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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
I loved the unique premise. There were a few plot points that didn’t quite line up that caused me to deduct a star.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The writing is much too choppy and the tone too detached/clinical for me to withstand reading this for too long 🫠
This twisty thriller comes with an unusual premise that hooked me from the start: it’s set in an alternate world where once people hit adulthood, their ability to make new memories is drastically reduced, resulting in a stratified society where Monos, who can remember only one day prior to today, are second-class citizens to Duos, who can remember the past two days.
If you’re wondering how a murder mystery can possibly work under those conditions, well, I was skeptical too, but for the most part Yap pulls it off. Characters are dependent on their iDiaries (Apple and Steve Jobs are called out by name), which are cell phone-like devices on which they record each day’s events for review later on. Of course, you can see the problem with a system like this--whatever a person chooses to write in their iDiary becomes fact for them in one or two days’ time, regardless of omissions or falsehoods. Hence the detective in the novel always tries his best to solve cases within a single day (which is probably the part I had the toughest time suspending my disbelief about).
Claire and Mark are a rare “mixed” marriage--she’s a Mono, he’s a Duo. A woman’s body is found in the river near their house, and the detective shows up to interview Mark. This stirs up all kinds of trouble, in their private and public lives. Mark is a famous novelist and aspiring politician, and any whiff of scandal could taint his name forever. If he was involved with another woman, let alone implicated in her death, Claire, needless to say, has questions.
I like mysteries and thrillers, but as they can start to all feel the same to me, I’m always looking for ones with a little something extra. The memory-challenged world Yap has created felt fresh, and couldn’t have been easy to execute. If I rated this book using the Olympic gymnastics scoring system, I would rate it very high for starting difficulty and add moderate style points, with a deduction for a slight loss of form in the air. (Tortured metaphor? Perhaps. But I like it! I think I might start rating all books like gymnastic routines. How did I not see before that books and gymnastics are basically the same thing?!)
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
If you’re wondering how a murder mystery can possibly work under those conditions, well, I was skeptical too, but for the most part Yap pulls it off. Characters are dependent on their iDiaries (Apple and Steve Jobs are called out by name), which are cell phone-like devices on which they record each day’s events for review later on. Of course, you can see the problem with a system like this--whatever a person chooses to write in their iDiary becomes fact for them in one or two days’ time, regardless of omissions or falsehoods. Hence the detective in the novel always tries his best to solve cases within a single day (which is probably the part I had the toughest time suspending my disbelief about).
Claire and Mark are a rare “mixed” marriage--she’s a Mono, he’s a Duo. A woman’s body is found in the river near their house, and the detective shows up to interview Mark. This stirs up all kinds of trouble, in their private and public lives. Mark is a famous novelist and aspiring politician, and any whiff of scandal could taint his name forever. If he was involved with another woman, let alone implicated in her death, Claire, needless to say, has questions.
I like mysteries and thrillers, but as they can start to all feel the same to me, I’m always looking for ones with a little something extra. The memory-challenged world Yap has created felt fresh, and couldn’t have been easy to execute. If I rated this book using the Olympic gymnastics scoring system, I would rate it very high for starting difficulty and add moderate style points, with a deduction for a slight loss of form in the air. (Tortured metaphor? Perhaps. But I like it! I think I might start rating all books like gymnastic routines. How did I not see before that books and gymnastics are basically the same thing?!)
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
Started slow and had some real trouble accepting the premise at first, but it really does make you want to keep reading.
Interesting society built around the mono (can only remember as far back as yesterday) and duo (can recall 2 days), and some great references to real people and what products they might create to deal with the memory issue.
Structure and shifts in viewpoint, along with diary entries was well done.
Just when you think you know what is going on - you really don't, right up to the end.
Interesting society built around the mono (can only remember as far back as yesterday) and duo (can recall 2 days), and some great references to real people and what products they might create to deal with the memory issue.
Structure and shifts in viewpoint, along with diary entries was well done.
Just when you think you know what is going on - you really don't, right up to the end.
mysterious
medium-paced
"It's the sum total of remembered grievances that makes hatred potent."
Yesterday takes the amnesia / memory-loss thriller to the next level. Yap's world is one in which the short-term memory gene has been switched off. Peopled with Monos and Duos - the former only able to retain one day's worth of memories while the latter two - don't expect to dive deep into the realities of such a world. The story is tightly centered on its players, so, while the concept is super cool, it's mostly superficially applied. I say "mostly" because - in keeping with human nature (to date anyway) - Duos are treated as superior, Monos as second-class citizens. At times the plot teetered on convoluted, but the mystery was such fun and the promise of twists hiding around the next corner so strong, I willingly overlooked any shortcomings.
Claire, Mark and Sophia aren't likeable. If you're a reader who needs someone to root for in a thriller, Yesterday may prove difficult. Well, I guess you could root for Hans - the seasoned detective who is a Mono passing as a Duo - because he's good at his job and wants to solve the case.
The ending does seem to leave an opening for a sequel. Not sure I'd read it though. I wouldn't want it to fail by comparison to this one.
Read this is you enjoyed Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Breakdown by B.A. Paris, and/or Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson.
4 stars
"Your diary says what you want it to say. Memory equals the facts you choose to retain. We are all victims of the pasts we prefer." [Mark to Claire]
Yesterday takes the amnesia / memory-loss thriller to the next level. Yap's world is one in which the short-term memory gene has been switched off. Peopled with Monos and Duos - the former only able to retain one day's worth of memories while the latter two - don't expect to dive deep into the realities of such a world. The story is tightly centered on its players, so, while the concept is super cool, it's mostly superficially applied. I say "mostly" because - in keeping with human nature (to date anyway) - Duos are treated as superior, Monos as second-class citizens. At times the plot teetered on convoluted, but the mystery was such fun and the promise of twists hiding around the next corner so strong, I willingly overlooked any shortcomings.
Claire, Mark and Sophia aren't likeable. If you're a reader who needs someone to root for in a thriller, Yesterday may prove difficult. Well, I guess you could root for Hans - the seasoned detective who is a Mono passing as a Duo - because he's good at his job and wants to solve the case.
The ending does seem to leave an opening for a sequel. Not sure I'd read it though. I wouldn't want it to fail by comparison to this one.
Read this is you enjoyed Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Breakdown by B.A. Paris, and/or Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson.
4 stars
"Your diary says what you want it to say. Memory equals the facts you choose to retain. We are all victims of the pasts we prefer." [Mark to Claire]
2.5/5 stars. I liked the idea of the world in which this story was set, but I didn’t really like any of the characters. The story has four different POV’s - three I dislike and one I felt “meh” about. I can see why others might really like the book, but I can’t get invested in a story where I don’t have a character to root for and/or care about.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria
Minor: Abortion