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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
In this book society is split between Duos (people who can remember two days) and Monos (people who can remember one day). Mark, a Duo iis an author and has been married to Claire, a Mono, for twenty years. To remember things both Duos and Monos write in i diaries each evening and read them the following morning. A woman's body has been found in the River Cam and Detective Hans Richardson is investigating. The victim is Sophie Ayling and she was known to Mark. Really struggled with this book - the story is related through the point of view of Mark, Claire, Sophie and Hans - I think just one or two points of view would have been better. The narrative is also broken up by newspaper articles, information from police manuals and government documents which don't add anything to the story. I found the ending very disappointing..
Thanks to Netgalley, Headline and the author for my copy in return for a review.
Thanks to Netgalley, Headline and the author for my copy in return for a review.
Okay when I picked this book I expected a plain old psychological thriller but what I didn’t expect was the element of Sci-fi. In this world after the age of twenty three you become divided into two groups Monos, who can only remember the previous day and Duos who can remember two days. Then there is the victim Sophia Alyssa Ayling who can remember everything.
She is hell bent on revenge against duo novelist wannabe MP Mark Henry Evans and his mono wife Claire but she is suddenly found dead in the River Cam. It then up to Inspector Hans Richardson (a mono masquerading as a duo) to uncover the truth.
I absolutely loved this book. The characters were fantastic and even though the storyline was a bit ‘out there’ so to speak, I enjoyed seeing their story unfold. I honestly thought I’d figured out the murderer by about half way through but boy was I wrong (which I have to say doesn’t happen very often!). There’s plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes.
If you are looking for an out of the box mystery/thriller this is the book for you.
She is hell bent on revenge against duo novelist wannabe MP Mark Henry Evans and his mono wife Claire but she is suddenly found dead in the River Cam. It then up to Inspector Hans Richardson (a mono masquerading as a duo) to uncover the truth.
I absolutely loved this book. The characters were fantastic and even though the storyline was a bit ‘out there’ so to speak, I enjoyed seeing their story unfold. I honestly thought I’d figured out the murderer by about half way through but boy was I wrong (which I have to say doesn’t happen very often!). There’s plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes.
If you are looking for an out of the box mystery/thriller this is the book for you.
This was an intriguing idea, and I am grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy in advance of publication.
In this world we have two types of people, Duos and Monos. Their whole existence is dominated by the need to record everything on Idiaries as their memory is limited.
So, what do you do when a murder is committed and you can only remember events of the day before? It makes it extremely difficult for those investigating the crime also.
As we flit between perspectives and time I have to confess it felt like we were being fed false details throughout. It was hard to work out who was reliable, and to what extent we should trust what we were seeing.
I enjoyed seeing Claire try to work out just how her husband knew the woman pulled from the river. It was interesting to try and put together just what secrets she was hiding. I really liked the character of the Detective-his obsession was understandable, and it certainly gave us an insight into the effect our identity has on our actions.
Where I lost interest somewhat was in the closing stages, once we thought we'd sorted out what had happened...only to have a whole new layer added in. This felt a step too far for me.
In this world we have two types of people, Duos and Monos. Their whole existence is dominated by the need to record everything on Idiaries as their memory is limited.
So, what do you do when a murder is committed and you can only remember events of the day before? It makes it extremely difficult for those investigating the crime also.
As we flit between perspectives and time I have to confess it felt like we were being fed false details throughout. It was hard to work out who was reliable, and to what extent we should trust what we were seeing.
I enjoyed seeing Claire try to work out just how her husband knew the woman pulled from the river. It was interesting to try and put together just what secrets she was hiding. I really liked the character of the Detective-his obsession was understandable, and it certainly gave us an insight into the effect our identity has on our actions.
Where I lost interest somewhat was in the closing stages, once we thought we'd sorted out what had happened...only to have a whole new layer added in. This felt a step too far for me.
As soon as I read the tagline for Yesterday, by Felicia Yap, I was hooked. How do you solve a murder when you can only remember yesterday? This debut thriller has a few sci-fi elements combined with a fast paced plot that had me equally confused to what is going on and intrigued enough to let myself go and become lost within the world Yap has created.
The novel opens with the discovery of a body and Hans, the cop on the scene has about 13 hours to solve the murder before his brain, and every other duo, resets. The world is made up of monos (those who has memories for 24 hours) and duos (those who have memories for 48 hours); all of these members keep detailed diaries of their discussions and whereabouts for reference. So when the victim’s diary is discovered and a writer, turned politician, is the prime suspect, the race is on to bring justice before time (and memories) have run out. After all, how can a confession be given when no one remembers the crime?
