The Memory Police is like a melancholic, magical 1984, dabbling barely enough in elements of dystopia to classify as science fiction, blended beautifully with elements reminiscent of magical realism. Ogawa brings to life an island where objects are continuing to disappear without explanation from most people’s memories. A policing force, called the Memory Police, exists to enforce these disappearances, making sure people dispose of all traces of the now missing objects, as well as disappearing people who, for whatever reason, are immune to this loss of memory. The novel follows an unnamed narrator who attempts to hide a friend with this ability to remember. It’s largely a quiet, interior story with a preciously small cast, interspersed with excerpts from the novel the narrator is writing. The nested novel is about a typist who loses her voice, adding another layer to the unsettling atmosphere and theme of grappling with loss laced throughout. ⁣
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Reading this book was a powerful experience, heavily atmospheric and a bit haunting. I wasn’t propelled through the story by any intensity, but rather fell easily through the pages, immersed in its quiet beauty and a sense of the profound. I’m sure I missed much of the metaphoric layers on which this novel functions, but I didn’t find the experience lacking for that reason. It was both a mesmerizing way to spend the day, and a story I know I’ll be thinking of for a long time to come. Definitely would recommend, to fans of literary fiction and speculative alike.