Finalist for the International Booker Prize and the National Book AwardA haunting Orwellian novel about the terrors of state surveillance, from the acclaimed author of The Housekeeper and the Professor.On an unnamed island, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses. . . . Most of the inhabitants are oblivious to these changes, while those few able to recall the lost objects … those few able 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 writer discovers that her editor is in danger, she concocts a plan to hide him beneath her f loorboards, and together they cling to her writing as the last way of preserving the past. Powerful and provocative, The Memory Police is a stunning novel about the trauma of loss.
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
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I LOVED this book and tore right through it. It was a perfect read for Women in Translation month.
Genre- Dystopian. (Very Orwellian)
Tone – Eerie and strange. (Think Murakami)
Writing – Quietly poetic. Sparse and beautiful.
This book takes place on an island where various things are “disappeared”. Perfume, emeralds, hats, and even birds are not only erased, but the memory of them is also erased. This is enforced by the memory police, who disappear people that remember.
The story itself is a very suspenseful allegory of dictatorship. There is a lovely “novel in a novel” that supports the allegory.
One thing to keep in mind: you will NOT get some answers that you desire. I wanted to know WHY things and memories were being disappeared. I wanted a tidy ending that answered all my questions on this world. It never came. It wasn’t supposed to though. It is just not that kind of a book. Personally, i think it’s better as it is than it could have been if it read like typical genre fiction with clear formulas. This is more “literary fiction” than it is fantasy or mystery, even though both aspects exist in this story.
Yoko Ogawa ’s The Memory Police is a hauntingly beautiful tale. It may be the first time I finished a book and muttered, “Oh my God.” I had to pause and consider what exactly I had just read.
Originally written in 1994, it was translated into English in 2019.
On the surface, The Memory Police is a tale of an island experiencing the slow disappearance of random items—roses, birds, harmonicas—and society’s acceptance of such. But clearly there is a hidden meaning underneath the story.
Was it a novel about the process of dying?
Or was it about the loss of one’s self in the face of societal demands?
Perhaps it was about the death of society itself?
I initially grabbed the book because it was hyped as being dystopian-themed in the vein of George Orwell, but it was completely different than that.
The tone of the narration is quiet, almost gentle. The book’s power sneaks up on you until you find yourself leaning into it, trying desperately to understand why things slowly vanish from the lonely island and why its inhabitants don’t seem to terribly mind when the items fade from their own memories.
Only a few of the islanders seem to even remember the disappearing items and they are hunted by the dreaded Memory Police.
And like death itself, the Memory Police cannot be explained. They just are. The islanders accept them even when they cause their friends, neighbors, and personal histories to vanish.
The book ended so powerfully that I held the book in my hands for several moments, not wanting to put it down. I wanted to hold the memory of the book’s last scene for as long as possible.
Highly recommended.
The plot can be interpreted in many ways. When I was reading it, I kept thinking that it is about dictatorship. But it can also be about many other things. The fact it’s so open to interpretation is one of the reasons I loved it so much.
More mood than a story: imaginative, claustrophobic, flawed, absurdist
It fit the mood of the pandemic and the losses and claustrophobia were all feel in this chosen and necessary isolation. But it wasn’t consistent — there were painful holes in the plot. Because this story is all about loss, the glaring holes were a big turn-off.
Still, quite an original story, and I could help but think of Ann Frank and the Nazis and slow slide into fear and terror…
I would recommend with reservations. I loved the words, didn’t like when they didn’t fit.
Very different and am glad I read it. The writing is literate and smooth, the characters got my attention as the author’s progress into the unknown became more suspenseful. I found I cared and felt I’d been away from home when the story was over. Highly recommended.
A very interesting concept and commentary on recent events.
Beautifully written and original, but an unfortunately unsatisfying ending.
This book was amazing. You start off thinking it’s a YA dystopian, but it’s very much an adult book. Its haunting.
Book Review: The Memory Police: A Novel by Yoko Ogawa (1997 Japanese, 2019 English) (Dystopian Fiction) (Adult) (Young Adult) 4 Stars ****
Shades of Covid-19 restrictions and the 2020 Presidential Election? Loss of liberties. Curtailment of free speech. Violent reactions to opinions that differ. This dystopian society is not as far-fetched as it first appears. Look at what we’ve already been putting up with.
Think about how you feel when you pass an empty storefront and for the life of you, you can’t remember what was once there. Now transfer this sensation to an authoritarian society on a remote island where everyday objects suddenly disappear, and no one can remember what they were called, how to pronounce or spell their names or what they were even used for. Compound this horror with the sudden disappearance of people who desperately try to hang on to memories that are now forbidden and attempt to escape or hide, but are never heard from again. People are afraid to form relationships, help neighbors, engage in conversations. Anyone could be an agent of the Memory Police who suddenly showed up fifteen years earlier without explanation.
The eerie tone is magnified by the lack of names. The un-named female novelist main character lives alone in her now deceased parents’ house until she hides her editor (R) from certain arrest and takes in a kindly old man (the old man) who helps create the hiding place for R after the boat on which he sought shelter was destroyed by a tsunami. Food is scarce. Many necessities of life are no longer available.
Disappeared: birds, roses, emeralds, photographs, the ferry, maps, harmonicas, novels, everyone’s left leg, everyone’s right arm, then other body parts one-by-one. Only those who can hold on to memories are spared. Don, a rescued dog, is reduced to a front left leg, jaw, ears and his tail. His other body parts are missing, so when he lies down, realizing his back paws are no longer there, he gets up and gets a blanket upon which to rest his head. Humans reacted the same way. Too many took these events in stride, accepting their fate, and hoping if they kept their heads down and their mouths shut, they’d be safe. Not so. All compliant ones are swallowed up by the evil and loss of identity.
In the end, our female protagonist succumbs to her fate. Her only consolation is that she is sealed in a tiny room where she will lie undisturbed with objects that hold memories.
Maybe you will react as I did and ask: Why didn’t they fight back harder? Why so complacent? Why did they so quickly give up hope? Let’s take a look at how we have been robbed of liberties, jobs, worship, school, family gatherings, entertainment venues, safe cities, public transportation, our country’s history, and last but not least, toilet paper. Is it so different?
What a strange and sad story. Extraordinarily readable and with a feeling of hopelessness and sorrow throughout. Fine writing/translation.
This is a book of our time in political uncertainty but it is just as relevant in so many areas such as climate change, racial discord, and many other issues. It affected me so deeply that I find my mind wandering back to the characters, what was said, what was felt, and what was forgotten and finally expected to happen. It is a great read!!
Very dystopian, very twisted. The author pulled no punches. I loved this book.
I don’t ever think I’ll forget this haunting Dystopian novel. For me, it suggested the horror of dementia’s memory loss and the Holocaust as well as government suppression. Original and gripping.
A beautifully written book that makes you think about your own mortality, what lasting memories would we leave in the world if we were to disappear. A very clever plot and something i really enjoyed. A true contender for the booker prize.