A review by terhangus
The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa

4.0

3.5 stars but leaning more towards 4. i really enjoyed the plot and i love the interactions between the characters but

Spoiler

idk if im seeing a trend but are women cheating with married men a common trope bc ?!?(@(' im so conflicted about this hello!!!

. i dont actually have a concrete interpretation abt the narrative per se and im excited to see what other ppl thought honestly. this book made me acutely realize that i dont necessarily think of plot as such an important thing... everything really depends on the characters themselves 4 me. and like, the writing is exquisite.

update 3 minutes after reading other people's reviews: ooooooh it's allegorical i see.. also just adding that i love the parallels (? i dont know my literary devices anymore) between the typist & the narrator who writes her,

Spoiler

and their "lovers". at first i thought it was the reverse - the narrator keeping r in, safe and locked. but at the end narrator is merely reduced to a voice, while the typist is reduced completely starting with her voice.