The Memory Police
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- Create Date：2021-03-18 03:17:32
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Yōko Ogawa
- ISBN：B075MSKBY7
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Hat， ribbon， bird， rose。 To the people on the island， a disappeared thing no longer has any meaning。 It can be burned in the garden， thrown in the river or handed over to the Memory Police。 Soon enough， the island forgets it ever existed。
When a young novelist discovers that her editor is in danger of being taken away by the Memory Police， she desperately wants to save him。 For some reason， he doesn’t forget， and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for him to hide his memories。 Who knows what will vanish next？
The Memory Police is a beautiful， haunting and provocative fable about the power of memory and the trauma of loss from one of Japan’s greatest writers。 For readers of The Handmaid's Tale， Fahrenheit 451 and Nineteen Eighty-Four。
Reviews
Bexy
，
oh god this was sooooo creepy and hypnotic。 I was horrified but couldn't stop reading。 like it's a good commentary on the surveillance state， but then it becomes so deeply personal it really gets under your skin。 augh。 gonna be thinking about this one for a while。 oh god this was sooooo creepy and hypnotic。 I was horrified but couldn't stop reading。 like it's a good commentary on the surveillance state， but then it becomes so deeply personal it really gets under your skin。 augh。 gonna be thinking about this one for a while。 。。。more
Cookie
，
DNFGreat concept， execution on the other hand seems rather lacking。 The writing did not hook me at all and I grew bored very quick。Maybe I'll give it another shot later。 DNFGreat concept， execution on the other hand seems rather lacking。 The writing did not hook me at all and I grew bored very quick。Maybe I'll give it another shot later。 。。。more
Hannah
，
I had to finish this book in audio format， unfortunately， but at least my credit did not go to waste。I went into this book under the influence of it being SO boring and with no resolution whatsoever and I was just prepared to be disappointed。 But it did not disappoint at all。In natural circumstances， I'm quite queasy when it comes to dystopia， as in I can only suspend my disbelief so long， especially that sometimes it's so easy to find a loophole or directly being able to find solutions。 But thi I had to finish this book in audio format， unfortunately， but at least my credit did not go to waste。I went into this book under the influence of it being SO boring and with no resolution whatsoever and I was just prepared to be disappointed。 But it did not disappoint at all。In natural circumstances， I'm quite queasy when it comes to dystopia， as in I can only suspend my disbelief so long， especially that sometimes it's so easy to find a loophole or directly being able to find solutions。 But this book did not provide that。 On the other hand， I found the ambiguity and the stagnancy had served their purpose well and I did not feel like it was THAT hard to digest。 I also associate this writing style with Japan a lot。 As in， the essence of Japanese Culture and folklore。 I think the lower reviews resemble people similar to those who say that Studio Ghibli movies are ambiguous and unfinished or unresolved。 The thing is， not every single plotline has to have a resolution！ I sometimes find comfort with this sort of "open ending"。 I've enjoyed it and found myself awfully relating to it in the current situation of Beirut and Lebanon losing the value of its money and I find myself slowly forgetting that 150，000 once bought someone a supply of food for a family of 6 for like a month when now all you can buy with 150，000 is a gallon of cooking oil and maybe a bag of rice。 The same with covid and quarantine。 It did kind of make me wallow and cripple deeper into my anxiety and overthinking the bad overall situation in the world， so yeah。 Right book wrong time I guess。 I've been making a conscious effort of only choosing happy books but this was okay as well。 The ending is very fitting as well， we're all hoping for a better world。 <3But yeah， all in all， a nice read， I've probably knocked a star off because I'm so afraid of relating to the book this much。。。 Also， why don't you take someone for a check-up after they have a cabinet fall over them？！ That didn't seem very sensical to me， the death could've been less guilt-tripping。4 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more
Joana Felício
，
