Today, we will be reviewing The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa, a Japanese sci-fi thriller and dystopian novel. Find out and what we thought of this novel and if you should add it to your reading list!

The Memory Police Summary

The protagonist lives on an island that is ruled by the Memory Police. They are a mysterious force that enforces the erasure of memories and arrest anyone who hasn’t had their memories erased, is hiding people, or anyone hiding objects that have been erased. 

R is the protagonist’s editor and he has retained all of his memories. But when he gets a letter of summons from the Memory Police, the protagonist decides to hide him in a small place in her house. 

The protagonist, along with an old man that she is friends with, try their best to hide R as well as survive the continuous disappearances. But with the erasing of memories, how long will it be until everyone on the island forgets everything and turn into nothing?

Commentary

The Memory Police was originally released in 1994 in Japan and finally published in English in 2019. The novel has a fascinating plot that will remind many readers of Franz Kafka. The island where the novel takes place will remind people of 1984 by George Orwell and how the people on the island are censored and always monitored.

The plot and concept for this novel is brilliant and I loved the whole setup. I was reminded of what life was like in Germany during World War II and wonder how much of those events inspired this novel. The Memory Police in the novel are interesting and yet, we know very little about them. All the information we get about them is from the protagonist.

Ogawa may not be well-known in the United States but in Japan, she has had a very successful career as a writer. She has won every major Japanese literary award which is no easy feat. After reading this novel, I can see why.

Conclusion

One of the things that made me pick up this novel was the title of the book. And I am glad that I picked this novel up and gave it a chance. Reading Japanese sci-fi was a new experience for me and I can’t wait to read more books like this. I recommend this to all fans of 1984 and fans of sci-fi novels. Happy reading!

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook 

Discover more from Books of Brilliance

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.