You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by skellig19
Memory Man by David Baldacci
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
2.0
Memory Man was a thrilling but absolutely terribly written book. The plot was fast paced and exciting, the mystery aspect made it interesting, and I liked the main character. I think those are the only good things I can say about this book.
The blatant and excessive anti-fatness/fatphobia and the glaring inconsistencies in the writing were absolutely infuriating. I rolled my eyes so many times I made myself dizzy.
He constantly brings up just how "fat", "huge", "obese", and "substantial" his main character is. He's also a "whale", apparently. Baldacci does not do this with ANY of the other characters. One main character is thin, the other petite, and there are no more references to that aspect of them for the rest of the book. As it should be! I don't need to be reminded over and over because I can already picture them. Amos Decker's "bulk" serves as a small plot device, otherwise it's used to demean, ridicule, and shame the main character. Frankly, I found it reprehensible, in poor taste and just plain bad writing.
Baldacci includes a lot of pointless unnecessary detail in his descriptions as well. I kept wondering why he would mention a certain detail and find it never once came up again the story. It serves no purpose!
The intersex storyline was hugely problematic as well. Baldacci apparently couldn't decide which pronouns this character would use and switched between he and she repeatedly. If this book had been published 25 years ago, I may have forgiven Baldacci's ignorance regarding intersex individuals but this came out in 2015! And of course the intersex character is the villain. Excuse me while I roll my eyes...They're so "damaged", right? The author tries to frame it like the trauma this character endured was the motivation behind their behaviour but he slips up frequently bringing it back to their intersex identity!
I really wanted to like this book. I thought the premise of a detective with hyperthymesia and synesthesia was pretty engaging. I actually like the main character! Though it seems Baldacci does not given the way he writes about him. I have never read anything by David Baldacci before picking up Memory Man but I don't know if I'll be able to read anything else he's written. Is it all this bad? How is he such a popular author?
The blatant and excessive anti-fatness/fatphobia and the glaring inconsistencies in the writing were absolutely infuriating. I rolled my eyes so many times I made myself dizzy.
He constantly brings up just how "fat", "huge", "obese", and "substantial" his main character is. He's also a "whale", apparently. Baldacci does not do this with ANY of the other characters. One main character is thin, the other petite, and there are no more references to that aspect of them for the rest of the book. As it should be! I don't need to be reminded over and over because I can already picture them. Amos Decker's "bulk" serves as a small plot device, otherwise it's used to demean, ridicule, and shame the main character. Frankly, I found it reprehensible, in poor taste and just plain bad writing.
Baldacci includes a lot of pointless unnecessary detail in his descriptions as well. I kept wondering why he would mention a certain detail and find it never once came up again the story. It serves no purpose!
The intersex storyline was hugely problematic as well. Baldacci apparently couldn't decide which pronouns this character would use and switched between he and she repeatedly. If this book had been published 25 years ago, I may have forgiven Baldacci's ignorance regarding intersex individuals but this came out in 2015! And of course the intersex character is the villain. Excuse me while I roll my eyes...They're so "damaged", right? The author tries to frame it like the trauma this character endured was the motivation behind their behaviour but he slips up frequently bringing it back to their intersex identity!
I really wanted to like this book. I thought the premise of a detective with hyperthymesia and synesthesia was pretty engaging. I actually like the main character! Though it seems Baldacci does not given the way he writes about him. I have never read anything by David Baldacci before picking up Memory Man but I don't know if I'll be able to read anything else he's written. Is it all this bad? How is he such a popular author?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Blood, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Murder
Moderate: Terminal illness, Torture, Vomit, Grief
Minor: Cancer, Drug abuse, Excrement, Stalking