'''Franks:''' Who? Narrow it down for me.
* ''Literature/TheMartian'': An direct reference, without an antagonist. By the time astronaut Mark Watney re-establishes contact with Earth, he's inured due to having to deal single-handed with life-threatening problems.
--> '''Mark''': To [UsefulNotes/{{NASA}}], equipment failure is terrifying. To me, it's "Tuesday."
* [[Literature/ShatteredContinent Tuesday at the Office]] has this as a theme; The Professor has to wring more details about the Baron Vogelsang's murder out of Minette because [[PrivateMilitaryContractor he does that sort of thing a lot]] and she's being less than generous in explaining the situation.
--> '''The Professor:''' “Imagine if I walked into your home and started smashing up the furniture while demanding to know why you killed my dog. Even if you did kill the dog, how would you know what dog I was talking about?”

* In ''Literature/SixOfCrows'' by Creator/LeighBardugo, protagonist Kaz's entire life has been shaped by [[spoiler: the con gang boss Pekka Rollins pulled on him and his brother that resulted in his brother dying.]] A flashback reveals that less than a month after it happened, Rollins didn't even recognize Kaz when he tried to confront him. After this, Kaz is motivated not only by his desire for {{revenge}}, but to make sure that when he teaches Rollins a lesson, it's one Rollins ''never'' forgets.
** What makes this example interesting is how it is ultimately used against Rollins. When Kaz [[spoiler:finally gets his revenge, Rollins is shaken in large part because he still doesn't remember that particular con. Which leaves him wondering just how many more forgotten victims could be lying in wait for a chance to avenge themselves?]]
* This is briefly brought up in the Literature/MissMarple mystery ''Literature/TheMirrorCrackdFromSideToSide''. Jason uses this explanation when asked about the "previous relationship" between Marina and Heather. He explains that Heather was a fan of his wife's, and as a result, it was a big deal for her to get Marina's autograph. However, Marina has done hundreds of receptions with fans and signed thousands of autographs, so she simply has no memory of the event Heather described of one more autograph seeker among thousands. [[spoiler: Subverted, in that while Jason is well aware that while Marina didn't remember Heather specifically, the earlier meeting was even more significant to her than it was to Heather. ZigzaggedTrope, as it's initially important for Heather and not for Marina, only to become important for Marina but not for Heather. Heather has been shown to be a bit self absorbed to the suffering of others (which is really bad since she's a nurse) and violated a quarantine of a potentially devastating illness, [[SarcasmMode but it didn't matter since she got to meet her idol]]! For Marina, this meeting ''[[DespairEventHorizon ruined her life]]''!]]
* ''Literature/CodexAlera'': In the backstory, the late Princeps Septimus, sole heir to throne, was not only a powerful mage comparable to the reigning First Lord, his father, but a genuinely good man. He could not stand by and watch as abuses happened in the lands he would one day rule, from the abuse of the magically-stronger Citizens over the weaker commoners, to slavery, to the idea of marriage for simple political and genetic gains. He fought for the downtrodden, sought to end slavery, and [[spoiler:rejects the arranged marriage his father set up with a magically-strong and smart noblewoman in favor of wedding a commoner he has fallen for]]. His efforts to bring positive change made him so many enemies among those who benefited from the status quo that he can't remember them all. [[spoiler:They, however, do remember and enter into a cabal to kill him. It includes not only his spurned fiance, but two powerful High Lords, second in rank and status to the First Lord. They succeed]].
* ''S: A Novel About The Balkans'' by Slavenka Drakulic. The protagonist has a recurring nightmare where she sees one of the men who raped her in a Bosnian prison camp. She stabs him, and as he dies she sees the look of incomprehension in his face and realises her revenge is meaningless because he has no idea why she's killed him.
* Creator/CarrieFisher discusses this in her final title, the 2016 ''The Princess Diarist'', in relation to signing autographs and otherwise meeting fans at comic conventions, a practice she refers to as "lap dancing." For the fan, meeting her is something they'll quite possibly remember for the rest of their life. For her, it's Tuesday, or another day on the job working to make some extra money to support herself.
* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': A non-violent, non-villainous example. Adolin has apparently courted (and subsequently offended) just about every eligible woman in the Shattered Plains. At some point he starts having difficulty tracking what he did to upset any one of them in particular.
-->''Melali gave Adolin a pointed glare. What had he done to annoy her, again? It had been forever since they'd courted.''\\
'''Adolin:''' How's your sister?\\
'''Melali:''' Off limits.\\
''Oh, right. That was what he'd done. Honest mistake.''
* ''Literature/ChakonaSpace'': During the rewritten ''Tales of the Folly'' Part 2, Captain Foster pulls an unusual heroic variant of this. Then again, [[RoadTripPlot trouble seems to follow him around]], and the locals are very aware of this fact.
--> Brajet shook her head. “Not even lunchtime and you’ve already got some of the local cops mad at you. Why do I have the bad feeling that this will be one of your more interesting visits?”
--> Neal grinned. “I have no idea what you’re talking about; it’s just another day in the life for me.”
--> Looking at his young ‘crew’, Brajet muttered, “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
* In ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy'', Nathaniel doesn't forget his dangerous encounter in the alley with Kitty Jones and the Stanley and Fred of the Resistance in ''The Amulet of Samarkand'' and expects Kitty to remember it too in ''The Golem's Eye'' when he brings it up to her. Kitty, however, notes that she's had many encounters in alleys and only with some prompting finally faintly remembers the event, only to disagree with Nathaniel's characterization that she had "left him for dead" -- Fred and Stanley had wanted her to slit his throat, but she decided to spare him.
* During the climax of ''Literature/TheNarrows''. [[spoiler: Subverted in that Backus actually didn’t kill [=McCaleb=], [=McCaleb=] committed suicide when he found out that his transplanted heart was failing and he would die without another surgery, which he could not afford. ]]
--> '''Bosch:''' You killed my friend...\\
'''[[BigBad Backus]]:''' I’m sorry, but I’ve been kind of busy. Who might your friend be?
* In Literature/{{the Demon Princes}} cycle by Creator/JackVance, the hero's targets tend to not remember the outrage that set the hero on his journey. He exploits the trope to get close to his marks.