Told through diary entries and personal perspectives, we hear from four different people directly affected by the murder: the victim (Sophie), the detective (Hans), Mark (the main suspect who happens to be a duo) and Claire (Mark’s wife and mono).
Sound a little bit confusing?
It is.
But do not let that deter you from this book!
I’ll be honest, it took me about 20% to really get into my groove, but once I understood the language of this parallel universe, I was completely hooked and entranced by Yap’s prose.
The characterization in Yesterday was my favourite part; every single character, big or small, adds something so significant to the plot. Are you a fan of an unreliable narrator? Well, imagine that every single character in a novel is unreliable. They physically cannot remember what happened days prior and are working solely off written “facts” in a diary. Absolutely none of these characters can be trusted and that is what makes this novel so delicious. There is nowhere to turn and no one to trust. No one’s motives are made completely clear.
And that cover? Come on.
Overall, the originality of the plot and the wit in Yap’s writing won me over completely; I do think this will be a love it or hate it type of book but I know that I loved it.
The novel opens with the discovery of a body and Hans, the cop on the scene has about 13 hours to solve the murder before his brain, and every other duo, resets. The world is made up of monos (those who has memories for 24 hours) and duos (those who have memories for 48 hours); all of these members keep detailed diaries of their discussions and whereabouts for reference. So when the victim’s diary is discovered and a writer, turned politician, is the prime suspect, the race is on to bring justice before time (and memories) have run out. After all, how can a confession be given when no one remembers the crime?
Told through diary entries and personal perspectives, we hear from four different people directly affected by the murder: the victim (Sophie), the detective (Hans), Mark (the main suspect who happens to be a duo) and Claire (Mark’s wife and mono).
Sound a little bit confusing?
It is.
But do not let that deter you from this book!
I’ll be honest, it took me about 20% to really get into my groove, but once I understood the language of this parallel universe, I was completely hooked and entranced by Yap’s prose.
The characterization in Yesterday was my favourite part; every single character, big or small, adds something so significant to the plot. Are you a fan of an unreliable narrator? Well, imagine that every single character in a novel is unreliable. They physically cannot remember what happened days prior and are working solely off written “facts” in a diary. Absolutely none of these characters can be trusted and that is what makes this novel so delicious. There is nowhere to turn and no one to trust. No one’s motives are made completely clear.
And that cover? Come on.
Overall, the originality of the plot and the wit in Yap’s writing won me over completely; I do think this will be a love it or hate it type of book but I know that I loved it.
52% Pace could've been quicker for what turns out to be rich people problems
Interesting concept. Became a bit drawn out and tedious but a fairly decent read.
Imagine a world where only you can only maintain your memory for either one day (Mono) or two (Duo)! That's a world, set in the present day, occupied by the characters in this debut novel by Felicia Yap.
To be fair, the scenario isn’t explored very deeply, aside from the characters entering their day's actions, thoughts and “facts” onto an iDiary at the end of each day which can then be accessed in the future for reference, however the storyline itself is intriguing enough to almost manage without the whole memory story.
When Sophia Ayling's body is dumped into a nearby river, weighed down by stones in her coat pockets, the finger of blame points to novelist and hopeful-politician Mark, who previously had an affair with Sophia, much to the anger of Mark's wife Claire (the pair of whom are in a rare and often frowned upon, but seemingly happy Mono-Duo marriage). However when the police officer in charge, Hans, looks into the case, it would appear that all three have a separate shocking back story! Yesterday is told via individual chapters from the four main characters which is fine as long as it's not overdone with too many different viewpoints and it works quite well here, especially comparing the differing views of the same incident/situation.
It's an interestingly written story with shades of Before I Go To Sleep (very short term memory) and The Girl On The Train (Yesterday is told from four different viewpoints) and bounces between the present and past, notably when we hear from Sophia and her diary and although I enjoyed it, I cant say with honesty that's it's one that I'll pick up and read again in the near future. That said, the last quarter drags you off in various directions and scenario's that you think you understand what's been happening before being clobbered by an often clever plot twist.
It's certainly very promising as a debut novel and will likely do well and have a good following of fans and I'll probably read any future novels by her, although I can't quite figure out whether the ending is set up for a sequel or not!
To be fair, the scenario isn’t explored very deeply, aside from the characters entering their day's actions, thoughts and “facts” onto an iDiary at the end of each day which can then be accessed in the future for reference, however the storyline itself is intriguing enough to almost manage without the whole memory story.
