The Memory Police

I was part of the office Secret Santa last Xmas and my present was The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa. I've spent the last couple of months struggling through it. It has a fascinating concept - that things, and most people's memory of them, disappear one by one. It's very 1984 (disclaimer - I've seen the film but not read the book).

I have two big problems with it. The first is that a book about someone's world getting smaller and more austere whilst they feel more and more trapped is not really what I want to read in lockdown. The second is that the author really isn't interested in mechanics or explanations. All the questions I wanted to ask at the end of the first chapter or two remained unanswered.

So - I'm sure it's an excellent book and I wanted to like it. However, I didn't.