Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa

38 reviews

taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Death, and Confinement

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Violence, Blood, Gore, and Animal death

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Torture, Murder, Medical content, Animal death, and Gore

Natural disasters (earthquake, tsunami). Enforced memory loss, unreality.

iheartapolloxxi's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

Ogawa’s writing is truly phenomenal, from the first page I was completely hooked. The story is unique  and  leaves you wanting more. The characters were lovable and I found myself constantly rooting for them. Truly an amazing read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Kidnapping

hannah_and_her_stories's review

dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Confinement

Moderate: Grief, Rape, Infidelity, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, and Death of parent

Minor: Dysphoria, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence

lea333's review

emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, and Sexual assault

augustst's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Kidnapping, Death of parent, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape, Fire/Fire injury, and Forced institutionalization

pigeonpersona's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Kidnapping, Violence, Gaslighting, and Confinement

clarabooksit's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Infidelity, Grief, and Police brutality

Minor: Sexual assault

alanakuni's review

dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

this book made me enjoy reading again after a big slump. i was really sucked into this world and grew fond of the narrator and her story. definitely would read again and i already recommended it to two friends! a good mysterious story that makes you think about loss and grief. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault, Torture, and Kidnapping

samarakroeger's review

dark mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

I was not the biggest fan of the narration style chosen by the author/translator. It does not make sense within this dystopia for a first person present tense narration when this person is continuously losing her memory for things but the narrative still references these things in her voice. She shouldn’t be able to point out that she has no idea what a bird is because she is acknowledging the loss of a named thing. 

Anyways, this book deals with themes of loss, memory, confinement, and censorship, just like many well known and loved dystopias. There were clearly many interpretations/allusions to a wide variety of real-life issues, which managed to be both vague and pretty obvious. It’s giving Anne Frank. It’s giving Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative diseases. It’s even giving abusive relationship. Obviously, it’s giving police state — that’s literally what this is.  

It’s like someone took Ishiguro’s favorite themes (memory, time, loss) but forgot the nuance and subtlety. 

Don’t get me wrong, I still liked the book despite my qualms. I don’t think it’s anything particularly special and only time will tell if it has had a true effect on me. While it felt kind of slow and repetitive at times, I did listen to it in two sittings over the course of 24 hours. And I’ve been in a reading slump. I’d call it a success. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Police brutality