What a disappointment。 This book has so much promise and potential with no reward。 There is no arc change， it basically ended the same way it started， the main character is completely bland and infuriatingly naive， and the situations where something interesting could happen are always solved by strokes of luck。 All of this without mentioning that the memory system makes no sense。 For a book about this topic， it felt boring， pointless and hopeless。 I kept rooting for it， but it did not deliver， u What a disappointment。 This book has so much promise and potential with no reward。 There is no arc change， it basically ended the same way it started， the main character is completely bland and infuriatingly naive， and the situations where something interesting could happen are always solved by strokes of luck。 All of this without mentioning that the memory system makes no sense。 For a book about this topic， it felt boring， pointless and hopeless。 I kept rooting for it， but it did not deliver， unfortunately。 。。。more
Molly
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I'm not sure I'll ever be able to put into words how I feel after finishing this book I'm not sure I'll ever be able to put into words how I feel after finishing this book 。。。more
Andy Majewski
，
Reading this book was like dreaming。 Beautifully weird， unsettling and dramatic but reassuringly peaceful at the same time。 Yoko Ogava is on my top writer list next to Marquez and Murakami。 If you're into magical realism style - you will love this。 Reading this book was like dreaming。 Beautifully weird， unsettling and dramatic but reassuringly peaceful at the same time。 Yoko Ogava is on my top writer list next to Marquez and Murakami。 If you're into magical realism style - you will love this。 。。。more
Melissa Ruhl
，
It took me a while to get into this book。 In the beginning， I didn't buy the weird dystopia that she was describing in what felt like a series of melodramatic moments， and I almost put it down。 But the story picked up maybe 30-40% in and now that I've finished it， I can't stop thinking about it。 With this story， Ogawa delivered a beautiful， heartbreaking eulogy to a people experiencing cultural genocide。 This one's gonna sit with me for a while。 It took me a while to get into this book。 In the beginning， I didn't buy the weird dystopia that she was describing in what felt like a series of melodramatic moments， and I almost put it down。 But the story picked up maybe 30-40% in and now that I've finished it， I can't stop thinking about it。 With this story， Ogawa delivered a beautiful， heartbreaking eulogy to a people experiencing cultural genocide。 This one's gonna sit with me for a while。 。。。more
Dario
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Molto scorrevole， ricchissimo di spunti di discussione， con un'interpretazione del significato finale che puo' o non puo' risultare evidente。 Dall'altro lato della medaglia， un'ambientazione e rappresentazione del mondo non proprio limatissima。 Alcuni buchi nell'ambientazione potrebbero effettivamente avere senso a posteriori， ma per come sono stati resi resta un po' il sapore dell'approssimazione。 La stessa ambientazione vuole poi cercare di coinvolgerti da un lato onirico oppure dei sentimenti Molto scorrevole， ricchissimo di spunti di discussione， con un'interpretazione del significato finale che puo' o non puo' risultare evidente。 Dall'altro lato della medaglia， un'ambientazione e rappresentazione del mondo non proprio limatissima。 Alcuni buchi nell'ambientazione potrebbero effettivamente avere senso a posteriori， ma per come sono stati resi resta un po' il sapore dell'approssimazione。 La stessa ambientazione vuole poi cercare di coinvolgerti da un lato onirico oppure dei sentimenti e della riflessione， ma al contrario （almeno nel mio caso） non ti senti cosi' coinvolto e leggi il tutto piu' come un poliziesco/distopico， cercando di ricostruire il contesto e il finale。 。。。more
Vincent Rey
，
3 out of 10。It's pretty forgettable， which is ironic。 3 out of 10。It's pretty forgettable， which is ironic。 。。。more
Don Mitchell
