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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Big big black mirror fan here, and this book feels like it (thank you to true advertising). I liked the characters and the overall plot, though I think the book could've been shorter because the plot was very slow to get going. There were places where slow storytelling could have been cut out to make a really tight knit story. That said, it's a book with an interesting plot, characters, and questions you'll find yourself asking as you read.
A page-turner. It was slow at first, but once you get into it it sucks you in. very Eternal Sunshine of the Spotted Mind, but instead of erasing people you can erase traumatic memories.It follows the stories of 4? people who Possibly got a memory removed. They now live with PTSD and dont know where it even comes from. It does a good job of uncovering what they were trying to erase and potential outcomes from the ethical dilemma of memory removal. Online reviews were saying that the hopping between POVs gave them whiplash but honestly i liked the change of pace between stories. I think Jo Harkin did a good job of creating full, thought-out characters and their styles and their consequences. It all comes together in a plot-twist yet satisfying way. I feel like this would make a good movie.
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Tell me a story.
Tell me multiple stories that intertwine, that are full of beauty and pain. Tell me a story about a corporation, one with a mission that would seem, on the surface, to do good... or at least reduce harm in patients that have deep and unyielding trauma.
This is a character-driven speculative sci-fi that asks, "what are we if not our memories? If you were to completely erase a traumatic memory, would it change you for the better?" and "Can the philosophy behind 'do least harm' ever be altruistic?" and "To what degree does capitalism corrupt science and medicine?" This narrative offers no clear-cut answers. It does, however, approach many challenging subjects with nuance and compassion.
If you liked Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, you will like this novel. It takes the central idea of that film and expands upon it.
Tell me multiple stories that intertwine, that are full of beauty and pain. Tell me a story about a corporation, one with a mission that would seem, on the surface, to do good... or at least reduce harm in patients that have deep and unyielding trauma.
This is a character-driven speculative sci-fi that asks, "what are we if not our memories? If you were to completely erase a traumatic memory, would it change you for the better?" and "Can the philosophy behind 'do least harm' ever be altruistic?" and "To what degree does capitalism corrupt science and medicine?" This narrative offers no clear-cut answers. It does, however, approach many challenging subjects with nuance and compassion.
If you liked Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, you will like this novel. It takes the central idea of that film and expands upon it.
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In a world where difficult experiences can simply be whisked from our memories, what could possibly go wrong? I really enjoyed this thought provoking tale, and especially how each character represented an answer to the questions memory removal presents. So thoroughly explored and super engaging!
4.25 stars
Imagine you have a memory so traumatic that you have it removed in a doctor's office. You know you had a memory removed, but now there are blank areas in your mind and you question if not knowing what happened is worse than knowing. What if the memory is so bad you consent to have it extracted in the middle of the night in a way that makes it so that you never knew you had it removed. And now you have an eerie feeling that something is missing or wrong and you don't know why. Then you suddenly get a letter in the mail that, via court order, all people with "midnight removals" must be notified in case they want to get the memory back, and you had no idea you had a memory removed. How do you even make a decision on something you do not have enough information to make?
This book really dives into some amazing stories about what it would be like deciding if you want to remove memories, live with deleted memories, or discover you had a memory deleted and struggle to decide if you want them back. And for that, I would say 5 stars for the concept alone.
The writing style is great! The first 5 chapters serve to introduce you (one chapter at a time) to our 5 main characters. Then they each take turns as you learn more and more about how they are related to the concept of having your memory removed. All of these characters bring something interesting to the table, and to avoid spoilers I won't describe their stories here. What caused me to not rate this 5 stars was the fact that the plot builds and builds really nicely until right at the end we go from having all of these first-person narrative stories, to just one character wrapping up most of the plots via 3rd person information. It's such a huge letdown. There was so much momentum towards the end that not hearing how it ends from each person individually was such whiplash. Overall, still a really good read!
Imagine you have a memory so traumatic that you have it removed in a doctor's office. You know you had a memory removed, but now there are blank areas in your mind and you question if not knowing what happened is worse than knowing. What if the memory is so bad you consent to have it extracted in the middle of the night in a way that makes it so that you never knew you had it removed. And now you have an eerie feeling that something is missing or wrong and you don't know why. Then you suddenly get a letter in the mail that, via court order, all people with "midnight removals" must be notified in case they want to get the memory back, and you had no idea you had a memory removed. How do you even make a decision on something you do not have enough information to make?
This book really dives into some amazing stories about what it would be like deciding if you want to remove memories, live with deleted memories, or discover you had a memory deleted and struggle to decide if you want them back. And for that, I would say 5 stars for the concept alone.
The writing style is great! The first 5 chapters serve to introduce you (one chapter at a time) to our 5 main characters. Then they each take turns as you learn more and more about how they are related to the concept of having your memory removed. All of these characters bring something interesting to the table, and to avoid spoilers I won't describe their stories here. What caused me to not rate this 5 stars was the fact that the plot builds and builds really nicely until right at the end we go from having all of these first-person narrative stories, to just one character wrapping up most of the plots via 3rd person information. It's such a huge letdown. There was so much momentum towards the end that not hearing how it ends from each person individually was such whiplash. Overall, still a really good read!
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Really solid story with an interesting cast of characters. It takes you on journeys with several different characters and keeps you guessing for most of it. There were no shocking twists but I enjoyed how things wrapped up.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated