The Memory Police A Novel

Yōko Ogawa2019
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n an unnamed island off an unnamed coast, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses - until things become much more serious. Most of the island's inhabitants are oblivious to these changes, while those few imbued with no power to recall the lost objects live in fear of the draconian Memory Police, who are committed to ensuring that what has disappeared remains forgotten. When a young woman who is struggling to maintain her career as a novelist discovers that her editor is in danger from the Memory Police, she concocts a plan to hide him beneath the floorboards. As fear and loss close in around them, they cling to her wiring as the last way of preserving the past.

Reviews

Photo of Susan
SusanJun 14, 2026
4.5 stars
Thought provoking
Emotional
Tragic
Photo of elissa
elissaMar 2, 2026
4.5 stars
Page turning
Layered
Thought provoking
Original
Photo of Hamed Khalidi
Hamed KhalidiDec 24, 2025
4.5 stars
Addictive
Magnetic
Compelling
Layered
Contemplative
Dark
Suspenseful
Timeless

Highlights