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Quite a book。 Well worth reading。 She forced her fantasy a bit too much in a few places for me。 I think having a female author gave it a very different and compelling slant especially portraying the character as a recipient of actions rather than an actor， as an almost invisible member of society， and as a comforter。The book reminded me quite a bit of Rhinocéros and Invitation to a Beheading。 It was absurd， surrealistic， and a very direct commentary on helplessness in the face of mass hysteria u Quite a book。 Well worth reading。 She forced her fantasy a bit too much in a few places for me。 I think having a female author gave it a very different and compelling slant especially portraying the character as a recipient of actions rather than an actor， as an almost invisible member of society， and as a comforter。The book reminded me quite a bit of Rhinocéros and Invitation to a Beheading。 It was absurd， surrealistic， and a very direct commentary on helplessness in the face of mass hysteria under totalitarianism。 The story seemed a little too closely hewn to Nazi Germany's holocaust and mass indoctrination。 But， perhaps， that's what I saw and not really what the author meant？The book successfully portrayed an author and quoted a lot of the author's evolving novel in a way that complemented and reflected the overall story。 By "successfully"， I mean it wasn't self involved nor lifting up authors as the pinnacle of society but instead used authorship as a means to deepen the story。 。。。more
Kät
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4。5 - the ending killed me。
Angie
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2。5*
Ιωάννα Μπαμπέτα
，
Τι έχω πάθει και διαβάζω δυστοπικά βιβλία τον τελευταίο καιρό。。。 Πραγματικά αναρωτιέμαι。。。Πολύ δυνατό το συγκεκριμένο。 Όμορφη αφήγηση， λιτή， χωρίς υπερβολές。 Σφιγγόταν η καρδιά μου σε κάθε απώλεια και σκεφτόμουν πώς θα ήταν ο κόσμος αν έλειπαν τα πουλιά， αν έλειπαν τα φρούτα， αν。。。 Τώρα που δεν έχουμε ελευθερία θα γινόταν ακόμα πιο αβάσταχτη η κλεισούρα χωρίς τις αναμνήσεις μας。 Πάλι καλά！ Ίσως τώρα που το σκέφτομαι γι’ αυτό διαβάζω τέτοια βιβλία。 Με παρηγορούν。
Mara
，
Oh man this was one of the scariest books I've read in maybe ever。 Whew。 Oh man this was one of the scariest books I've read in maybe ever。 Whew。 。。。more
Amy
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was very different to what I expected。 I’d not read the blurb， but I’d heard the premise a number of times from a couple people and had envisioned a sci-fi fantasy tale where the protagonist goes in search of the reason for the disappearances。 Suffice it to say， it was nothing like that。。。which is no way was a bad thing。Reading this book felt like a mediation on our place in the world， the way that we relate to others， our sense of selves， as well as the role of memories and how fickle This book was very different to what I expected。 I’d not read the blurb， but I’d heard the premise a number of times from a couple people and had envisioned a sci-fi fantasy tale where the protagonist goes in search of the reason for the disappearances。 Suffice it to say， it was nothing like that。。。which is no way was a bad thing。Reading this book felt like a mediation on our place in the world， the way that we relate to others， our sense of selves， as well as the role of memories and how fickle， subjective and flawed they can be and how that shapes the way we perceive ourselves and the world。 I thought the story inside a story plot line also nicely explored the idea of codependency and a loss of autonomy and a loss in confidence to escape， especially in abusive and unhealthy relationships。 But I also think it explored the idea that the less we do， the less we’re capable of doing; that after living in a bubble and not uncomfortable experiencing things that force us to grow， our sense of ability and self becomes distorted to that which we know。 I thought that towards the end of the novel these two plot lines were beautifully juxtaposed。 I was reminded of the Holocaust through the need to hide people who didn’t conform from the Memory Police， as other reviews have stated。 But I also read a review mentioning how the disappearances， and subsequent emptiness and further distancing from reality and other people， were similar to what happens in dementia， and I thought that was very insightful and has added a layer of complexity to how I think about the story now。 I think the one thing that bothered me， however， was a lack of consistency in the memories and disappearances。 The protagonist never forgets that her neighbour used to be a hat maker， or that the old man used to work in the ferry or that she was a novelist and she needs to continue writing。 She forgets what a ferry was used for， but never forgets the word and that is was a disappeared thing。 And despite having no connection to novels， or not knowing how to write one， she knows she has to and she never forgets that。 In contrast， birds， flowers， her left leg， etc disappear without her being able to recall much of anything。 It seemed to me that the “laws” surrounding the disappearances were rather fickle and despite the Memory Polices efforts， some things didn’t actually completely disappear from the island， despite people believing they did。 Overall， this book is rather beautiful。 I hadn’t known that it was originally published over two and a half decades ago， and that the English translation was just recent until after I finished reading it， but that spoke volumes to me about how contemporary and relevant the ideas in this book are。 I imagine it will age very well and remain relevant for a long time。 。。。more
