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flying_monkeys 's review for:
Yesterday
by Felicia Yap
mysterious
medium-paced
"It's the sum total of remembered grievances that makes hatred potent."
Yesterday takes the amnesia / memory-loss thriller to the next level. Yap's world is one in which the short-term memory gene has been switched off. Peopled with Monos and Duos - the former only able to retain one day's worth of memories while the latter two - don't expect to dive deep into the realities of such a world. The story is tightly centered on its players, so, while the concept is super cool, it's mostly superficially applied. I say "mostly" because - in keeping with human nature (to date anyway) - Duos are treated as superior, Monos as second-class citizens. At times the plot teetered on convoluted, but the mystery was such fun and the promise of twists hiding around the next corner so strong, I willingly overlooked any shortcomings.
Claire, Mark and Sophia aren't likeable. If you're a reader who needs someone to root for in a thriller, Yesterday may prove difficult. Well, I guess you could root for Hans - the seasoned detective who is a Mono passing as a Duo - because he's good at his job and wants to solve the case.
The ending does seem to leave an opening for a sequel. Not sure I'd read it though. I wouldn't want it to fail by comparison to this one.
Read this is you enjoyed Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Breakdown by B.A. Paris, and/or Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson.
4 stars
"Your diary says what you want it to say. Memory equals the facts you choose to retain. We are all victims of the pasts we prefer." [Mark to Claire]
Yesterday takes the amnesia / memory-loss thriller to the next level. Yap's world is one in which the short-term memory gene has been switched off. Peopled with Monos and Duos - the former only able to retain one day's worth of memories while the latter two - don't expect to dive deep into the realities of such a world. The story is tightly centered on its players, so, while the concept is super cool, it's mostly superficially applied. I say "mostly" because - in keeping with human nature (to date anyway) - Duos are treated as superior, Monos as second-class citizens. At times the plot teetered on convoluted, but the mystery was such fun and the promise of twists hiding around the next corner so strong, I willingly overlooked any shortcomings.
Claire, Mark and Sophia aren't likeable. If you're a reader who needs someone to root for in a thriller, Yesterday may prove difficult. Well, I guess you could root for Hans - the seasoned detective who is a Mono passing as a Duo - because he's good at his job and wants to solve the case.
The ending does seem to leave an opening for a sequel. Not sure I'd read it though. I wouldn't want it to fail by comparison to this one.
Read this is you enjoyed Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Breakdown by B.A. Paris, and/or Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson.
4 stars
"Your diary says what you want it to say. Memory equals the facts you choose to retain. We are all victims of the pasts we prefer." [Mark to Claire]