The Memory Collectors
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-19 09:51:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kim Neville
- ISBN：1982157585
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Perfect for fans of
The Scent Keeper
and The Keeper of Lost Things， an atmospheric and enchanting debut novel about two women haunted by buried secrets but bound by a shared gift and the power the past holds over our lives。
Ev has a mysterious ability， one that she feels is more a curse than a gift。 She can feel the emotions people leave behind on objects and believes that most of them need to be handled extremely carefully， and—if at all possible—destroyed。 The harmless ones she sells at Vancouver’s Chinatown Night Market to scrape together a living， but even that fills her with trepidation。 Meanwhile， in another part of town， Harriet hoards thousands of these treasures and is starting to make her neighbors sick as the overabundance of heightened emotions start seeping through her apartment walls。
When the two women meet， Harriet knows that Ev is the only person who can help her make something truly spectacular of her collection。 A museum of memory that not only feels warm and inviting but can heal the emotional wounds many people unknowingly carry around。 They only know of one other person like them， and they fear the dark effects these objects had on him。 Together， they help each other to develop and control their gift， so that what happened to him never happens again。 But unbeknownst to them， the same darkness is wrapping itself around another， dragging them down a path that already destroyed Ev’s family once， and threatens to annihilate what little she has left。
The Memory Collectors casts the everyday in a new light， speaking volumes to the hold that our past has over us—contained， at times， in seemingly innocuous objects—and uncovering a truth that both women have tried hard to bury with their pasts: not all magpies collect shiny things—sometimes they gather darkness。
Ev has a mysterious ability， one that she feels is more a curse than a gift。 She can feel the emotions people leave behind on objects and believes that most of them need to be handled extremely carefully， and—if at all possible—destroyed。 The harmless ones she sells at Vancouver’s Chinatown Night Market to scrape together a living， but even that fills her with trepidation。 Meanwhile， in another part of town， Harriet hoards thousands of these treasures and is starting to make her neighbors sick as the overabundance of heightened emotions start seeping through her apartment walls。
When the two women meet， Harriet knows that Ev is the only person who can help her make something truly spectacular of her collection。 A museum of memory that not only feels warm and inviting but can heal the emotional wounds many people unknowingly carry around。 They only know of one other person like them， and they fear the dark effects these objects had on him。 Together， they help each other to develop and control their gift， so that what happened to him never happens again。 But unbeknownst to them， the same darkness is wrapping itself around another， dragging them down a path that already destroyed Ev’s family once， and threatens to annihilate what little she has left。
The Memory Collectors casts the everyday in a new light， speaking volumes to the hold that our past has over us—contained， at times， in seemingly innocuous objects—and uncovering a truth that both women have tried hard to bury with their pasts: not all magpies collect shiny things—sometimes they gather darkness。
Reviews
Shonna
，
Did not love this， random and unnecessary foul language
Karen Bonitatebus
，
Was not what I expected but a good mystery along the lines of paranormal。
Elizabeth
，
I really loved how unique the premise was and the writing was enjoyable （detailed without being overly so）。 I love the first 75% of this book - but to me， the ending didn't do it justice。 I wanted better。 It will still stick with me， the idea of things having energy and people being able to feel those emotions。 I really loved how unique the premise was and the writing was enjoyable （detailed without being overly so）。 I love the first 75% of this book - but to me， the ending didn't do it justice。 I wanted better。 It will still stick with me， the idea of things having energy and people being able to feel those emotions。 。。。more
Kristy Johnston
，
This book just wasn’t for me。 I didn’t connect with any of the characters and one just plain annoyed me。 It’s very slow moving， but I was curious about the mystical powers that Ev and Harriet displayed though I never saw any payoff for my curiosity。 All the characters were hiding things。 About halfway through， I finally just gave up and just skimmed to the end。 It looks like it may have picked up near the end， but I just didn’t care anymore。
Sarah Fiander
，
3。5 stars。 This book is outside of what I typically read， but I’m glad I tried it。 Happy to support a new Canadian author。
Teresa Liu
，
