Reviews

The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa

notbella's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective

4.5

kkocik's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

micki138's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

iamdevinlevin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

midwifereading's review against another edition

3.0

I definitely liked this story. It's unique. A little out there, and more philosophical than anything else.

It never quite felt real to me, and had a dreamlike quality that left me with that feeling you have when you wake up when there are pictures just beyond your consciousness. You remember mostly outlines and colors, but not the whole picture.

The tone is melancholy, and a bit misty around the edges. The disappearances were easier to imagine than I thought, but I definitely have to work to suspend my disbelief. I don't get the feeling that the author intends their work to be something hard and clear, though. It's meant to be thought about and talked over and looked at from a million different angles. (Maybe? Who am I to know what was in her mind as she wrote?)

I almost read other reviews before writing mine to see if I could make better sense of how I felt about this book. I decided it was better to just be honest, rather than try to figure it all out. It's a beautiful work, and I think I need to read it again sometime.

xtie's review against another edition

4.0

Ogawa writes so beautifully. This felt very real tho - why I find the “dystopian” genre a bit eye rolly - we are living in this rn!!! So it didn’t have that far fetched shock factor that I think we are expected to feel. A sad ending that faded away for me, I’m left thinking about little moments within the plot, rather than the overall narrative or the ending.

ehabich's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

0lli_e's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

corteccia's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

nophun's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0