The Memory Police by Yōko Ozawa
On the island things disappear. It can be anything, hats, birds, perfume, photographs, even limbs.. When the Memory Police have decided something is to be disappeared, it no longer has any meaning and must be disappeared by any means necessary until it is completely erased from living memory. However, there are people on the island who don't forget. 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.
A very interesting premise that got us excited. Unfortunately, the story fell flat for a number of the Brunch Book Clubbers. A lot of us felt that it left questions unanswered. Our main gripe was the lack of mechanics; we are all willing to suspend disbelief but the lack of explanation of whether the disappearing was literal or a psychological phenomenon was very frustrating and made it difficult to really get stuck into the story.
However, when we began to really unpack the book as a group it started to take on a deeper meaning. We concluded that the story may be a commentary or warning on social compliance – how we accept the small things like hats and then birds and then before you know it, you’re hobbling across the lawn with only one leg while your dog drags its three-legged body behind you.
Overall, a very interest concept that made for a brilliant book discussion and left us all thinking about our own compliances.
