The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

Reviewed by Casey

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On an unnamed island off an unnamed coast, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses — until things become much more serious. When a young woman who is struggling to maintain her career as a novelist discovers that her editor is in danger from the Memory Police, who are committed to ensuring that what has disappeared remains forgotten, she concocts a plan to hide him beneath her floorboards.

This Japanese drama about memory and loss, inspired by the author’s interest in Anne Frank’s diary, is a slow burn. It’s a quiet apocalypse with only a few truly tense moments. However, it builds to one of the most unforgettable and striking endings that left me with an uncomfortable, eerie feeling.

Rating: 3/5 stars

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