A review by pamshenanigans
The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa

challenging emotional reflective medium-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

4.5

“But the laws of the island are not softened by death. Memories do not change the law. No matter how precious the person I may be losing, the disappearances that surround me will remain unchanged.”

A sci-fi dystopian novel that doesn’t rely on action and plot twists. Reading The Memory Police is like listening to classical music: it has short and balanced melodies that slowly introduce the small island where things just disappear, it has bright and dark contrasts that emphasize the island’s inhabitants’ resiliency against the disappearances and the Memory Police itself and how they still manage to live their lives as normal as they can. 

As mentioned, this isn't the type of dystopian novel that is action-packed and has the usual formula of “abusive governing body + rebels sworn to overthrow the said government”. Not also the type of dystopian novel where you can nitpick the world-building and the mechanics of how it came to be a dystopian world. It’s the kind that just accepts whatever it cannot control nor change and just shows the different effects of destruction that come along its way. While there are rebellious citizens, their actions are for them and their family’s safety and freedom, not for fighting back the abusers. It shows both hope and hopelessness of the people, violence and finding love and family amidst it. 

I love how it just slowly breaks your heart as more things disappear towards the end. Another detail that I loved is how the MC is a writer and is in the middle of writing a novel despite everything that’s happening and how her novel is a fictional reflection / juxtaposition of what they are going through. 
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