The Memory Police
An enthralling Japanese dystopia you’ll never forget
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3.5 • 66 Ratings
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- £6.99
Publisher Description
On an unnamed island, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses. . .
Most of the inhabitants are oblivious to these changes, while those who remember live in fear of the Memory Police.
To the people on the island, a disappeared thing no longer has any meaning. It can be burned in the garden, thrown in the river, or handed over to the Memory Police. Soon enough, the island forgets it ever existed.
When a young novelist discovers that her editor is in danger of being taken away by the Memory Police, she desperately wants to save him. For some reason, he doesn't forget, and it's becoming increasingly difficult for him to hide his memories. Who knows what will vanish next?
'Beautiful... Haunting' Sunday Times
'This timeless fable of control and loss feels more timely than ever' Guardian
'A dreamlike story of dystopia' Jia Tolentino
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING
‘I cried. . . cracking ending’ 5* reader review
‘I loved it!’ 5* reader review
‘A must read’ 5* reader review
‘Worth 6 stars… what a novel!’ 5* reader review
‘Dark and unsettling - a fantastic read’ 5* reader review
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ogawa (Revenge) returns with a dark and ambitious novel exploring memory and power both individual and institutional through a dystopian tale about state surveillance. The unnamed female narrator is an orphaned novelist living on an unnamed island that is in the process of disappearing, item by item. The disappearances, of objects such as ribbons, perfume, birds, and calendars, are manifested in a physical purge of the object as well as a psychological absence in the island's residents' memories. The mysterious and brutal Memory Police are in charge of enforcing these disappearances, randomly searching homes and arresting anyone with the ability to retain memory of the disappeared, including the narrator's mother. When the narrator discovers her editor, R, is someone who does not have the ability to forget, she builds a secret room in her house to hide him, with the help of her former nurse's husband, an old man who once lived on the ferry, which has also disappeared. Though R may not leave the room for fear of discovery, he, the narrator, and the old man are able to create a sense of home and family. However, the disappearances and the Memory Police both grow more aggressive, with more crucial things disappearing at a faster rate, and it becomes clear that it will be impossible for them their family unit, and the island as a whole to continue. The classic Ogawa hallmarks are here, a dark eroticism and idiosyncratic characters, but it's also clear she's expanded her range into something even deeper. This is a searing, vividly imagined novel by a wildly talented writer.
Customer Reviews
Unsettling
I’m not sure what to make of it. On one hand, I found it dissatisfying and in places predictable but at the same time it’s thought provoking and deeply unsettling in a slow burn kind of way. Did I like it, did I not like it? Not sure, yes and no. Did I think it was clever conceptually? Yes. Would I read it again? Probably, because it’s thought provoking.
It’s nice and easy to read and to get absorbed into, the horror of it creeps up slowly. By the end I found it hard to put down. Would recommend but prepare to be a little frustrated with things that aren’t explained fully and questions you won’t have answered.
Boring
Read this as part of a book club, misses the basic idea of a story and doesn’t have a beginning, middle or an end. Wouldn’t recommend!