** What makes this example interesting is how it is [[RealityEnsues ultimately used against Rollins.]] When Kaz [[spoiler:finally gets his revenge, Rollins is shaken in large part because he still doesn't remember that particular con. Which leaves him wondering just how many more forgotten victims could be lying in wait for a chance to avenge themselves?]]

--> ''Some unpleasant association in the past, but that didn't help much; [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating most of his conversations in the last few years had involved unpleasant associations.]]

* This is briefly brought up in the Literature/MissMarple mystery ''Literature/TheMirrorCrackdFromSideToSide''. Jason uses this explanation when asked about the "previous relationship" between Marina and Heather. He explains that Heather was a fan of his wife's, and as a result, it was a big deal for her to get Marina's autograph. However, Marina has done hundreds of receptions with fans and signed thousands of autographs, so she simply has no memory of the event Heather described of one more autograph seeker among thousands. [[spoiler: Subverted, in that Jason is well aware that while Marina didn't remember Heather specifically, the earlier meeting was even more significant to her than it was to Heather.]]
** [[spoiler: Arguably, [[ZigzaggedTrope it takes a spin on this trope]] as it's initially important for Heather and not for Marina, only to become important for Marina but not for Heather. Heather has been shown to be a bit self absorbed to the suffering of others (which is really bad since she's a nurse) and violated a quarantine of a potentially devastating illness, [[SarcasmMode but it didn't matter since she got to meet her idol]]! For Marina, this meeting ''[[DespairEventHorizon ruined her life]]''!]]

** ''Goblet of Fire '' also has a monetary example. Harry buys Ron and Hermione expensive gifts, and Ron pays him back, unintentionally using fake money that disappeared later. Ron realizes this towards the end and he tells Harry he shouldn’t have bought him something for Christmas, but Harry, who’s quite wealthy due inheritance from his parents, has a hard time explaining to Ron that he didn’t even notice the money going missing. Harry also gives Fred and George his Triwizard Tournament winnings of 1000 galleons as a business loan, both because he just wants to distance himself from the events of the tournament and because he doesn't really need the money. Of course in both cases it’s awkward to explain that the money genuinely doesn't matter to him while he still doesn't want to offend anyone. He does tell Ron and Hermoine about it the following when they start wondering what the twins most have done to get that much money and Ron isn't upset at all, mostly because it means there's no way for his Mother to blame him for his brothers running away from school to start a joke shop since it's Harry's fault.

