Paperback, 274 pages
English language
Published Oct. 29, 2020 by Penguin Random House.
**2019 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
A haunting Orwellian novel about the terrors of state surveillance, from the acclaimed author of The Housekeeper and the Professor.**
On an unnamed island off an unnamed coast, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses—until things become much more serious. Most of the island's inhabitants are oblivious to these changes, while those few imbued with the power to recall the lost objects live in fear of the draconian Memory Police, who are committed to ensuring that what has disappeared remains forgotten.
When a young woman who is struggling to maintain her career as a novelist discovers that her editor is in danger from the Memory Police, she concocts a plan to hide him beneath her floorboards. As fear and loss close in around them, they cling to her writing as the last way of preserving the past.
A surreal, provocative fable about the …
**2019 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
A haunting Orwellian novel about the terrors of state surveillance, from the acclaimed author of The Housekeeper and the Professor.**
On an unnamed island off an unnamed coast, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses—until things become much more serious. Most of the island's inhabitants are oblivious to these changes, while those few imbued with the power to recall the lost objects live in fear of the draconian Memory Police, who are committed to ensuring that what has disappeared remains forgotten.
When a young woman who is struggling to maintain her career as a novelist discovers that her editor is in danger from the Memory Police, she concocts a plan to hide him beneath her floorboards. As fear and loss close in around them, they cling to her writing as the last way of preserving the past.
A surreal, provocative fable about the power of memory and the trauma of loss, The Memory Police is a stunning new work from one of the most exciting contemporary authors writing in any language.
Haunting and beautiful. I really enjoyed this, despite the persistent anxiety it caused me. The path the story took from curiosity, to resistance, to resigning acceptance was tragic. It's been a long time since I have felt this way about a story.
After being underwhelmed by Ogawa's collection of short stories, [b:Revenge|16032127|Revenge|Yōko Ogawa|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349818757l/16032127.SY75.jpg|6316882], I expected to feel the same about this one, though the premise intrigued me. The first half of this novel felt completely on the nose and I wasn't very impressed. Fortunately, Ogawa wrote a whole novel so I got to experience this one's back half which I found provocative and moving and delightfully shocking. I really liked it and I see where Ogawa gets her fans.
The premise may feel familiar but how the author goes about expressing the metaphysical problems of historical revisionism and state propaganda are effective and cunning. What felt like an extremely simplistic novel at first is only building a stable structure to leap from in the back half of the novel and I admit I needed the opening in order to take in what she has to offer as her authorial conclusion.
Dragging too long and bored as hell.
On an isolated island, oppressed citizens are slowly stripped of their material reality.
This was a very tightly crafted story. It didn't drag for a moment and every line moved the story forward. The oppressive atmosphere permeated every page, and made for some striking dismal imagery.
It's never really explained why, but the Memory Police have better things, and are clearly the bourgeoisie. Food is scarce, but the Memory Police have plenty to eat. And they have tea, which is usually a sign of high-class sophistication. They have higher quality boots for the snow, elegant furnishings, and fancy limousines to chauffeur people to their deaths. One disappearance after another they take away people's ability to maintain a normal life. Not unlike the capitalist's slowly taking away the rights of their workers. With each disappearance, most people say they will simply learn to live with it as they have every time. …
On an isolated island, oppressed citizens are slowly stripped of their material reality.
This was a very tightly crafted story. It didn't drag for a moment and every line moved the story forward. The oppressive atmosphere permeated every page, and made for some striking dismal imagery.
It's never really explained why, but the Memory Police have better things, and are clearly the bourgeoisie. Food is scarce, but the Memory Police have plenty to eat. And they have tea, which is usually a sign of high-class sophistication. They have higher quality boots for the snow, elegant furnishings, and fancy limousines to chauffeur people to their deaths. One disappearance after another they take away people's ability to maintain a normal life. Not unlike the capitalist's slowly taking away the rights of their workers. With each disappearance, most people say they will simply learn to live with it as they have every time. Sort of like how Amazon warehouse workers likely had to just learn live with having their steps counted while on the clock, and not being able to sit down or take bathroom breaks.
One summary of this book called it Orwellian, and that is a perfect description. There is constant surveillance, a hidden room where forbidden knowledge is cherished, and a bleak setting with characters persisting against all odds. Truly a powerful story with a powerful ending.
Haunting
