A review by readingwithhippos
MEM by Bethany C. Morrow

5.0

This book is a real achievement, and I’m glad I read it on vacation so that I could slow down and appreciate it. The premise is a stunner and Morrow makes the most of it—there’s such richness and complexity here. In an alternate 1920s era Montreal, Dolores Extract #1 is a Mem—a memory removed from a person and stored in the Vault. Most Mems aren’t sentient and can’t form new memories of their own; they’re husks doomed to relive the memory they hold in perpetuity until they expire. Dolores—or as she has renamed herself, Elsie—is different. She remembers her Source’s life before she was extracted, and she can make new memories of her own. Because of this difference, she is allowed to live outside the Vault and pursue something of a life for herself, until the day she is summoned back to the Vault. This is so creative, so beautifully written, if you’re a fan of thoughtful sci-fi you really should check it out. And as if it wasn’t already fabulous enough, it’s also a devastatingly good love story. Masterfully done.