** ''Goblet of Fire '' also has a monetary example. Harry buys Ron and Hermione expensive gifts, and Ron pays him back, unintentionally using fake money that disapeared later. Ron realizes this towards the end and he tells Harry he shouldn’t have bought him something for Christmas, but Harry, who’s quite wealthy due inheritance from his parents, has a hard time explaining to Ron that he didn’t even notice the money going missing. Harry also gives Fred and George his Triwizard Tournament winnings of 1000 galleons as a business loan, both because he just wants to distance himself from the events of the tournament and because he doesn't really need the money. Of course in both cases it’s awkward to explain that the money genuinely doesn't matter to him while he still doesn't want to offend anyone. He does tell Ron and Hermoine about it the following when they start wondering what the twins most have done to get that much money and Ron isn't upset at all, mostly because it means there's no way for his Mother to blame him for his brothers running away from school to start a joke shop since it's Harry's fault.

* In the Demon Princes cycle by Jack Vance, the hero's targets tend to not remember the outrage that set the hero on his journey. He exploits the trope to get close to his marks.

** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'' there's a somewhat uncommon Heroic example. Harry forgets that in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets The Chamber of Secrets]] (three books prior), Ginny spent most of the year possessed by Voldemort. For Ginny it's probably the most significant event of her life thus far, but Harry had an encounter with Voldemort three out of his four years at Hogwarts thus far, so he didn't really consider how that particular one had affected someone else. When he says he forgot about it, and her reply is [[WhatTheHellHero "lucky you"]], but Harry feels sincerely sorry and apologizes.

* In the Creator/StephenKing short story "[[Literature/NightmaresAndDreamscapes Dolan's Cadillac]]", the wife of the protagonist/narrator (Robinson) is killed by a crime lord she was going to testify against (Dolan). For a few years or so, Robinson follows Dolan to learn his habits and routine, all while plotting his revenge. During one harrowing incident, however, Dolan's car breaks down on the road, and Robinson is forced to pass him. He's angered when Dolan doesn't even recognize the man who's wife he had ordered blown to smithereens in her car. Later, when he's cooled down, he realises that this is actually a good thing, as Dolan will not be on his guard about any threat Robinson may pose to him. Ultimately subverted when, after Robinson says the first few words of his BestServedCold speech, Dolan immediately identifies him.

* The Literature/DuneEncyclopedia names House Washington (AKA the US) as the first user of atomics in a "provincial war" (AKA World War II), thus giving some idea of how far in the future the story is set and how the twentieth century has faded from memory.

* The Literature/DuneEncyclopedia names House Washington (AKA the US) as the first user of atomics in a "provincial war."

* In the Creator/StephenKing short story "[[Literature/NightmaresAndDreamscapes Dolan's Cadillac]]", the wife of the protagonist/narrator (Robinson) is killed by a crime lord she was going to testify against (Dolan). For a few years or so, Robinson follows Dolan to learn his habits and routine, all while plotting his revenge. During one harrowing incident, however, Dolan's car breaks down on the road, and Robinson is forced to pass him. He's angered when Dolan doesn't even recognize the man who's wife he had ordered blown to smithereens in her car. This is then subverted when, after Robinson says the first few words of his BestServedCold speech, Dolan immediately identifies him.

** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'' there's a somewhat uncommon Heroic example. Harry forgets that in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets The Chamber of Secrets]] (three books prior), Ginny spent most of the year possessed by Voldemort. For Ginny it's probably the most significant event of her life thus far, but Harry had a direct encounter with Voldemort three of his first four years at Hogwarts, so he didn't really think too much about how that particular one would affect someone else. When he says he forgot about it, and her reply is [[WhatTheHellHero "lucky you"]]. Harry feels sincerely sorry and apologizes.

** ''Goblet of Fire '' also has a monetary example. Harry buys Ron and Hermione expensive gifts, and Ron pays him back, unintentionally using fake money that disapeared later. Ron realizes this towards the end and he tells Harry he shouldn’t have bought him something for Christmas, but Harry, who’s quite wealthy due inheritance from his parents, has a hard time explaining to Ron that he didn’t even notice the money going missing. Harry also gives Fred and George his Triwizard Tournament winnings of 1000 galleons as a business loan. Of course it’s awkward Harry feels awkard about explaining that he's in the position to just give a considerable sum of money away and doesn’t want to offend the rest of Ron’s family whom he knows are too proud to take it. He does tell Ron and Hermoine about it the following when they start wondering what the twins most have done to get that much money and Ron isn't upset at all (mostly because it means his brothers running away from school to start a joke shop is Harrys fault, not his).

** [[spoiler:During Oberyn Martell and Ser Gregor Clegane's fight, Oberyn reminds Gregor that he raped and murdered Elia Martell, Oberyn's sister, and killed her children. Gregor replies with "Who?" Thanks to Oberyn's [[StopSayingThat constant, incessant reminders]], Gregor eventually does remember, and before he kills Oberyn he acknowledges that he murdered Elia's chldren, ''then'' raped her, and then killed her. [[InThatOrder He wants Oberyn to know the order it happened]]. It's possible that Gregor just pretended not to remember to taunt Oberyn, given that this wasn't just some random atrocity out of the many he's committed, but the wife of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and ''kind of important''. Even DumbMuscle like Gregor would probably remember something like that.]]
** [[spoiler:Tyrion used to have a wife, Tysha who truly loved him. Tywin convinced Tyrion that she was a paid whore only to break his spirit. Not only that, but he made his entire garrison violently gang-rape the poor 13-year old girl before Tyrion's eyes. And then forced Tyrion to participate as well. When Tyrion finds out the truth, he attacks Tywin, and holding him at crossbow-point, asks him about Tysha. Tywin doesn't remember the name, and when Tyrion tells him who Tysha was, Tywin can't recall what happened to her after the gang rape.]]
* Subverted in ''Literature/TheReckonersTrilogy'': David remembers every single detail of the day that Steelheart murdered his father. He's shocked to discover that ''so does Steelheart''. The reason he killed David's father was because the man managed to injure him, [[NighInvulnerable the first and only time that had ever happened]]. He spent considerable effort ensuring no one left the scene alive to keep his secret, with only David escaping, meaning the event was just as important to him as it was to David.

* ''Literature/TheMartian'': An example without an antagonist. By the time astronaut Mark Watney re-establishes contact with Earth, he's inured due to having to deal single-handed with life-threatening problems.

** Usually almost all villains never bother to remember who their slaves/prisoners/murder victims are unless they either "Stand out by how strong they are" or "The slave/prisoner escapes, and the villain leader immediately goes berserk to get said slave/prisoner back" (not because s/he is personally worth anything to the villain, but simply because s/he defied the leader)

* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'': Harry forgets that several books ago, Ginny was possessed by Lord Voldemort for the better part of a year. Harry has had a direct encounter with Voldemort every year at Hogwarts but one, so it's not a huge surprise that Ginny's involvement was a relatively minor event to him. However for Ginny it's probably the most significant event of her life thus far, so when he says he forgot about it, and her reply is [[WhatTheHellHero a cool "lucky you"]]. Harry feels sincerely sorry and apologizes.

** ''Goblet of Fire '' also has a monetary example. At the beginning of the book, Harry buys Ron and Hermione an expensive gift and Ron pays him back without knowing that he was using fake money that disappeared. When Ron realizes this towards the end, he tells Harry he shouldn’t have bought him something for Christmas. Harry, who’s quite wealthy despite being a teenager due to what his parents left for him, has a hard time explaining to Ron that he didn’t even notice the money going missing. Harry also gives Fred and George his Triwizard Tournament winnings of 1000 galleons as a business loan and doesn’t want to tell Ron because it’s awkward that Harry is in the position to just give a considerable sum of money away and doesn’t want to offend the rest of Ron’s family whom he knows are too proud to take it.

* In ''Discworld/InterestingTimes'', near the end of the book, Twoflower is quite aware that Lord Hong has no idea he was the cause of his wife's death, but he insists on fighting him anyway. Twoflower says that the fact that Hong didn't know makes it worse. (Some slight {{foreshadowing}} into the mindset is pointed out by Cohen, in comparing Hong to the King in Chess: sits in back, sends others to do the dirty work... Even if he did remember anything it would, indeed, be just another Tuesday to him.)

* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'': Harry forgets that several books ago, Ginny was possessed by Lord Voldemort for the better part of a year. Harry has had a direct encounter with Voldemort every year at Hogwarts but one at that point in time, so it's not a huge surprise that Ginny's involvement wasn't a major event to him, but for Ginny it's probably the most significant event of her life thus far. He says he forgot about it, and her reply is [[WhatTheHellHero a cool "lucky you"]]. Harry feels sincerely sorry and apologizes.

** ''Goblet of Fire '' also has a monetary example. At the beginning of the book, Harry buys Ron and Hermione an expensive gift and Ron payed him back without knowing that he was using fake money that disappeared. When Ron realizes this towards the end, he tells Harry he shouldn’t have bought him something for Christmas. Harry, who’s quite wealthy and only has himself to worry about, has a hard time explaining to Ron who’s not that he didn’t notice that much money going missing. Harry also gives his brothers his Triwizard Tournament winnings of 1000 galleons as a business loan. He doesn’t want to tell Ron because it’s awkward that Harry is in the position to just give that much money away and doesn’t want to offend the rest of Ron’s family whom he knows are too proud to take it.

* Subverted in ''Literature/TheReckonersTrilogy'': David remembers every single detail of the day that Steelheart murdered his father. He's shocked to discover that ''so does Steelheart''. After all, the reason he killed David's father was because the man managed to injure him, [[NighInvulnerable the first time that had ever happened]]. The event was just as important to him as it was to David.

* Creator/CarrieFisher discusses this in her final title, the 2016 ''The Princess Diarist'', in relation to signing autographs and otherwise providing a celebrity encounter for fans at comic conventions, a practice she refers to as "lap dancing." For the fan, the experience is something they'll quite possibly remember for the rest of their life. For her, it's Tuesday, or another day on the job working to make some extra money to support herself.
* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': Sometimes Adolin has trouble keeping track of what he did to offend any particular female.

* ''Literature/TheMartian'': An example without an antagonist. By the time astronaut Mark Watney re-establishes contact with Earth, he's injured due to having to deal single-handed with life-threatening problems.

* ''Literature/CodexAlera'': In the backstory, the late Princeps Septimus, sole heir to throne, was not only a powerful mage comparable to the reigning First Lord, his father, but a genuinely good man. He could not stand by and watch as abuses happened in the lands he would one day rule, from the abuse of the magically-stronger Citizens over the weaker commoners, to slavery, to the idea of marriage for simple political and genetic gains. He fought for the downtrodden, sought to end slavery, and [[spoiler:rejects the arraigned marriage his father set up with a magically-strong and smart noblewoman in favor of wedding a commoner he has fallen for]]. His efforts to bring positive change made him so many enemies among those who benefited from the status quo that he can't remember them all. [[spoiler:They, however, do remember and enter into a cabal to kill him. It includes not only his spurned fiance, but two powerful High Lords, second in rank and status to the First Lord. They succeed]].

* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'': Harry momentarily forgets that several books ago, Ginny was possessed by Lord Voldemort for an entire year. For Harry, this was just one bit of yet another adventure. For Ginny, it may well be the most significant event of her entire life. He says he forgot about it, and her reply is [[WhatTheHellHero a cool "lucky you"]]. Harry feels sincerely sorry and apologizes.

** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'' starts off like this. Vernon goes throughout most of his routine day completely unaware that one of the most dangerous dark wizards in history was killed the night before, and his own infant nephew is now renowned for it. Of course, he'd learn all of this before next sunrise, and then spend the next decade trying to repress it.

* ''Literature/TheMartian'': An example without an antagonist. By the time astronaut Mark Watney re-establishes contact with Earth, he's inured to having to deal single-handed with life-threatening problems.

** Usually almost all villains never bother to remember who their slaves/prisoners/murder victims are are unless they either "Stand out by how strong they are" or "The slave/prisoner escapes, and the villain leader immediately goes berserk to get said slave/prisoner back" (not because s/he is personally worth anything to the villain, but simply because s/he defied the leader)