This was an unexpected pleasure to read。 Haven't read a good book in a while during these strange times。 I live in BC so it was awesome reading about places I actually know about and have been to。 This was an unexpected pleasure to read。 Haven't read a good book in a while during these strange times。 I live in BC so it was awesome reading about places I actually know about and have been to。 。。。more
Lisa
，
I'm not normally one to pick up books with magic elements but the description of this one caught my eye and I had to read it。 And I loved it。 The magic is subtle， something believable that could easily be a layer in our world。 Throw in interesting characters， a bit of a mystery， and a wildcard sister and you have a story I will apparently stay up too late to finish。 I'm not normally one to pick up books with magic elements but the description of this one caught my eye and I had to read it。 And I loved it。 The magic is subtle， something believable that could easily be a layer in our world。 Throw in interesting characters， a bit of a mystery， and a wildcard sister and you have a story I will apparently stay up too late to finish。 。。。more
Sasha Johnson
，
This was a great read。。。I enjoyed the characters。。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。topGreat book。
Liz Latham
，
An incredible， beautifully written debut by a Canadian author！ I love the idea that objects contain the residual memories and emotions of the people who’ve held them。 The darker twists and turns kept me hooked。 I couldn’t put it down （and I wish it was longer）！
Lois
，
This book poses an interesting idea。 What if objects could retain emotions and memories？What if this could then influence the holders of these objects？The book has an interesting way of exploring this idea， with the general public seeming mostly unaware of it， but definitely influenced by it。 Meanwhile there are people who can tap into this energy and potentially more。 Overall the story was intriguing and the characters are rounded enough to pass （Though Nomi becomes increasingly annoying， and y This book poses an interesting idea。 What if objects could retain emotions and memories？What if this could then influence the holders of these objects？The book has an interesting way of exploring this idea， with the general public seeming mostly unaware of it， but definitely influenced by it。 Meanwhile there are people who can tap into this energy and potentially more。 Overall the story was intriguing and the characters are rounded enough to pass （Though Nomi becomes increasingly annoying， and you could predict her development from fairly early on）。 However it didn't quite grab me as much as I thought it would。 I have now got a new way of thinking of objects though。 And if a book leaves me thinking about it's concept long after， I classify that as a good book。 。。。more
Cathy
，
I wish I could give this book a higher score then 5！ Loved the concept， the characters， the story， the loved it all！It makes me stop and think is this the reason that sometimes I just must have an item？ Hmmm maybe？
Megan W。 （pnwbookworm）
，
This was a really unique book that fell into the magical realism category。 I usually don't love that genre but I am glad I read this one。 I loved the idea that our objects have emotions attached to them， and I thought that the author did a great job incorporating the fantasy idea of emotionally "stains" on objects into the very real human struggle with the past。 While I enjoyed this book for the most part I do think it could have been more heartwarming， though that also could have been my mood a This was a really unique book that fell into the magical realism category。 I usually don't love that genre but I am glad I read this one。 I loved the idea that our objects have emotions attached to them， and I thought that the author did a great job incorporating the fantasy idea of emotionally "stains" on objects into the very real human struggle with the past。 While I enjoyed this book for the most part I do think it could have been more heartwarming， though that also could have been my mood at the time。 。。。more
Andrea Nourse
，
（thank you @atriabooks for the free book）I loved how the entire story was woven together and how the characters developed over the course of the book。 I’m not sure I’ve read anything like this book before。Evelyn and Harriet both carried their secrets and pain while also carrying the strong emotions of others。 The bright objects and stains give them a way to hide from their painful histories。It did take me a bit to get into the story but once I did， I was hooked。
Kim
，
I thought I would try a new author's first book--so glad I did！ This was a great story， something completely different for a change！ I thought I would try a new author's first book--so glad I did！ This was a great story， something completely different for a change！ 。。。more
Laura
，