When Sophia Ayling's body is dumped into a nearby river, weighed down by stones in her coat pockets, the finger of blame points to novelist and hopeful-politician Mark, who previously had an affair with Sophia, much to the anger of Mark's wife Claire (the pair of whom are in a rare and often frowned upon, but seemingly happy Mono-Duo marriage). However when the police officer in charge, Hans, looks into the case, it would appear that all three have a separate shocking back story! Yesterday is told via individual chapters from the four main characters which is fine as long as it's not overdone with too many different viewpoints and it works quite well here, especially comparing the differing views of the same incident/situation.
It's an interestingly written story with shades of Before I Go To Sleep (very short term memory) and The Girl On The Train (Yesterday is told from four different viewpoints) and bounces between the present and past, notably when we hear from Sophia and her diary and although I enjoyed it, I cant say with honesty that's it's one that I'll pick up and read again in the near future. That said, the last quarter drags you off in various directions and scenario's that you think you understand what's been happening before being clobbered by an often clever plot twist.
It's certainly very promising as a debut novel and will likely do well and have a good following of fans and I'll probably read any future novels by her, although I can't quite figure out whether the ending is set up for a sequel or not!
This book started out for me as 4.5 stars, then dwindled to 4 and finished off with 3.5.
The story is set in our world with one major difference - short term memory evaporates as quickly as water left in the open air. The majority of the population are classified as Monos - those who can not remember anything more than one day in the past. A select and special few however, are able to recall their lives up to two days in the past. They are the Duos. People everywhere rely on the facts and events written in their iDiaries each night to help them remember the rest of their lives.
After an intriguing prologue, the book brings us to Chapter 1 and the introduction of Claire - a Mono woman married for 20 years to a Duo. She wakes knowing that the day before was spent in misery but is unsure of why, as the events creating such sadness happened the day before. Her iDiary tells her nothing, and her husband does the same. Then an inspector shows up, questioning her husband about a woman found dead in the nearby river. The inspector accuses Claire's husband of having an affair with this woman and then murdering her. Claire is shocked and devastated and turns to her diaries of the past to help her see how life has brought her to this point. Claire’s husband, the inspector and past diary entries of the woman killed, add to the story creating an intriguing mystery full of heartache, deception, and brutal truth.
There was so much about this book I liked. The world building, the fast pace of it, the ensnaring hook at the very beginning that isn’t fully explained until the end. What I did not like - and what ultimately led me to finish it feeling less than thrilled - was the character of the victim Sophia. I didn’t feel like I was reading the real thoughts of a woman scorned and seeking revenge (why and against who I’ll let future readers discover). Rather, I felt that I was reading the authors incorrect idea of what such a person would sound like. Those chapters lacked depth and believability and ultimate - for me anyway - detracted from the story as a whole. Putting that aside, it was a fun read.
The story is set in our world with one major difference - short term memory evaporates as quickly as water left in the open air. The majority of the population are classified as Monos - those who can not remember anything more than one day in the past. A select and special few however, are able to recall their lives up to two days in the past. They are the Duos. People everywhere rely on the facts and events written in their iDiaries each night to help them remember the rest of their lives.
After an intriguing prologue, the book brings us to Chapter 1 and the introduction of Claire - a Mono woman married for 20 years to a Duo. She wakes knowing that the day before was spent in misery but is unsure of why, as the events creating such sadness happened the day before. Her iDiary tells her nothing, and her husband does the same. Then an inspector shows up, questioning her husband about a woman found dead in the nearby river. The inspector accuses Claire's husband of having an affair with this woman and then murdering her. Claire is shocked and devastated and turns to her diaries of the past to help her see how life has brought her to this point. Claire’s husband, the inspector and past diary entries of the woman killed, add to the story creating an intriguing mystery full of heartache, deception, and brutal truth.
There was so much about this book I liked. The world building, the fast pace of it, the ensnaring hook at the very beginning that isn’t fully explained until the end. What I did not like - and what ultimately led me to finish it feeling less than thrilled - was the character of the victim Sophia. I didn’t feel like I was reading the real thoughts of a woman scorned and seeking revenge (why and against who I’ll let future readers discover). Rather, I felt that I was reading the authors incorrect idea of what such a person would sound like. Those chapters lacked depth and believability and ultimate - for me anyway - detracted from the story as a whole. Putting that aside, it was a fun read.
Murder mystery where you can only remember 1 or 2 days. Really a crime book with a the memory twist plot. I had no interest in the characters or how the detective solves the problem.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I absolutely love the setting and the idea of the book. It is set in a world where there are two kinds of people: those who can remember two days back and those who can only remember yesterday. and then a murder happens. it makes you think about what such a world would look like and who you could trust. yourself? would you lie to yourself? The story seemed predictable at first, but then the ending surprised me. and despite everything, I kinda like sophia because she didn't let herself be crushed by a world she doesn't fit into. An exciting, fascinating and recommendable book!