Vicki James
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The first third of the book， I couldn't put it down。 Then the book became monotonous with the same concept over and over。 I did enjoy relationship between the main character and the old man。 The sub story within the book felt useless and only there because the author had two stories， both of which weren't long enough for a whole book， and decided to use them together。 The first third of the book， I couldn't put it down。 Then the book became monotonous with the same concept over and over。 I did enjoy relationship between the main character and the old man。 The sub story within the book felt useless and only there because the author had two stories， both of which weren't long enough for a whole book， and decided to use them together。 。。。more
Sonya
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It was an interesting read and definitely gives you something to think about。
Sotiria
，
"Η δυστοπία που περιγράφεται， μόλα ταύτα， φέρει μέσα της τον σπόρο της ελπίδας – όσο κάποιος θυμάται， τόσο είναι σε θέση να φέρει πίσω ό，τι μοιάζει να χάθηκε για πάντα。"*γράφοντας για το μυθιστόρημα "Η αστυνομία της μνήμης" της Γιόκο Ογκάουα （εκδόσεις Πατάκη）， περισσότερα εδώ https://www。literature。gr/i-mnimi-os-。。。 "Η δυστοπία που περιγράφεται， μόλα ταύτα， φέρει μέσα της τον σπόρο της ελπίδας – όσο κάποιος θυμάται， τόσο είναι σε θέση να φέρει πίσω ό，τι μοιάζει να χάθηκε για πάντα。"*γράφοντας για το μυθιστόρημα "Η αστυνομία της μνήμης" της Γιόκο Ογκάουα （εκδόσεις Πατάκη）， περισσότερα εδώ https://www。literature。gr/i-mnimi-os-。。。 。。。more
Sara
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What a terrifying book。 From page one there was a creeping sense of dread that grew the further into the story you got。 I can't stop thinking of this book since finishing it。 The audio was terrifically well read。 Yoko Ogawa really has become one of my favorite authors and is the catalyst behind my recent fascination with Japanese literature。 What a terrifying book。 From page one there was a creeping sense of dread that grew the further into the story you got。 I can't stop thinking of this book since finishing it。 The audio was terrifically well read。 Yoko Ogawa really has become one of my favorite authors and is the catalyst behind my recent fascination with Japanese literature。 。。。more
Matthew Berg
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This falls into the category of books I wish I could have liked more。 There are genuinely interesting concepts here， but their exploration feels perfunctory and confused。 The story is on one hand too allegorical to be plausible and on the other too concrete to be successful allegory。 Where there are gaps， it feels less like an opportunity for speculation and interpretation than something omitted because it was irreconcilable。
Sabsi
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Insel der verlorenen Erinnerung ist ein wunderschönes zugleich tiefgründiges und eine fast traurige Geschichte über einer Schriftstellerin， die allmählich durch das Vergessen ihrer Erinnerungen sich buchstäblich auflöst in den Armen eines Mannes， der nie vergessen wird。An der Schreibweise haben mich am meisten fasziniert wie Namen， Orte und Zeiten wenig Wichtigkeit zugesprochen wurde。 So spricht man vom „alten Mann“ oder „R“， auch wie der Hauptcharakter eigentlich heißt erfährt man nicht。 Dennoc Insel der verlorenen Erinnerung ist ein wunderschönes zugleich tiefgründiges und eine fast traurige Geschichte über einer Schriftstellerin， die allmählich durch das Vergessen ihrer Erinnerungen sich buchstäblich auflöst in den Armen eines Mannes， der nie vergessen wird。An der Schreibweise haben mich am meisten fasziniert wie Namen， Orte und Zeiten wenig Wichtigkeit zugesprochen wurde。 So spricht man vom „alten Mann“ oder „R“， auch wie der Hauptcharakter eigentlich heißt erfährt man nicht。 Dennoch bekommt man einen sehr tiefen Einblick in die zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen der Charaktere und in dessen Gedanken。 Ebenso der Vergleich von der Frau im Roman， die langsam mit dem Kirchturm verschmolz mit dem Auflösen des Hauptcharakters in der Wirklichkeit fand ich spektakulär rübergebracht。 