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ollie_again's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
savvylit's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The atmosphere in The Memory Police is palpably unsettling. Not only are the members of the unnamed island community forced to rid themselves of "disappeared" items but they also lose all memory or concept of the items. For instance, the narrator recounts how at one point, all hats are disappeared. Later on, she notes a person wearing an odd object on their head while struggling to recognize it as a hat.
At its core, this novel is a terrifying parable about the extreme duress and gaslighting inherent in police states. The citizens of the island are constantly surveilled by the titular memory police. Folks who have retained memories of the disappeared items are forcibly taken away from the community to meet unknown fates. Such scenes are all too accurately reminiscent of the treatment of radicals during extreme fascist regimes. Perhaps that's the scariest aspect of this novel - the way that Ogawa's dystopian world closely mirrors our own reality.
At its core, this novel is a terrifying parable about the extreme duress and gaslighting inherent in police states. The citizens of the island are constantly surveilled by the titular memory police. Folks who have retained memories of the disappeared items are forcibly taken away from the community to meet unknown fates. Such scenes are all too accurately reminiscent of the treatment of radicals during extreme fascist regimes. Perhaps that's the scariest aspect of this novel - the way that Ogawa's dystopian world closely mirrors our own reality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death, Grief, Gaslighting, and Police brutality
leapyear_reader's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Stalking, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Blood, Chronic illness, Dementia, and Grief
Minor: Animal death, Infidelity, Murder, and Terminal illness
carolinalopezwatt's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Terminal illness, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
Minor: Animal death
this_is_lee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was such an interesting book. It was confusing at times but overall such an intriguing concept. The ending was heartbreaking yet felt fitting. Definitely worth the read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Police brutality, and Confinement
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Murder
heartcolored's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
i had a lot of expectations for this one because the concept was so interesting, the premise has a potential but it was badly executed. also, the romance ruined it for me. i just hoped the author focused more on the mysteries of the island because there's a lot of unanswered questions. when did the disappearing began? what happened to the inui family? what happened to the people that were taken by the memory police? does the memory police had something to do with the death of the protagonist's mother? how can they make things disappear? and what perplexed me the most was how the people were able to talk about the things that already disappeared when they had supposedly forgotten about it? lastly, i feel like the ending was supposed to be sad and emotional, but i just find it weird and out of place.
AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW R LITERALLY CHEATED FROM HIS WIFE WHO JUST RECENTLY GAVE BIRTH TO THEIR FIRST CHILD? the cheating part was just a huge turn off for me. i hated the protagonist so much. i can't imagine how she even had the guts to talk to R about his wife and their child when she just had an affair with him. it's highly problematic.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
suzannah's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death of parent, and Death
theayeaye's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I found The Memory Police to be a masterclass in writing successful anticlimax. Before the last three chapters I would have rated this book just slightly fewer stars (maybe 3.75) but the ending brought together the threads of the Memory Police into a hauntingly tragic resolution.
One caveat for potential readers, I think this book is better understood less as a novel and more of a meditation on some themes through a story. Go into this book with the same mindset as taking in a painting at a museum.
Ogawa's writing style (and Stephen Snyder's translation) is remarkably understated and accomplishes a really interesting technique to show the narrator's emotions and feelings in her actions while keeping some aspects hidden.Like her romantic affections for R. It works really well when one of the themes of the book is which emotions do we acknowledge and honour in ourselves and which do we dampen.
I also really enjoyed the juxtaposition of the main story with the text of the narrator's novel. I think it added a great deal to the book to see how she works through her experiences by writing about them.
I found the writing a really thought provoking meditation loss and grief, and the things we lose without noticing, and the things we lose and notice very deeply.
The build-up of sadness and grief grows and grows until the book's ending. (Spoilers ahead for the curious but I don't think it would ruin the book to know how it ends.)The final chapters show the narrator succeeding in R's request for her to finish her novel – a remarkable achievement in the context of her losses, though the achievement comes through understated because of her changing state of mind. And ultimately, remembering how to write does not succeed in saving her, and she gives in to the end with a chilling finality.
One caveat for potential readers, I think this book is better understood less as a novel and more of a meditation on some themes through a story. Go into this book with the same mindset as taking in a painting at a museum.
Ogawa's writing style (and Stephen Snyder's translation) is remarkably understated and accomplishes a really interesting technique to show the narrator's emotions and feelings in her actions while keeping some aspects hidden.
I also really enjoyed the juxtaposition of the main story with the text of the narrator's novel. I think it added a great deal to the book to see how she works through her experiences by writing about them.
I found the writing a really thought provoking meditation loss and grief, and the things we lose without noticing, and the things we lose and notice very deeply.
The build-up of sadness and grief grows and grows until the book's ending. (Spoilers ahead for the curious but I don't think it would ruin the book to know how it ends.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Grief, and Confinement
Moderate: Abandonment
seasidess's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
It's a devastating story about people leaning on each other in the midst of tragedy.
I read it in Portuguese and I thought the scenery description was great, also the main characters are very sweet and lovable. It's desolating how there's a complete lack of control to change what happens to that island and to them. Who's making that people starve to death and why? What happened to the rest of the world? How were they controlling everyone's mind? That's what frustrated me the most when reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Grief, and Ableism
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Rape
darbo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"I don't know. Maybe there's a place out there where people whose hearts aren't empty can go on living."
The book has a slow start, and it may feel slow all throughout for some due to its mundane, everyday tasks, but it picks up eventually and just leaves you baffled and shocked at every turn. Especially so the ending. I truly love this and wholeheartedly recommend this to any dystopia and Orwell fans out there.
The book has a slow start, and it may feel slow all throughout for some due to its mundane, everyday tasks, but it picks up eventually and just leaves you baffled and shocked at every turn. Especially so the ending. I truly love this and wholeheartedly recommend this to any dystopia and Orwell fans out there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment, Blood, and Death