I discovered that Book #3 in a series I'm reading is not available right now from the library so I needed a book to fill in the gap。 This is the one I selected because it was a librarian recommendation。The premise was interesting: there are people who can "feel the vibe" attached to objects。 The characters are interesting although I wonder about Owen。 I also felt open to the possibilities of this gift by the end of the book。I enjoyed the read and it kept me guessing。 I discovered that Book #3 in a series I'm reading is not available right now from the library so I needed a book to fill in the gap。 This is the one I selected because it was a librarian recommendation。The premise was interesting: there are people who can "feel the vibe" attached to objects。 The characters are interesting although I wonder about Owen。 I also felt open to the possibilities of this gift by the end of the book。I enjoyed the read and it kept me guessing。 。。。more
smalltownbookmom
，
3。5 - I was really excited for this Canadian debut set in Vancouver’s Chinatown but I think it was just a case of wrong book wrong time。 At the core this is a story about the bonds of sisterhood and follows Ev and her sister Noemi as they come to terms with their ability to feel the emotions “stained” on everyday objects。 I had a hard time getting into this which is strange because it’s fairly fast paced and full of mystery and intrigue and conflict。 Fans of stories full of magical realism like 3。5 - I was really excited for this Canadian debut set in Vancouver’s Chinatown but I think it was just a case of wrong book wrong time。 At the core this is a story about the bonds of sisterhood and follows Ev and her sister Noemi as they come to terms with their ability to feel the emotions “stained” on everyday objects。 I had a hard time getting into this which is strange because it’s fairly fast paced and full of mystery and intrigue and conflict。 Fans of stories full of magical realism like The scent keeper， The keeper of lost things or The little shop of found things should enjoy this one a lot。 I’ll probably give it another try at some point - because again， wasn’t bad just wasn’t for me right now。 I did like how the family history of this ability had strong metaphors to mental health illness - Ev finds a way to cope and turn her gift into a positive thing， whereas her father and sister struggled with the darkness。 TW: hoarding， domestic violence 。。。more
Mama K
，
This was a really good book。 I'd have said a great book， and given 5 stars， if the ending had been less frazzled。 This was a really good book。 I'd have said a great book， and given 5 stars， if the ending had been less frazzled。 。。。more
The Views of Heather U
，
Well written。 Kept me interested。 Told via two points of view。 I had to pace myself because it did not grab me at first， but after I settled in， it went well！
Emily Greene
，
Incredible。 I can’t believe this is the authors first book！ All I could keep thinking throughout is “this would Make such a good movie” It takes a good author to inspire that in me！ Bravo！
Linda Cousens
，
A very creative story。 I love the cover and the premise of the book。 Everything has a story to tell， good or bad。 Memories are held in so many things。 This book tells the story so well。
Brooke
，
3。5Loved the message of this book。 A little silly towards the end but overall a good story。
Erin
，
This one started out slow， and I didn’t initially connect to the characters， but I kept going with it， and just before the halfway mark， it clicked and I ended up really enjoying it。To see my full review， please follow my blog at: https://bookwormerin。com This one started out slow， and I didn’t initially connect to the characters， but I kept going with it， and just before the halfway mark， it clicked and I ended up really enjoying it。To see my full review， please follow my blog at: https://bookwormerin。com 。。。more
Heidi Potenza
，
I absolutely LOVE the premise of this book！ Ev has a power to read the "stains" on any object。 The emotions that the object holds - some good and some bad。 She has tried to avoid this power but when she meets Harriet - an older woman who has the same gift/curse - the story takes on a different twist。 Ev's sister Noemi is a living "stain" in my assessment - she is both a blessing and a burden to Ev who has always felt responsible for making a good life for her sibling after the family tragedy the I absolutely LOVE the premise of this book！ Ev has a power to read the "stains" on any object。 The emotions that the object holds - some good and some bad。 She has tried to avoid this power but when she meets Harriet - an older woman who has the same gift/curse - the story takes on a different twist。 Ev's sister Noemi is a living "stain" in my assessment - she is both a blessing and a burden to Ev who has always felt responsible for making a good life for her sibling after the family tragedy they suffer as children。 The thought that objects can hold this "power" rings true - think about how much people treasure possessions over everything。 This is evident in any contested will after a loved one dies because of the power these inanimate objects have to evoke feelings。 I just feel the final connections between Ev and Harriet were never truly made clear， and that's why I didn't give it a 4 star review - the ending left me wanting the loose ends tied up a bit better。 Overall well-written and decent plot though！ 。。。more
