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A review by carireadsbooksandtarot
Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
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 of parent, Death, and Suicide