i had fun with this! quite an interesting premise and defo kept me hooked. i did find a lot of “issues” in this where i probably should’ve hated this book, but i can’t lie and say i wasn’t invested.

i really enjoyed the obvious parallels this story had in regards to WWII. i mean i don’t like the fact that it was so obvious right there in your face with absolutely no subtlety, but hey it meant for once i pick up on a story’s deeper themes so! i also liked the little similarities to 1984, with the thought/memory police & the wilful acceptance of an authoritarian regime where the citizens just kinda shrug off developments because really what else can they do? i found that so intriguing, but i would’ve liked maybe a bit of a stronger authority presence in this book. for a book called the memory police, they were quite a nothingburger. sure the reader sees their influence from afar but up close they are just there, but really do nothing. also yet again loved the direct parallel between the typist story and the main story. honestly i wouldn’t mind that sub story being expanded into its own novella because i really liked it. 

the characters were…. there! man i don’t even think the main character had a name she was that boring. she had no personality, and even though i do think the text tried to show her fighting the disappearance, her dialogue became repetitive, and she had the depth of a kiddie pool. R was… certainly a character! he also had no depth minus his memory, which yet again, nothing substantial was done with it in that aspect. the old man was really the only character with a semblance of a personality, but even then i could guess how his story would play out from a mile away.

the plot itself was practically nonexistent. it was kind of like a slice of life, but why am i focusing on the mc eating pancakes with the old man when a dystopian world is right there!!!!! stop focusing on insignificant things and put me where something meaningful is happening!!!! at times i just wanted to shake ogawa because there were so many things that could’ve been done to expand on this world but instead we focused on watching other citizens of this island actually interact with the plot, whilst mc is just standing there. oh my god girl do something jesus christ. and the ending… cmon now. we were building up to something super intriguing, and it’s almost like ogawa rushes through these developments to have a scene that really doesn’t make sense in universe. the reader is told that disappearances happen because the memories attached to disappeared objects loses any meaning, as well as that citizens are required to destroy disappeared items. but following that logic the ending falls apart. yes yes i get that it is more so symbolic, but the way it’s written is conveyed that it is based in reality, and honestly this annoyed me. why are we changing the rules of the universe in the last 5% of the book. bffr.

i can’t say ogawa didn’t try to eat with her plot but the thing is, she’d introduce something interesting and then it would go nowhere. like for example you’d be worried the mc would be arrested for doing x, and instead the memory police would just straight up walk past her or something. or you’re worried for the old man that something’s happened to him and instead he just fucked off to get groceries or something. yes i understand not every moment needs to escalate to the characters being in a sticky situation but it literally never happened. nothing ever happened in this book. gun to my head i can pick out bits and pieces of the plot but overall i cannot say anything substantial happened. there’s just so many missed opportunities with this story it makes me want to pull my hair out.

technically i could end the review there but i have a few spoilery gripe and i need to vent it.

also fuck off with that romance subplot. predictable, unnecessary, fuck you homewrecker. he has a mf kid!!!! yes he may never see his kid or wife again and yes he’s lonely but oh my goddd fuck you both. rats.

reflecting im actually mad at this book. it had such potential to be a banger. instead i got like 45 scenes of the same commentary regarding the disappearances, an interesting story written by the mc, and a dog. 

i can’t wait to yell at anyone at book club who said they loved this (/j i support all book lovers and book haters)