A review by joshoonet
The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa

reflective sad slow-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

4.0

• Different from anything I've read before for sure
• Has a very dreamlike atmosphere
• Mostly like it for the vibes and unique setting, plot is almost secondary
• There will be no answers
• Some beautiful descriptions

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia and Deportation

Moderate: Confinement and Death

Minor: Body horror, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy

Confinement/Sexual Assault:

the protagonist writes a novel, in which a woman is locked in a clock tower and alluded to be taken advantage of; no graphic descriptions at all

Deportation:

when people don't forget things they're supposed to, they get taken away by the memory police and are never seen again.

Body Horror:

not sure if this qualifies? But at some point body parts start to "disappear" aka go numb and aren't associated with the body anymore; this causes some concern