Ihre geschriebene Figur verlor zuerst ihre Stimme und unser Hauptcharakter verlor zuletzt ihre Stimme， zum Beispiel。 Bevor ich zu meinem Fazit komme， möchte ich dem alten Mann noch den Respekt zollen， den er verdient hat。 Er war mein Lieblingscharakter in dem Buch， denn obwohl er sich mit der Situation von den Dreien am meisten abgefunden hatte， versuchte er mit am Ball zu bleiben， eine Stütze zu sein und stellte sich dem Hauptcharakter niemals in den Weg。 Die Freundschaft der beiden fand ich goldig。 Das Buch regt zum Denken an und greift auf wie wichtig es ist an seinen Erinnerungen festzuhalten， denn diese sind ein großer Teil des Selbst und wenn man diese vergisst， füllt sich die Seele nach und nach mit Leere。 Wir sind das Produkt unserer Eindrücke und Erfahrungen。 Ein Mensch definiert sich und entwickelt sich weiter wegen seiner Vergangenheit， doch was passiert wenn einem diese entrissen wird？ Dies wird immer deutlicher wenn man R und den MC miteinander vergleicht， denn am Ende bleibt der MC in der Luke zurück und R steigt hinauf um sein Leben weiterzuleben。 Er hatte sich， seine Erinnerungen und seine Werte nicht vergessen oder aufgegeben und auch wenn es ihm schmerzte， so empfand er die Vergangenheit nie als ein Laster， sondern als etwas Gutes und Schönes。 Der MC hingegen schien nach und nach ihren Willen und ihr Leben aufgegeben zu haben und sich dem Schicksal， dass sie glaubte zu haben， hinzugeben。 Ein sehr schönes Buch， ich empfehle es。 Es liest sich unkompliziert， schnell und zeigt， dass wir unsere Erinnerungen ein wenig mehr Wert beimessen sollten， da sie so eine große Rolle spielen。 。。。more
z
，
Such a fascinating read。 I liked the fear and claustrophobia that Ogawa managed to subtly create with her monotonous， simplistic writing style。 As with most Japanese literature， I’m sure a lot of the beauty of the original story and the original language was lost in translation。 I， however， was appreciative of the translator keeping specific Japanese things in the story， like mentioning “ka ki ku ke ko” or using hiragana as typing practices， tatami rooms， and ramune。 I can see how the end may le Such a fascinating read。 I liked the fear and claustrophobia that Ogawa managed to subtly create with her monotonous， simplistic writing style。 As with most Japanese literature， I’m sure a lot of the beauty of the original story and the original language was lost in translation。 I， however， was appreciative of the translator keeping specific Japanese things in the story， like mentioning “ka ki ku ke ko” or using hiragana as typing practices， tatami rooms， and ramune。 I can see how the end may leave some readers unsatisfied， but I thoroughly enjoyed the ending。 It was incredibly human and realistic， despite the unrealistic story of the “disappearances。” If I took the time to read more deeply， I could easily see the commentary on memory and humanity’s perception of death。 I may in the future give it a re-read and try to read between the lines。 But I still enjoyed the story and what it’s worth with a “casual read。” And I stand by wait I said about having a website similar to "Does the Dog Die？" for （view spoiler）["Does the Library Burn Down？" Because。。。 ouch my librarian heart。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Divya M
，
3，8/5I was looking forward to reading this for a long time now， because Ogawa's The Housekeeper and the Professor is one of my favourite books。 This one was completely different from that though， and it was impressive to see the range of writing that she is able to produce！The Memory Police is an Orwellian dystopia。 It is set on an island where a totalitarian governing body decides to arbitrarily make things disappear。 Everything that disappears is forgotten by the people living on the island。 F 3，8/5I was looking forward to reading this for a long time now， because Ogawa's The Housekeeper and the Professor is one of my favourite books。 This one was completely different from that though， and it was impressive to see the range of writing that she is able to produce！The Memory Police is an Orwellian dystopia。 It is set on an island where a totalitarian governing body decides to arbitrarily make things disappear。 Everything that disappears is forgotten by the people living on the island。 For example， they could one day decide to make apples disappear， and all the existing apples would fall off the trees， the people would have to burn all the apples they had as well as any pictures， written references and basically all signs that apples ever existed。 They would soon forget even the word "Apple" and be unable to identify one， so completely would they forget a disappeared object。