A review by alouette
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

adventurous dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

i wanted to love this book so badly, because the themes of assimilation, of existing in the space between two cultures, spoke to me on a personal level. the poetic nature of the writing was beautiful as well. but ultimately i couldn't find myself connecting with the characters, who were likable but lacked real depth. nor could i connect with the multitude of plot lines, which were hard to sort out to the point where i didn't feel invested in any of them.  maybe it would've helped my investment if Lsel Station was an actual setting and not just a memory that Mahit occasionally dwelled on. 

also, the fact that the whole plot took pace over only 5 days?! there was no time to understand most of the characters' motivations. storygraph user 'annebonny' explains this much better than i can, so you can go read their review of this book for more insight.

it felt like scratching the surface of this sci-fi world (and the world-building was good, even if also confusing) and knowing with certainty that i would never understand its truths and not even being sure if i cared to. 

i know the intrigue of "what was he involved in?" was a big plot point, but i can't help thinking Yskandr would've made a better protagonist, even if it meant a different plot...
Expand filter menu Content Warnings