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A review by ramblingsofareader
The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa
4.0
Loss is inevitable. But what will happen, if we tend to lose everything we love and care for?
In a faraway Japanese island, things seem to disappear. Not anything particular. Just mundane things. Then, more essentials start to disappear, and it continues.
An unnamed novelist and her old man try to hide R, her editor from the Memory Police. Memory Police takes away people who are unable to forget the memories of disappeared things.
This is what the story is about. This was written in 1994. And it was translated to English only this year.
Let me tell you how this book made me feel. It made me extremely claustrophobic. I had to run outside to get a fresh breath of air every once in a while. This is written in a sad and quiet tone. No questioning about disappearance. Just accepting and moving on with their lives.
The room where R is hidden reminded me of Anne Frank. The Memory Police reminded me of Nazi Germany. The disappearance of simple pleasures in life made me think of North Korea.
This book left me with questions more than answers. These people forget so easily. They don't question or argue. They simply destroy the pretty pleasures by themselves. Why?
I really don't know if this novel is dystopisn or not. This is an allegory but can be interpreted in various ways. I don't think this is eveyone's cup of tea, but its worth reading if you can spare some time.
In a faraway Japanese island, things seem to disappear. Not anything particular. Just mundane things. Then, more essentials start to disappear, and it continues.
An unnamed novelist and her old man try to hide R, her editor from the Memory Police. Memory Police takes away people who are unable to forget the memories of disappeared things.
This is what the story is about. This was written in 1994. And it was translated to English only this year.
Let me tell you how this book made me feel. It made me extremely claustrophobic. I had to run outside to get a fresh breath of air every once in a while. This is written in a sad and quiet tone. No questioning about disappearance. Just accepting and moving on with their lives.
The room where R is hidden reminded me of Anne Frank. The Memory Police reminded me of Nazi Germany. The disappearance of simple pleasures in life made me think of North Korea.
This book left me with questions more than answers. These people forget so easily. They don't question or argue. They simply destroy the pretty pleasures by themselves. Why?
I really don't know if this novel is dystopisn or not. This is an allegory but can be interpreted in various ways. I don't think this is eveyone's cup of tea, but its worth reading if you can spare some time.