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__apf__ 's review for:
Tell Me an Ending
by Jo Harkin
Tell Me an Ending has all the ingredients of my favorite recipe: new technology with ethical ramifications, intertwined short stories, and strong characterization. Surprisingly, though, it fell flat for me.
All of the characters struggle with the aftermath of memory removal in some way. A doctor at the memory removal facility wrestles with ethics; a young man wanders the world wondering who he is; a college student feels depressed but can't remember why; a retired policeman can't remember the source of his PTSD; and so on.
The trouble is that the novel builds a mountain of suspense that it can't deliver on. The top-secret things don't feel that nefarious. The twists are mundane. With one exception, the connections between the characters end up not meaning much. The only ending that I felt compelled by was William's. Overall, it felt anticlimactic.
All of the characters struggle with the aftermath of memory removal in some way. A doctor at the memory removal facility wrestles with ethics; a young man wanders the world wondering who he is; a college student feels depressed but can't remember why; a retired policeman can't remember the source of his PTSD; and so on.
The trouble is that the novel builds a mountain of suspense that it can't deliver on. The top-secret things don't feel that nefarious. The twists are mundane. With one exception, the connections between the characters end up not meaning much. The only ending that I felt compelled by was William's. Overall, it felt anticlimactic.