But if a Bad Thing happens part of you is seared into place, and trapped forever at that time. The rest of you moves onward, dealing with all the todays and tomorrows, but something, some part of you is left behind. That part blocks the light, colors the rest of your life, but worse than that, it's alive. Trapped forever at that moment, and alone in the dark, that part of you is still alive.

...you may remember, and things may never be the same again. You'll meet that younger person, and realize how angry he was at being abandoned, how much hatred he has for you now. It's no use telling them [sic] it wasn't your fault. They [sic] hurt too much to hear.

...perhaps you saw something else. Maybe when you were small, you saw something which you couldn't tell anyone about, because they wouldn't believe you. Something that was impossible. Something you would never remember when you grew up because it simply didn't fit into the world, and yet something which would be part of you forever.

Michael Marshall Smith, Only Forward, page 148.

It's a book which starts out rather flippantly, segues into fantasy and thence into time travel, and, with the above passage, becomes a profound commentary on memory, traumatic loss, and moving forward.