Scan barcode
A review by melissatrew
The Memory Collectors by Kim Neville
5.0
"I absolutely believe that objects have power. Especially the objects that are the most important to us."
The Memory Collectors is a captivating, utterly magical tale about the deeply-held emotions and memories that we attach to our possessions over the course of a lifetime. In the book, Evelyn and Harriet are total strangers, with seemingly nothing in common, united by the discovery that they both share an incredible gift: the ability to sense those very memories and emotions when they encounter new objects. Evelyn is astounded to have met someone else "like her," and is even more shocked when Harriet offers her a job in helping to curate a museum out of collected, memory-tinged items.
"A museum of memory... a space where her best treasures could be displayed. She would advertise it as an art exhibit or a museum of curiosities, but secretly it would work its magic on visitors as they soaked up the energies within."
Reading this story felt like experiencing Frozen for grown-ups, with a KonMari twist. Two sisters, tragically orphaned at a young age, with little to link them to their childhood or their heritage. Noemi, the younger of the two, is easygoing, charming, and adventurous; while Evelyn, the older sister, is emotionally closed-off, haunted by all that she's lost, and terrified of a magical gift she possesses, unsure of her own power. Together, they work to unlock the secrets of their past, and with them, the true beauty of Ev's gift.
"The best things in life are always the scariest, don't you think?"
Kim Neville has done an outstanding job of creating a believable, immersive atmosphere in a novel that toes the line between magical realism and outright fantasy. Her descriptions of each memory-wrapped item, from the brooches and baubles that line Ev's table at the Chinatown market to the boxes of Christmas lights and jars of buttons that begin to take shape as curated collections in Harriet's museum, I could almost see (and feel!) everything Neville described.
"Maybe you can't force happiness on a person. But you can build a place where a person could find happiness when they're ready for it."
Part of what made this story so unique was Neville's nuanced delivery of emotions. The memories and feelings attached to her objects aren't so simple as "anger" or "love." She carefully measures and articulates the differences between blind rage and righteous indignation, between friendship and loyalty, between maternal protection and the bond of sisterhood. Stacked together, these distinctions lend evidence for the incalculable range of human emotion, the boundless capacity of the heart to feel, and the infinite ways in which our future can be shaped by what we remember about our past.
"People matter most, Evelyn. Not things. Never forget that."
I loved The Memory Collectors. I found myself at once unable to put my book down, and also constantly wanting to stop right where I was and save the rest for another day, so that it wouldn't have to end. My only complaint was that I simply wanted more. I wanted more dimension from the characters, that would have made them as fascinating and likeable as the memory-laced objects strewn throughout the book. I wanted more at the end, to see the museum open and be received by the community - to experience the impact of Harriet, Owen, and Evelyn's tireless work. And so, so much more about how Evelyn's gift (and Noemi's!) develops at the end.
"Life is change. Experiences change you. People change you... The things we surround ourselves with change us too."
Overall, I would call this a 4-and-a-half-star read (rounding up for the sake of the GoodReads review system), and would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys magical realism, grown-up fairytales, or even the KonMari method of sparking joy!
——
A huge thank-you to Kim Neville, Atria Books , and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
——
Follow @letteredlibrary on Instagram!
The Memory Collectors is a captivating, utterly magical tale about the deeply-held emotions and memories that we attach to our possessions over the course of a lifetime. In the book, Evelyn and Harriet are total strangers, with seemingly nothing in common, united by the discovery that they both share an incredible gift: the ability to sense those very memories and emotions when they encounter new objects. Evelyn is astounded to have met someone else "like her," and is even more shocked when Harriet offers her a job in helping to curate a museum out of collected, memory-tinged items.
"A museum of memory... a space where her best treasures could be displayed. She would advertise it as an art exhibit or a museum of curiosities, but secretly it would work its magic on visitors as they soaked up the energies within."
Reading this story felt like experiencing Frozen for grown-ups, with a KonMari twist. Two sisters, tragically orphaned at a young age, with little to link them to their childhood or their heritage. Noemi, the younger of the two, is easygoing, charming, and adventurous; while Evelyn, the older sister, is emotionally closed-off, haunted by all that she's lost, and terrified of a magical gift she possesses, unsure of her own power. Together, they work to unlock the secrets of their past, and with them, the true beauty of Ev's gift.
"The best things in life are always the scariest, don't you think?"
Kim Neville has done an outstanding job of creating a believable, immersive atmosphere in a novel that toes the line between magical realism and outright fantasy. Her descriptions of each memory-wrapped item, from the brooches and baubles that line Ev's table at the Chinatown market to the boxes of Christmas lights and jars of buttons that begin to take shape as curated collections in Harriet's museum, I could almost see (and feel!) everything Neville described.
"Maybe you can't force happiness on a person. But you can build a place where a person could find happiness when they're ready for it."
Part of what made this story so unique was Neville's nuanced delivery of emotions. The memories and feelings attached to her objects aren't so simple as "anger" or "love." She carefully measures and articulates the differences between blind rage and righteous indignation, between friendship and loyalty, between maternal protection and the bond of sisterhood. Stacked together, these distinctions lend evidence for the incalculable range of human emotion, the boundless capacity of the heart to feel, and the infinite ways in which our future can be shaped by what we remember about our past.
"People matter most, Evelyn. Not things. Never forget that."
I loved The Memory Collectors. I found myself at once unable to put my book down, and also constantly wanting to stop right where I was and save the rest for another day, so that it wouldn't have to end. My only complaint was that I simply wanted more. I wanted more dimension from the characters, that would have made them as fascinating and likeable as the memory-laced objects strewn throughout the book. I wanted more at the end, to see the museum open and be received by the community - to experience the impact of Harriet, Owen, and Evelyn's tireless work. And so, so much more about how Evelyn's gift (and Noemi's!) develops at the end.
"Life is change. Experiences change you. People change you... The things we surround ourselves with change us too."
Overall, I would call this a 4-and-a-half-star read (rounding up for the sake of the GoodReads review system), and would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys magical realism, grown-up fairytales, or even the KonMari method of sparking joy!
——
A huge thank-you to Kim Neville, Atria Books , and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
——
Follow @letteredlibrary on Instagram!