A review by andrewmull2
The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This book is wild. I am sitting here a day later after finishing it and still parsing the whole of the meaning(s). The plot is just a crawl, the characters are pretty flat and mostly unnamed, there is no resolution, but something about the vibe is just... there. The meaning is looming just out of reach I think, but you can feel it. And I have to stress it is mostly developed in the last 20 pages, most of the book is incredibly slow and mundane until that point. 

The big takeaway to me are something like societies of control. The perceived threat of violence makes people eager and able to imprison themselves. The slow creep of control makes society accept things that are unacceptable.  And the the final disappearances give a glimpse of experiencing a loss such as a cancer battle or alzhiemers.

This book was thought-provoking, dreadful, and really stays with you