My thanks to Harvill Secker for sending me a free copy of The Memory Police to read and review. This has not affected my opinion in any way.
I picked up The Memory Police as my first translated book for my 2020 Year of Translation. I could hardly have wished for a better start! This strange, dystopian tale utterly hynotised me. The above photo accurately represents my situation on New Year’s Day, when I just sat ensconced in blankets devouring this novel.
Overview
It’s interesting that the book starts with a line you might at first glance think has been mistranslated.
‘I sometimes wonder what was disappeared first.’
What WAS disappeared, I hear you cry! But the subtle difference perfectly captures the sinister undertone of the novel. Things like plants and hats and musical instruments don’t just disappear on the unnamed island, they are disappeared, strategically and completely. Anyone found in possession of memories of the disappeared things will be punished by the Memory Police
HOW good is that premise? I could best describe this book as haunting and quietly powerful. There are no fireworks or explosions but that doesn’t lessen its impact. Some of the imagery created within these pages is burned into my brain. Stephen Snyder does an excellent job with the translation. It never ceases to amaze me, seeing translators bring together two very different languages so seamlessly.
Characters
I only have one complaint that did bump this down from a perfect rating to its four stars. None of the characters have proper names. Call me old-fashioned, but I like my characters to have names, no matter how few they are. I feel like it creates a distance between the reader and the characters, and I can’t connect with them as fully as I’d like. However, I did still find myself rooting for the characters, even without names.
Final thought
In conclusion, this remains a brilliant novel, a dark musing on loss and memory in an unforgiving setting. It remains pertinent, despite its publication in 1994. I couldn’t believe that when I found out!
This one has now made the International Booker shortlist, and rightfully so! Check out my reviews of the other shortlistees: The Discomfort of Evening and The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree.
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