May 15, 2020

Book Beginnings / Friday 56 - The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa


Hello, everyone! How are you? This has been a pretty hectic week, although I still managed to write a review for Howards End. But today it is Friday, and it's time for our weekly bookish memes (yay!). 

First, we have Book Beginnings on Fridays, hosted by Rose City Reads. In this meme, we have to share the first sentence (or a bit more) from the book we are currently reading. The second meme is called Friday 56 and it is hosted by Freda's Voice. For this one, we have to share a small snippet from a book, taken from page 56 (or 56% on an e-reader).


This week's book is The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa. I'm almost half way through it, and I have to admit that I'm enjoying it. If you've been following this blog, you already know that Yoko Ogawa has written some of my favourite books. As it seems, this book might end up there as well. Until I finish though, I'll share with you some snippets.

The Memory Police - Yoko Ogawa

Book Beginnings


"I sometimes wonder what was disappeared first—among all the things that have vanished from the island."

So, the premise of this book is that random things are vanishing from everyone's memories. It could happen at any moment. For example, one morning, you wake up and realize that you have no recollection of what a bird is.

This opening sentence manages to perfectly express the premise. We are on an island and things are disappearing. It's intriguing enough to want to learn more.


Friday 56

 “The disappearance of the calendars means that we no longer have any use for days and dates. You know what happens if we keep things around us that should have gone away.” He flipped through the pages at random but apparently had no interest in what was written on them. “We need to get rid of this right away.”

The memory police deals with all the objects that need disappearing, and also that people who still remember everything. Who decides what will disappear next? I guess I will learn later on in this book. This snippet is from 56% of my ebook and it's an intense scene.


Have you read The Memory Police? What are some favourite quotes from the books you've been reading?

24 comments:

  1. Hi,
    Sounds intriguing. Have a great day!

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  2. Very intriguing snippets and premise. I'm curious now. I hope the book lives up to its potential.

    Happy reading, and happy weekend!

    My Friday Book Memes.

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    1. For the time being, it is an excellent read :)

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  3. Sounds different but in a good way!! Happy weekend, stay safe!

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    1. Yes, I found the premise very original :)

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  4. I haven't read The Memory Police. It seems interesting. Enjoy your current read!

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  5. I'm sorry you had a hectic week! But The Memory Place sounds really cool! Definitely my kind of book.

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  6. What an intriguing premise! I'm definitely curious for more. Thanks for sharing. Hope you have a great weekend! :)

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    1. Yes, I find myself rather enjoying this type of dystopian premises :)

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  7. Wow, this sounds like a really exciting book. I'm intrigued.

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  8. Wow! That is an imaginative idea for a story!

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    1. Very original! And these dystopian stories hit hard :)

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  9. This sounds great. I'll have to look into it.

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  10. What a fascinating premise! Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog.

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  11. This sounds good; I might give it a try. I am getting into a lot of Japanese writers lately, but I haven't tried Ogawa yet.

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    1. The Housekeeper and the Professor is one of my favourite books. You should definitely read something by Yoko Ogawa :)

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