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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
The premise of this debut dystopian novel revolves around a tech company, Nepenthe, who have the ability to remove unwanted memories. The book follows several character stories, each relating to the deletion process in different ways—an employee at Nepenthe, a former patient, a current patient, etc. This story truly makes the reader wonder about how far we would go as humanity to make ourselves more comfortable, as this technology seems entirely possible in our distant future. With wonderful perspective, a unique writing style, and an unsettling topic, I gave this a firm 5 star review. I have yet to stop thinking about the characters, their lives, and the option of deleting a part of our human selves. Jo Harkin has nailed this science fiction piece!
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
It took me a little bit to get into this book, but I really enjoyed it. I liked all of the storylines and felt that the conclusion was satisfying and beautiful. The only reason this isn’t 5 stars is that the pacing was just a bit off for me.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Incest, Mental illness
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Yes
Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin
Narrated by
5 Stars
I heard about this book on a podcast (sorry don't remember which one!) and I thought the premise sounded fascinating. I've been wanting to branch out and this seemed like a good step toward Science Fiction. I'd say it's fairly light on sci-fi, set up to allow for really amazing questions about life, love, memory, trauma, and morality. I loved how the book was set up to follow different characters with different connections to Nepenthe, a company that has developed a method for removing painful memories. When I told my spouse, a sci-fi buff, about it, he said "Yeah, it's been done before," but the author alludes to this with references to Star Trek and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, instead of pretending that know one has ever asked, "What if we could delete traumatic memories?" I was originally put off by the fact that the audiobook is 16 hours long, but I couldn't turn it off. The narration was flawless. Each chapter follows one of five characters and I found all the stories equally interesting. Harkin creates multi-dimensional characters and relationships that feel real. There are no heroes or villains (there's a great quote near the end about that, but as I don't have the print edition I can't find it!) Similarly, the resolution feels realistic: no black/white, right/wrong ribbons to tie it all up. Some characters get happy endings and others don't.
This would make such a fantastic book club read, I certainly wish I had someone to talk to about it. I find myself thinking "If I could remove a memory, would I? What memory would it be? How would my life be different if suddenly it was as if that event never happened?" And on and on. I will certainly be following Jo Harkin from now on.
5 Stars
I heard about this book on a podcast (sorry don't remember which one!) and I thought the premise sounded fascinating. I've been wanting to branch out and this seemed like a good step toward Science Fiction. I'd say it's fairly light on sci-fi, set up to allow for really amazing questions about life, love, memory, trauma, and morality. I loved how the book was set up to follow different characters with different connections to Nepenthe, a company that has developed a method for removing painful memories. When I told my spouse, a sci-fi buff, about it, he said "Yeah, it's been done before," but the author alludes to this with references to Star Trek and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, instead of pretending that know one has ever asked, "What if we could delete traumatic memories?" I was originally put off by the fact that the audiobook is 16 hours long, but I couldn't turn it off. The narration was flawless. Each chapter follows one of five characters and I found all the stories equally interesting. Harkin creates multi-dimensional characters and relationships that feel real. There are no heroes or villains (there's a great quote near the end about that, but as I don't have the print edition I can't find it!) Similarly, the resolution feels realistic: no black/white, right/wrong ribbons to tie it all up. Some characters get happy endings and others don't.
This would make such a fantastic book club read, I certainly wish I had someone to talk to about it. I find myself thinking "If I could remove a memory, would I? What memory would it be? How would my life be different if suddenly it was as if that event never happened?" And on and on. I will certainly be following Jo Harkin from now on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Death of parent