Sue
，
A Big Thank You to @Netgalley and @AtriaBooks for the free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。What if you could feel the emotions of objects that you come across from previous owners？ This is the basis of this book that adds a touch of magical realism。The main character， Evelyn （Ev） feels the emotions people leave behind on objects， She sees it more as a curse than a gift and tends to find items that are harmless enough to sell at a local market。Meanwhile， Harriet is a hoarder A Big Thank You to @Netgalley and @AtriaBooks for the free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。What if you could feel the emotions of objects that you come across from previous owners？ This is the basis of this book that adds a touch of magical realism。The main character， Evelyn （Ev） feels the emotions people leave behind on objects， She sees it more as a curse than a gift and tends to find items that are harmless enough to sell at a local market。Meanwhile， Harriet is a hoarder who collects thousands of these items， causing her neighbors to fall ill due to the overabundance of emotions seep through the walls。 When the two women meet， Harriet knows that Ev is the only person is the only person who can help her create a dream museum: full of items from her collection that carry a variety of emotions and memories for people to appreciate。However， there is a dark element from each of their lives that keeps bubbling to the surface。 Eventually， they both have to confront their dark pasts to help heal their lives。I liked the idea about feeling the emotions in the items in the story。 I also liked that Ev pursued a dream she had （with a little help from her sister Noemi） with the sailing。 It seems to calm and cleanse her of being overwhelmed by the items。If you enjoy a little magical realism， then this is the book for you！！ 。。。more
Bonny
，
The Memory Collectors has an interesting premise - Evelyn is able to feel the emotions people leave behind on objects。 At first this sounded like some sort of superpower that I might like to possess， but as we get to know Ev， we can see the havoc that this has wreaked on her relationships and her life。 She lives in a sterile apartment and manages to get by by selling some of the more harmless found objects at the Night Market， but even this turns into a disaster。 Ev eventually meets Harriet， a w The Memory Collectors has an interesting premise - Evelyn is able to feel the emotions people leave behind on objects。 At first this sounded like some sort of superpower that I might like to possess， but as we get to know Ev， we can see the havoc that this has wreaked on her relationships and her life。 She lives in a sterile apartment and manages to get by by selling some of the more harmless found objects at the Night Market， but even this turns into a disaster。 Ev eventually meets Harriet， a woman with the same ability to recognize the emotions and memories in everyday items， but Harriet has a different approach than Ev; she hoards objects。 Each woman views her gift （or curse） differently; Ev calls these objects "stained" but Harriet labels them as "bright"。 The two women work together to create a museum of sorts， filled with treasures that will positively influence the emotions of visitors。“They would gravitate to the objects that held the emotions they most needed， and without even realizing it， they would be filled up。 Changed。”This is a book worth reading to see if Harriet and Ev can succeed。Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book。 。。。more
Sophie
，
This book started out w/ so much promise as I anticipated being swept away on a magical mystery tour of memories both good & evil set in the enchanting West coast city of Vancouver B。C。。。。。but I was underwhelmed by the story's narrative & it's ultimate conclusion。Did enjoy the main character Evelyn's struggle to come to terms with her childhood demons & recognizing that she is in control of her unique gift to read the emotions & history of objects， but I cannot say the same for the other more ma This book started out w/ so much promise as I anticipated being swept away on a magical mystery tour of memories both good & evil set in the enchanting West coast city of Vancouver B。C。。。。。but I was underwhelmed by the story's narrative & it's ultimate conclusion。Did enjoy the main character Evelyn's struggle to come to terms with her childhood demons & recognizing that she is in control of her unique gift to read the emotions & history of objects， but I cannot say the same for the other more mature 'seer' whom was weak & undefined。 Sigh。 As for Ev's sister Noemie， she was a disaster in every sense of the word。It's difficult to rate this novel as the writing was decent but the storyline did not live up to it's hype。I do look forward to reading future novels from Kim Neville。 。。。more
Lauren Abery
，