However， some people don't forget。 They retain memories， and are therefore the greatest threats to the Memory Police。 The Police then proceed to hunt down the people who remember， as they desperately try to hide and blend in with "normal" people。We see the world through the eyes of an unnamed female protagonist， who is a writer - and "normal。" The story follows how she tries to help a friend， someone who doesn't forget， hide。The book mainly focuses on the concept of memory。 This extends into questions about what memories even are， the emotions we attach to them， and the importance of remembering。 There is also a wonderful illustration of themes like totalitarianism， our ability to adapt， the idea of normalcy， friendship， found family， love and fear。This also has one of the best first chapters I have ever read。 It is concise， intriguing and quick， laying the basis for the story efficiently enough to make you very curious to read more。 Ogawa's sparse writing style ensures a fantastic economy of ideas， revealing only as much as is necessary。 The plot is brilliant and certainly relevant， given the times we live in。I also really liked how effectively the atmosphere of fear on the island was created and conveyed。 It comes through very clearly and since the characters are easy to care for， you will find yourself feeling nervous and tense at all the right points in the story。This is a very well paced story too， no one emotion or theme is overdone at any point。 Ogawa seamlessly shifts from one to the other， introducing characters and incidents without losing the main idea of the story。 There is also a very strong sense of self awareness amongst the characters， and there are several conversations amongst them that reveal their inner fears of living the way they do。 They know that the circumstances they live under are less than ideal but they are also aware of the fact that they can't do anything about it and must submit。The Memory Police gave me a vibe very similar to that of Memory of Water by Emmi Itaranta （didn't particularly enjoy this， I thought it was a wonderful concept wasted in the execution of the end）， and Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn （loved this one）。 This was because of similar themes of totalitarianism and descriptions of how the people seem to have accepted this insanity as a normal way of life。Overall I really enjoyed this book。 I did find myself wishing for more of a climactic end that packed a bigger punch， but that may just be because I was subconsciously comparing it to 1984 which is just unfair for any dystopian novel。 Objectively though this is a wonderful concept， well executed and written！Definitely recommend if you enjoy dystopia in general， and if not， this is a good introduction into the genre！ 。。。more
Janny
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Een heel bijzonder boek。 Mooi geschreven。 Ik zie parallellen met de Corona tijd en de door de regering opgelegde beperkingen。
Manos Tsemperlis
，
Ειλικρινα ψαχνω τα λογια για να εκφρασω το θαυμασμο μου για αυτη τη συγγραφεα。 Θα ορκιζομουν πως ειναι ο μαεστρος των ανθρωπινων συναισθηματων， ενας αρχιτεκτονας της ανθρωπινης ψυχης。 Η Γιοκο Ογκαουα με τη γραφη της διεισδυει εκει που δε μπορει να φτασει κανεις αλλος
Efthimia Chris
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Ένα δυστοπικό μυθιστόρημα， εξαιρετικά επίκαιρο，καθώς με έκανε να αναλογιζομαι， συνεχώς κατά τη διάρκεια της ανάγνωσής του，αν η συγγραφέας το έγραφε και μας κοιτούσε από μια μεριά。Βαθια συμβολικό και σε πολλά επίπεδα，ύμνος σε αυτούς που αντιστέκονται σθεναρά αλλά και σε αυτούς τους αντιήρωες που χτίζουν την αντίσταση αθόρυβα και απλά。 Ένα ανατριχιαστικό ανάγνωσμα ， ενάντια στον αυταρχισμό και στην αστυνομοκρατια που στις μέρες μας επικρατεί。
Brian Bonilla
，
Gratamente sorprendido por esta novela de Yoko Ogawa， que no solo me pareció súper fluida sino que además， de una manera sencilla， logra tocar temas de carácter reflexivo。 La novela se vale de la opresión sin tregua por parte de un sistema de gobierno para adentrarse en la importancia de la memoria y en el análisis de aquello que nos hace ser lo que somos ¿Podríamos seguir existiendo si poco a poco se va desvaneciendo todo lo que alguna vez conocimos？Ciertamente recomendada y bastante acertada c Gratamente sorprendido por esta novela de Yoko Ogawa， que no solo me pareció súper fluida sino que además， de una manera sencilla， logra tocar temas de carácter reflexivo。 La novela se vale de la opresión sin tregua por parte de un sistema de gobierno para adentrarse en la importancia de la memoria y en el análisis de aquello que nos hace ser lo que somos ¿Podríamos seguir existiendo si poco a poco se va desvaneciendo todo lo que alguna vez conocimos？Ciertamente recomendada y bastante acertada como primera lectura de esta talentosa escritora。Pdta。 Espero algún día Goodreads logre habilitar un sistema de calificación más flexible。 Por lo pronto， le otorgo un muy merecido 4。5 。。。more
