First Lines Friday – 16/08/2024
Today’s First Lines Friday feature includes a book that I added to my reading list earlier this week. In last week’s Sunday Summary I shared that I was keeping the topic of this First Lines Friday open. Given this is a recent addition, it felt like a natural feature.
Whilst I’m trying to keep myself on the straight narrow and not purchase any more books at the moment, I confess that I have added this to my reading list without purchasing as I was intrigued by the synopsis.
What also makes this book more interesting is that it is translated from Japanese. I can’t say I’ve ever read Japanese dystopia before, so it’s going to be something new!
Here is today’s First Lines Friday intro, followed by details of the book:-
I sometimes wonder what disappeared first – among all the things that have vanished from the island. “Long ago, before you were born, there were many more things here, “ my mother used to tell me when I was still a child. “Transparent things, fragrant things… fluttery ones, bright ones… wonderful things you can’t possibly imagine.
“It’s a shame that the people who live here haven’t been able to hold such marvellous things in their hearts and minds, but that’s just the way it is on this island. Things go on disappearing, one by one, it won’t be long now,” she added. “You’ll see for yourself. 
Something will disappear from your life.”
The Memory Police- Yōko Ogawa
Genre: Dystopian / Japanese Literature
Pages: 274
Audience: Adult
Publisher: Pantheon
Publication Date: 13 Aug 2019
On an unnamed island, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses. . .
Most of the inhabitants are oblivious to these changes, while those who remember live in fear of the Memory Police.
To the people on the island, a disappeared thing no longer has any meaning. It can be burned in the garden, thrown in the river, or handed over to the Memory Police. Soon enough, the island forgets it ever existed.
When a young novelist discovers that her editor is in danger of being taken away by the Memory Police, she desperately wants to save him. For some reason, he doesn’t forget, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for him to hide his memories. Who knows what will vanish next?
My Thoughts…
It’s the uniqueness of The Memory Police that caught my attention. I have never read anything like it. Given that I’m also trying to branch out my reading, picking up a Japanese translation definitely falls into that bracket.
I love a good dystopian novel. There is something about reading of otherworldliness that stretches my imagination and captures my attention. It brings home what we value in real life society by reflecting its absence in fiction.
I was already captivated by the synopsis, but the introduction I have shared with you today has cemented my want to pick up the book. It leaves a lot of questions before we even really dive into the book. What is disappearing? Who are the memory police, and what are the consequences of remembering that which others forget?
Personally, I’m looking forward to getting stuck into this book down the line.
Have you read The Memory Police?
