knick_nat's review
4.0
This was a slow book but I was hooked. I can understand this not being everybody’s speed because it’s quiet and not very active. I loved the feel, the indifference and minor suspense moments.
jaclyn_sixminutesforme's review against another edition
4.0
Examining the central themes of memory and the trauma around loss, this was such a unique narrative.
The novel is set in a dystopian world where items and physical parts of the world are “disappeared” in a very literal sense - as they disappear, so too does the memory of them for people. Well, most people. There are Memory Police that monitor the disappearances and “correct” situations where people do not lose their memories as intended.
It is such a peculiar concept in abstract, particularly as the novel progresses and the types of things “disappeared” become more personal. That said, I couldn’t help feeling how much the narrative stirred up traces of dictatorships throughout history and the policing of thoughts. It still has my mind spinning since finishing and made me want to read more from Ogawa!
Thanks to Pantheon for an ARC.
The novel is set in a dystopian world where items and physical parts of the world are “disappeared” in a very literal sense - as they disappear, so too does the memory of them for people. Well, most people. There are Memory Police that monitor the disappearances and “correct” situations where people do not lose their memories as intended.
It is such a peculiar concept in abstract, particularly as the novel progresses and the types of things “disappeared” become more personal. That said, I couldn’t help feeling how much the narrative stirred up traces of dictatorships throughout history and the policing of thoughts. It still has my mind spinning since finishing and made me want to read more from Ogawa!
Thanks to Pantheon for an ARC.
bgg616's review against another edition
4.0
This is the dystopian story of an island where things start to disappear, and people are prohibited from remembering these things that are no longer part of daily life. The Memory Police enforce this prohibition by arresting and disappearing anyone who persists in remembering. A young novelist discovers that her editor is one of the people who remember things that no longer exist. She hides him in a secret cramped space in her house to save his life.
I like Japanese novels for their simplicity and straightforward stories. It may seen that a novel with such a simple premise would be hard to get through. I found it compelling, and satisfying.
I like Japanese novels for their simplicity and straightforward stories. It may seen that a novel with such a simple premise would be hard to get through. I found it compelling, and satisfying.
mcomer's review against another edition
5.0
This novel is a journey into a quietly horrifying dystopia. The book very much has its own pace and atmosphere - there is a plot, but all action, even very dramatic parts, and especially the emotions, are muffled and subdued. It's as if it's a product of the novel's setting, a place where people lose their memories of certain things on a government-appointed schedule - what would novels, let alone life, be like without a store of memories to draw on and color what happens next? As objects are 'disappeared' and lose their place in memory, the people are obliged to destroy those objects, meaning that there is no material vestige where anyone could attach any fragment of memory. (As a heritage studies researcher, this called to mind the never-ending debate over the meanings we attach to heritage objects/sites as opposed to any 'inherent' meaning an object might hold.) But it's not that simple: some people, apparently due to some genetic difference, cannot simply forget when ordered to forget. The Memory Police are committed to tracking down and disappearing these people who can remember, which gives the novel's plot its dramatic tension and also its strong parallels to real-life totalitarian regimes. I found the novel's depiction of populations alternately complying with the Memory Police's orders, acting as bystanders to human rights abuses, resisting, and suffering the consequences of resisting to be highly realistic and accurate - which is partially why the book is so grim. But this is not as simple as a story of resisters either defeating an authoritarian government or dying bravely in the attempt. Instead, the novel and its ending call into question the meaning and function of memory and, by extension, life itself. I can recommend for an existentially thought-provoking, if gloomy, meditation.
caitlinwhetten's review
4.0
This is one of those books that I finish it and go . . . "huh." I don't really know what to make of it and the fact that I still think about it after I finish it means it has to get a higher rating. I loved the ideas and themes this book plays with. You do have to go into this book with the mindset that things just happen and you don't get an explanation for how, you just have to go with it.
I really liked how the novel the main character is writing ties into what is happening in her present life. I think this is a book that can take on different meanings for me at different points of my life. I really liked the writing and the characters and how the story was told.
It kind of gave me the vibes I got when reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and that is also a favorite. This is so different and unique to other things I've read so I'm really glad I picked it up.
I really liked how the novel the main character is writing ties into what is happening in her present life. I think this is a book that can take on different meanings for me at different points of my life. I really liked the writing and the characters and how the story was told.
It kind of gave me the vibes I got when reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and that is also a favorite. This is so different and unique to other things I've read so I'm really glad I picked it up.
joanamcarvalho's review against another edition
3.0
on its surface this book is a dystopia about a military force who robs people of their memories of objects, concepts, people and feelings, which makes for a good premise. but it’s much more an essay about existence and matter and how the consequences of loss, grief and oppression affect essence, because the missing things end up opening holes in the hearts of the characters.
although it’s a magnificent piece of writing, it misses some excitement. it’s often very dull and reads like a flat line. the few moments of intrigue it has are quickly resolved and the way those get worked through feels incredibly unrealistic and unpractical (egg. earthquake/tsunami).
i also found the secondary narrative, the novel being written by the main character, a lot more interesting, as it explores oppression, control and manipulation far more than the main narrative.
if you read this, don’t expect a orwellian dystopia because that’s not what you’re getting.
although it’s a magnificent piece of writing, it misses some excitement. it’s often very dull and reads like a flat line. the few moments of intrigue it has are quickly resolved and the way those get worked through feels incredibly unrealistic and unpractical (egg. earthquake/tsunami).
i also found the secondary narrative, the novel being written by the main character, a lot more interesting, as it explores oppression, control and manipulation far more than the main narrative.
if you read this, don’t expect a orwellian dystopia because that’s not what you’re getting.
hlockwoodr's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I didn’t end up liking this book as much as I thought I would. It started really strong but I think as it went on the pacing was off. It seemed like it would be more of a dystopian thriller in the beginning.
Spoiler
the ending was a too abstract and not in the way I would have liked.pkane01's review against another edition
2.0
DNF after 30% read. Maybe I’m not in the right headspace for this book, but I found it very boring, save for the first page which caught my attention. Like other readers, I found the premise to be interesting and I was waiting for some kind of plot or twist or explanation— something— to keep me going. Nope.
phanann's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0