This was really cute and thoughtful and I love the idea that memories lie in possessions， and also how two different people can view the same thing so differently。 Something about this book is just very nostalgic and makes me want to go thrift shopping lol。 But it's a clever idea to have the two characters be able to understand/perceive memories from old possessions， and speaks to broader things about how our possessions kind of do hold our memories， and what would seeing that do？ This was really cute and thoughtful and I love the idea that memories lie in possessions， and also how two different people can view the same thing so differently。 Something about this book is just very nostalgic and makes me want to go thrift shopping lol。 But it's a clever idea to have the two characters be able to understand/perceive memories from old possessions， and speaks to broader things about how our possessions kind of do hold our memories， and what would seeing that do？ 。。。more
Norah Gibbons
，
I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley。 All opinions are my own。 The Memory Collectors is an urban fantasy novel set in present-day Vancouver。 The story explores the premise that we leave behind feelings on the objects that belong to us， feelings that can be felt long after the objects leave our possession。 Evelyn Marchand and her sister Noemi were orphaned when her father murdered her mother and committed suicide。 Evelyn has always regarded her ability to sense the memories th I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley。 All opinions are my own。 The Memory Collectors is an urban fantasy novel set in present-day Vancouver。 The story explores the premise that we leave behind feelings on the objects that belong to us， feelings that can be felt long after the objects leave our possession。 Evelyn Marchand and her sister Noemi were orphaned when her father murdered her mother and committed suicide。 Evelyn has always regarded her ability to sense the memories that objects hold more like a curse than a blessing， and she has arranged her life in order to protect herself from the stains， as she calls them。 Harriet has taken the opposite approach and has filled every inch of her apartment with her treasures。 She searches out everything she can find with memories good， bad and even some evil。 The objects have taken over her life， and the collection she has created has begun to permeate the building where she lives to the point where those feelings are affecting the others that live in the building。 She hires Ev to help her sort through her belongings and perhaps create a museum from the objects。 I found this a fascinating story， both chilling and heartwarming and enjoyed reading it very much。 Publishing Date: March 16， 2021。 #TheMemoryCollectors #KimNeville #UrbanFantasyNovel #SimonAndSchusterCanada #NetGalley #Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer 。。。more
Cindyann
，
AudioThis book reminded me a lot of The Night Circus and The Scent Keeper in the way the author's descriptions painted such real pictures in my head。 The house， the store， the things all had life and personality。 And as much as I disliked Noemi （A LOT！）， I think she was needed to move the story along and provide some sort of balance between Ev and Harriet。 But wow。。。she was difficult to handle！ This is one I can see recommending。 AudioThis book reminded me a lot of The Night Circus and The Scent Keeper in the way the author's descriptions painted such real pictures in my head。 The house， the store， the things all had life and personality。 And as much as I disliked Noemi （A LOT！）， I think she was needed to move the story along and provide some sort of balance between Ev and Harriet。 But wow。。。she was difficult to handle！ This is one I can see recommending。 。。。more
Torrie Tovar
，
I'm kind of kicking myself for not reading this as soon as I got approved for it！ This book was really good。 It is a story of two women， Harriet and Ev， they can sense emotions or memories from objects， that they call stains。 Some are pleasant and some are not。 Ev doesn't want to keep the objects that contain the bad memories， she believes they should be destroyed。 However， Harriet is hoarding all of the objects that she finds and they are making her neighbors sick。 This book was intriguing， ori I'm kind of kicking myself for not reading this as soon as I got approved for it！ This book was really good。 It is a story of two women， Harriet and Ev， they can sense emotions or memories from objects， that they call stains。 Some are pleasant and some are not。 Ev doesn't want to keep the objects that contain the bad memories， she believes they should be destroyed。 However， Harriet is hoarding all of the objects that she finds and they are making her neighbors sick。 This book was intriguing， original， and exciting。 I was hooked from the beginning。 I definitely recommend this book if you like magical realism。 I saw they compare it to The Scent Keeper， I wouldn't say it is like that but kind of has the same feel。 Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this eARC。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Memory Collectors
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Memory Collectors&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Memory Collectors&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0