**SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE** 'A masterpiece' Guardian Discover a timely mystery about the loss of every day existence by one of Japan's greatest writers that featured in the Entertainment Weekly 'Quarantine Book Club'. 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 ...
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**SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE** 'A masterpiece' Guardian Discover a timely mystery about the loss of every day existence by one of Japan's greatest writers that featured in the Entertainment Weekly 'Quarantine Book Club'. 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? The Memory Police is a beautiful, haunting and provocative fable about the power of memory and the trauma of loss, from one of Japan's greatest writers. 'One of Japan's most acclaimed authors explores truth, state surveillance and individual autonomy. Echoes 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and 100 Years of Solitude, but it has a voice and power all its own' Time Magazine 'A quiet dystopia of loss and confusion rather than repression, perhaps better suited for a world of misinformation and environmental degradation than the Big Brother nightmares of last century' Slate
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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 to speed up - what else do the Memory Police want forgotten?
The Memory Police was originally written in Japanese in 1994 and was translated for this copy by Stephen Snyder. The translation is lovingly done, there is a lot of very quotable extracts from this book and the writing flows very well and doesn't really feel like it has been translated. The story itself is beautiful and haunting. It reminded me a lot of books such as 1984, Equilibrium and Ella Minnow Pea. Although written a while ago the themes feel very prevalent within today's society.
I enjoyed the short story of the typist which is told throughout the book and mirrors the main plot well. The whole book is chilling and lovely to read and asks some really important questions about how much the government has control of it's citizens and how far this can be pushed. Although it starts out quite plausible, with self- fulfilling prophecies of things that 'disappear' - such as objects that are willingly burnt by the citizens, things amp up to its conclusion with more abstract things disappearing or being forgotten. The tension is kept up throughout and the book held my interest and stayed with me long after I put it down.
Overall The Memory Police is a beautifully haunting tale with a powerful message - highly recommended! Thank you to NetGalley & Random House UK - Vintage Publishing and Harvill Secker for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