Samneang
，
An unnamed woman novelist lives in a world slowly disappearing。This Japanese book translated into English has vibes from 1984 but like many Asian novels I’ve read， it’s very introspective。 Dialogues are rare and there are more description of the world around the character。 It’s not fast paced or action pack so I did find some parts boring but at the same time thought provoking。 Those silent moments in the book gave me time to think about what if I lived in a world where the government can censor An unnamed woman novelist lives in a world slowly disappearing。This Japanese book translated into English has vibes from 1984 but like many Asian novels I’ve read， it’s very introspective。 Dialogues are rare and there are more description of the world around the character。 It’s not fast paced or action pack so I did find some parts boring but at the same time thought provoking。 Those silent moments in the book gave me time to think about what if I lived in a world where the government can censor by completely erasing from your memory and compelling you to destroy those things they want you to forget。 The memory police are fascists who use their power to intimidate and cower the people。 But when you take everything away from the people， who is left for them to intimidate？It’s an interesting， thought provoking read but I will say that it might bore some readers。 。。。more
Kristi
，
Well， I'm still very lost。 What the heck was happening？ Well， I'm still very lost。 What the heck was happening？ 。。。more
Francesca | Chicchedilibri
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〔❝ Anche se facevamo ogni sforzo possibile per capirci， i nostri cuori non si trovarono su nessun punto。 Più parlavamo e più ci sentivamo soli。 ❞〕Tanto tempo fa…un racconto che potrebbe iniziare proprio così。 Questa storia， però， non infonde il tepore di una favola。 Ci troviamo in un luogo senza tempo e senza spazio， dove piano piano alcune delle cose presenti nella nostra esistenza sono costrette a scomparire。 Come vivere senza poter più assaporare il gusto delle castagne？ Riuscite a imma 〔❝ Anche se facevamo ogni sforzo possibile per capirci， i nostri cuori non si trovarono su nessun punto。 Più parlavamo e più ci sentivamo soli。 ❞〕Tanto tempo fa…un racconto che potrebbe iniziare proprio così。 Questa storia， però， non infonde il tepore di una favola。 Ci troviamo in un luogo senza tempo e senza spazio， dove piano piano alcune delle cose presenti nella nostra esistenza sono costrette a scomparire。 Come vivere senza poter più assaporare il gusto delle castagne？ Riuscite a immaginare una vita in cui non è più possibile respirare il profumo inebriante delle rose？ Tuttavia， esistono individui ‘’speciali’’ che ancora conservano le memorie degli oggetti spariti。 In questa realtà distopica， la Polizia Segreta è chiamata a ristabilire l'ordine， assicurandosi che ogni traccia di ricordo serbata dagli abitanti dell’isola venga distrutta。I personaggi non hanno un nome， come se avessero perso la propria identità。 Un libro che mi ha ricordato gli orrori della Shoah， dove l’unica speranza di sopravvivere era rintanarsi in un nascondiglio， sperando di non essere mai scoperti。 Il testo è metaletterario: all’interno del romanzo vi è una seconda storia， quella che la protagonista sta scrivendo， come a voler sottolineare la forza delle parole e il potere salvifico della scrittura。Mi ha molto colpito la delicatezza della penna di Yōko Ogawa， che stride prepotentemente con la violenza perpetrata ai personaggi del racconto。 Tutto sembra essere costretto a bruciare， eppure il paesaggio è innevato e contribuisce a donare un’atmosfera ovattata alla storia。 Un senso di torpore e inquietudine mi ha pervaso durante la lettura di questo libro。 Tutti sembrano impotenti e restano inermi dinanzi alle sparizioni degli oggetti ma cosa accadrebbe se si finisse con lo smarrire sé stessi？Un libro che vi farà soffrire， perché il legame con i ricordi e la memoria è quanto di più prezioso esista al mondo。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Memory Police
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Memory Police&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Memory Police&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0