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reddermoon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
nicoleneuman's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
myjourneywithbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
In this bit of speculative fiction, scientists have discovered the secret to erasing memories and a company called Nepenthe provides these services to the masses. They have two types of clients - self-informed and self-confidential. The self-informed clients are aware that they've had a memory removed and even know what the memory was about but they just want the finer details erased, usually in the case of some traumatic event. Self-confidential clients, on the other hand, choose not to even have a memory of getting a memory erased.
But now some self-confidential clients begin to experience traces of the memories that were erased and Nepenthe, after finally admitting that deleted memories aren't gone for good, have been ordered by the courts to contact all their self-confidential clients to let them know they had a memory removed and give them the chance to have it restored.
The story is told from five alternating viewpoints. Noor works at one of the Nepenthe clinics and is beginning to suspect that her boss is up to something. Mei, Oscar, Finn and William are all people who have in some way been affected by Nepenthe's services and this new development has complicated things for everyone.
A thoroughly engrossing story with a well thought out concept that provides some food for thought, Tell Me an Ending is definitely one of the better books I've read this year. Each perspective is accompanied by a sense of mystery, some more so than others, and through the characters' decisions of whether or not to get their memory removals reversed and the effect these decisions had on them, the author provides the multiple possible outcomes for the what-if situation.
I thought this was a very cleverly done story, one that I couldn't wait to get back to each time I took a break from it. There were a few small issues, like Noor describing herself as Arabic instead of Arab, but since this is a proof copy, I hope all that was sorted out in the final version.
But now some self-confidential clients begin to experience traces of the memories that were erased and Nepenthe, after finally admitting that deleted memories aren't gone for good, have been ordered by the courts to contact all their self-confidential clients to let them know they had a memory removed and give them the chance to have it restored.
The story is told from five alternating viewpoints. Noor works at one of the Nepenthe clinics and is beginning to suspect that her boss is up to something. Mei, Oscar, Finn and William are all people who have in some way been affected by Nepenthe's services and this new development has complicated things for everyone.
A thoroughly engrossing story with a well thought out concept that provides some food for thought, Tell Me an Ending is definitely one of the better books I've read this year. Each perspective is accompanied by a sense of mystery, some more so than others, and through the characters' decisions of whether or not to get their memory removals reversed and the effect these decisions had on them, the author provides the multiple possible outcomes for the what-if situation.
I thought this was a very cleverly done story, one that I couldn't wait to get back to each time I took a break from it. There were a few small issues, like Noor describing herself as Arabic instead of Arab, but since this is a proof copy, I hope all that was sorted out in the final version.
saturdayslaughter's review
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
-Spoilers
Good drama, I liked the characters. I liked the little note apologizing to the real scientists at the end. I thought the narrator Tania Rodrigues was great. She really fucked up at pronouncing paella(if that’s what it was?). I thought the line ‘his eyes hidden in deepest shadow… under the hat’ was extremely funny. The trope about the anti-depressants rubbed me the wrong way. Favorite characters to follow were Noor and Oscar, and I liked watching Finn descend into paranoia and how it’s written to be balanced with plausible narrative, and William’s inability to communicate was good to watch. Mei was captivating, more in the beginning, good for her good for her. I liked how all the characters came together. Haven’t put much thought into Louise and her philosophy and shit, I assume I could get mad about that. Good book.
Good drama, I liked the characters. I liked the little note apologizing to the real scientists at the end. I thought the narrator Tania Rodrigues was great. She really fucked up at pronouncing paella(if that’s what it was?). I thought the line ‘his eyes hidden in deepest shadow… under the hat’ was extremely funny. The trope about the anti-depressants rubbed me the wrong way. Favorite characters to follow were Noor and Oscar, and I liked watching Finn descend into paranoia and how it’s written to be balanced with plausible narrative, and William’s inability to communicate was good to watch. Mei was captivating, more in the beginning, good for her good for her. I liked how all the characters came together. Haven’t put much thought into Louise and her philosophy and shit, I assume I could get mad about that. Good book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
happystuyear's review against another edition
4.0
This was really something.
If Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind made you wonder how one would have their memories erased, and the effects that would have on their mental health and wellbeing, this book is for you. I adored it. I couldn't put it down. And despite reading it in mid-December, it may have snuck its way into my top 5 for the year.
Tell Me an Ending follows multiple points of view, from a flawed but deeply likeable psychologist who works at Nepenthe, a clinic that performs memory erasures, to characters who have had those erasures. While I tend not to like multiple-POVs, each person in this novel had a distinct voice and I adored everyone represented, flaws and all.
Though the build-up is a bit slow, the novel wraps up nicely and answers the most important questions. My only regret is that this book comes out in 2022 and I can't buy copies for everyone for Christmas this year.
Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for this advance e-copy!
If Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind made you wonder how one would have their memories erased, and the effects that would have on their mental health and wellbeing, this book is for you. I adored it. I couldn't put it down. And despite reading it in mid-December, it may have snuck its way into my top 5 for the year.
Tell Me an Ending follows multiple points of view, from a flawed but deeply likeable psychologist who works at Nepenthe, a clinic that performs memory erasures, to characters who have had those erasures. While I tend not to like multiple-POVs, each person in this novel had a distinct voice and I adored everyone represented, flaws and all.
Though the build-up is a bit slow, the novel wraps up nicely and answers the most important questions. My only regret is that this book comes out in 2022 and I can't buy copies for everyone for Christmas this year.
Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for this advance e-copy!
darkcornerofthelibrary's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
eve_kaarina's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hannahhorky's review against another edition
3.0
Wanted more from this, the idea for the plot was great. Felt like there was one too many POV’s which weren’t connected in a meaningful enough way. Didn’t like the ending. Took me a while to read bc I wasn’t that excited about picking it up
mvonpaige's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0