The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

Synopsis:

Hat, ribbon, bird, rose.

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?

Hat, ribbon, bird, rose.

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?

Review:

My initial remark about this book is just that it didn't wow me. Other reviews and the general basis of it did intrigue me and I overall did enjoy it. There were just many things I feel like weren't unpacked that could've made a bigger impact if they were addressed. I would give this book 3 stars, but I do understand why someone else would like it more.

*Spoilers ahead*

I understand the point that because the main character is forgetting things everyday, any fond memories she may have are undermined by this, which does consequently result in a very mild presentation of this forgetting. There is no panic because she already does not remember why she would care in the first place. However, this presentation of forgetting does end in the story appearing very flat. Even the only character (R) who has an ounce of desperation to hold onto these memories does not appear incredibly bothered. Additionally, with the people taken by the Memory Police, though the protagonist is constantly thinking of them, she is not shown to feel any outrage at what happens to them. It is understandable that on this island, that is just the way things are, but there is barely a moment anyone questions why this restriction of memory is truly so important to the law.

A beautiful moment in this novel is when books are to be forgotten, and although both the protagonist and R know it is impossible she still strives to finish the story she is writing. It is a point in the book that could really show the significance of memory, however it is not looked into very closely.

The ending with everybody disappearing I think is what could save this whole book, as I interpret it as a consequence of everyone's resignation with forgetting things. In the end I think they allow themselves to disappear, because nobody tried to prevent this.

My initial remark about this book is just that it didn't wow me. Other reviews and the general basis of it did intrigue me and I overall did enjoy it. There were just many things I feel like weren't unpacked that could've made a bigger impact if they were addressed. I would give this book 3 stars, but I do understand why someone else would like it more.

*Spoilers ahead*

I understand the point that because the main character is forgetting things everyday, any fond memories she may have are undermined by this, which does consequently result in a very mild presentation of this forgetting. There is no panic because she already does not remember why she would care in the first place. However, this presentation of forgetting does end in the story appearing very flat. Even the only character (R) who has an ounce of desperation to hold onto these memories does not appear incredibly bothered. Additionally, with the people taken by the Memory Police, though the protagonist is constantly thinking of them, she is not shown to feel any outrage at what happens to them. It is understandable that on this island, that is just the way things are, but there is barely a moment anyone questions why this restriction of memory is truly so important to the law.

A beautiful moment in this novel is when books are to be forgotten, and although both the protagonist and R know it is impossible she still strives to finish the story she is writing. It is a point in the book that could really show the significance of memory, however it is not looked into very closely.

The ending with everybody disappearing I think is what could save this whole book, as I interpret it as a consequence of everyone's resignation with forgetting things. In the end I think they allow themselves to disappear, because nobody tried to prevent this.

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa