Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian Fiction, Psychological Fiction
Publication: January 1994
Author: Yōko Ogawa
Synopsis
Set on a small Island in Japan, the people of the town are losing their memories of the world’s objects; from birds to books, everything is disappearing in the matter of a morning. Controlled and watched by the memory police, who ensure that these disappearances are successful.
Our main character, an unnamed young woman working as a novelist, questions these disappearances and one day is faced with a chilling task when she discovers that her editor might be taken by the Memory Police.
This dystopian fiction explores themes of surveillance and loss as we attempt to understand the mysterious phenomenon that is causing the Island to slowly disappear.
Initial Thoughts
Continuing my Sci-Fi and dystopian fiction streak, I picked this off my TBR. Again, this is another read that I truly didn’t know what the story was about, so I was in for a surprise. I ended up getting curious, so I did a quick search and review, and I found some mixed reactions that made me a bit worried.
The vibe reminded me of ‘I Who Have Never Known Men,’ so I thought it might go in that sort of direction —a very bittersweet story that leaves you feeling a bit empty. For some strange reason, that seems to be a recurring theme for my reads….. but I think I went into this with pretty decent hopes and very interested.
Review
When I first started reading, I thought it was off to a good start. I was extremely intrigued and wanted to learn more about what was causing the disappearances. I thought that was the direction the book was going, but I was wrong.
When the “climax” or peak of the book began, and they introduced the issue that might cause our MC’s editor trouble, I was pleasantly surprised, as I had not predicted that at all. Unfortunately, perhaps my expectations were too high, but I felt that once the story arc was established, it didn’t feel like the story was really going anywhere.
It felt a bit flat for me until the last few chapters, when a bigger disappearance began to happen. Due to the middle section falling flat, I was unsure how I felt about the book. It was by no means a bad book, nor did I love it. I still felt a bit empty and lost after reading, so that was a plus for me. I just personally was not engaged throughout the entirety of the story.
I think the writing was great; it was a short read, and the pacing can be classified as medium-paced. It just didn’t keep my attention throughout.
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