The Memory Police
Fiction, Fiction & Poetry, General Fiction
Paperback Published on: 06/08/2020
£9.99
Bookseller Reviews
View all
A Kafkaesque Dystopian Nightmare
A Kafkaesque dystopian nightmare, where the very things of everyday life systematically disappear- ribbons, bells, hats, emeralds, stamps, perfume, birds, ... READ MORE
Beautifully, extraordinarily and profoundly sad.
This book is beautifully, extraordinarily and profoundly sad.
The Memory Police lingers in the world of the truly weird and bizarre, the world within its... READ MORE
Simply my favourite book of the year
I requested a reading copy of this book, and I'm glad I did. Some books stay with you for a long long time, and I think this is going to be one of those fo... READ MORE
Unsettling
A strange but beautiful book. It is deeply concerned with the tangle of memory and meaning and how loss can intersect all areas of life. It tells a story o... READ MORE
Beautifully written, but heart-breaking
I want to thank the publishers for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was one of the most despairing books I have read ... READ MORE
Atmospheric
Fantastically written allegory with an innovative narrative arc. I found that the atmosphere within this book is perfectly evoked. I loved that there were ... READ MORE
Thought provoking dystopia
Wonderfully strange and unusual. Left me with more questions than answers but not in a bad way. The mechanics of the universe are less important than the i... READ MORE
Reads like a dark lullaby!
The Memory Police is a dystopian novel set in a world where things are being made to disappear: roses, hats, ribbons, music boxes. Even memories of them ar... READ MORE
A modern classic
I finished this book in one sitting, which is rare for me. It was one of those stories that seemed to resonate very deeply with me on multiple levels. The ... READ MORE
An elegant unravelling of the soul
An intriguing, hauntingly written piece of dystopian Japanese literature, the story of a young woman living on a nameless island, where objects ‘disappear’... READ MORE
if you read any book this year... make it this one
The memory police is a dystopian novel reflecting upon the importance of memory, humanity and connection. discussing the cost of losing vital parts of our ... READ MORE
A FAVOURITE of the year!
Am I obsessed with this book? Absolutely.
The memory police is a dystopian novel reflecting upon the importance of memory, humanity and connection. Discus... READ MORE
A beautiful dystopian masterpiece…
Obsessed tells of a world where the state decides what words exist. As the words start to disappear the objects they were once attached to loose all meanin... READ MORE
Synopsis
Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2020
An enthralling Orwellian novel about the terrors of state surveillance from one of Japan's greatest writers.
Hat, ribbon, bird rose.
To the people on the island, a disappeared thing no longer has any meaning. It can be burned in the garden, thrown in the river or handed over to the Memory Police. Soon enough, the island forgets it ever existed.
When a young novelist discovers that her editor is in danger of being taken away by the Memory Police, she desperately wants to save him. For some reason, he doesn't forget, and it's becoming increasingly difficult for him to hide his memories. Who knows what will vanish next?
- Publisher: Vintage Publishing
- ISBN: 9781784700447
- Number of pages: 288
- Weight: 204g
- Dimensions: 197 x 129 x 18 mm
Customer Reviews
View allHauntingly Beautiful
There have always been disappearances on the island, objects come and go, people disappear, concepts vanish in a single night. But when this process starts... READ MORE
Thought provoking and a recommended read.
I really enjoyed this book.
A vision into a state under extreme control by the Memory Police where gradually things disappear from the memories of the wo... READ MORE
It started with a brilliant cover....
Well it started with a brilliant cover that I just fell in love with...
But I resisted buying for quite a while and it just constantly stared at me on the ... READ MORE
Quietly brilliant Japanese novel
‘The meaning isn’t important. What matters is the story hidden deep in the words. You’re at the point now where you’re trying to extract that story. Your s... READ MORE
A memorable and enchanting read which provokes some interesting and important existential questions about human existence
“Important things remain important things, no matter how much the world changes.”
Set on an island where things often disappearing from the memories of th... READ MORE
Darkly mysterious
I previously loved reading a collection of Yoko Ogawa's short stories, Revenge, so enthusiastically grabbed my copy of The Memory Police when it appeared o... READ MORE
Recommended
The Memory Police is a novel by Yoko Ogawa which was actually published in its original language (Japanese) in 1994 and was only recently translated into E... READ MORE
A gripping piece of dystopian fiction!
A deeply haunting and emotional novel exploring the horrors of forgetting. The Memory Police is a slow burn that begins as a gripping dystopian social comm... READ MORE
Masterpiece
Ogawa is a beguiling writer and has written a wonderfully haunting book. Must read.
Hypnotic, heart-breaking, sensitive and haunting dystopian dream
Beautiful, affecting, sensitive and almost haunting. Weird and neatly expressive writing that examines humanity and our perception of reality. Intertwining... READ MORE
Memories to Grasp.
The Memory Police are in control in a state where memories are being systematically erased by the removal of everyday objects and a way of life. There used... READ MORE
an affecting dystopia
This book works on a number of levels. A lot of other reviews pick up on the dystopian elements, and the authoritarianism of the Memory Police themselves, ... READ MORE
A book that stays with you
A riveting tale of oppression that despite being written in 1994 still feels fresh and important some years later. Ogawa is a stunning writer and this nove... READ MORE
A stunning and fascinating read
This was a book that I've had my eye on for a while, and when I finally got to it, I absolutely adored it! We follow our nameless narrator, a novelist livi... READ MORE
a beautiful story about love and loss
The author opens the book up with the mother telling her young daughter, the protagonist, about things that have disappeared from Society on their small li... READ MORE
A terrific and beguiling story
'The Memory Police' is a highly affecting novel following a novelist on an unnamed island in the thrawl of a totalitarian regime that continually 'disappea... READ MORE
A gentle allegorical tale set in a dystopian society
My thanks to Random House U.K. Vintage Publishing for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Memory Police’ by Yoko Ogawa, in exchange for an honest review. It has ... READ MORE
great read
Can you imagine if everything we have around that we enjoy starts to disappear? And we start to forget what was it and how it felt like?
I enjoyed this ... READ MORE
The Memory Police
A beautifully written dystopian novel that, whilst I wish it was longer as I enjoyed it so much, was flawless.
