Book Review: The Memory Police

Yōko Ogawa’s The Memory Police was originally published in 1994, nine years before her best seller The Housekeeper and the Professor. It was translated to English in 2019 and has been shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2020. Interestingly, both The Housekeeper and the Professor and The Memory Police have memories as a central theme.

On an unnamed island things are disappearing. Or more accurately, our memories, our idea of things, disappear. A bird may be observed from the island, but since the concept “bird” is gone, it means nothing to the inhabitants and doesn’t stir any feelings or memories. A few “divergents” have kept their memories, but they live in constant fear of being discovered by the memory police and disappear themselves – in the concrete, rather than the abstract fashion.

In The Memory Police birds disappear

How important are memories to us? When all our memories and concepts are gone, will we be gone too? Does a specific object have meaning, if nobody is around to remember this meaning? Can we miss something, we never knew we had?

The Memory Police raises some interesting questions and my metaphysical self enjoyed pondering on these. I’ve seen the novel being described as “Orwellian”, but to me it was the human rather than the political themes, which stood out.

All the way through, I felt distanced from the events and characters, almost like in a dream. The three main characters remain nameless. Besides from the narrator, two other characters known as “R” and “the old man” appear throughout the novel. But in some sense they are unimportant; it’s the concepts which matter. The characters are just a media, through which the author can communicate her strange and unsettling story.

We don’t hear much about the past or the characters’ background, except for a few snippets relating to the narrator’s parents. All this seems appropriate for a novel about disappearing memories. The past is slowly being erased, names are losing their significance. The name and location of the island also remains a mystery, as does the reason for, well, pretty much everything.

The author of The Memory Police, Yōko Ogawa

I found Ogawa’s simple prose appealing and once I’ve adapted the Murakami approach, i.e. prevented my rational brain trying to make sense of it all, I appreciated the dream-like quality.

A nice touch from the author is the intricate duality between the novel and the story, which the unnamed narrator is writing in the novel. Using different sets of metaphors, both stories explore the theme of slowly loosing the sense of self and gradually disappearing into nothingness.

Conceptually, the novel was satisfying and I enjoyed the strangeness and complete lack of answers. Emotionally, it didn’t quite hit the mark. This might be due to my expectations. Several Japanese authors have overwhelmed me with this combination of deep poignant sadness and other-worldly beauty, which always goes straight to my heart. Of course it’s my fault to expect that from all Japanese writers.

Overall, I found The Memory Police a dark and quite unique read. I’m already looking forward to The Housekeeper and the Professor.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Title: The Memory Police [1994], translated by Stephen Snyder [2019] 
Author: Yōko Ogawa
Format: eBook
Genre: Japanese Fiction

August is Women in Translation Month, #WITmonth. If you are interested in Japanese literature by female authors, you may enjoy these reviews as well:

25 comments

  1. What an interesting concept, it’s nearly philosophical. It’s a plus for me when a novel can give you food for thought and this one sounds like it does, if anything it’ll make us appreciate our language, our cognitive abilities and our memories even more than before. Great review!

    • Yes, I thought it was quite philosophical, which suited me fine. I love when books make me think about the bigger things in life. Exactly, it is such an interesting take on how our memories define us. The book was quite strange, but actually people lose memories all the time due to Alzheimers, etc. And I’m sure that takes away some of their identity as well, which must be so awful. Thanks! 😀

    • Thanks Nicki! 😀 Without having read The Housekeeper and the Professor, I suspect it’s perhaps slightly more accessible than The Memory Police, which really is quite odd (understatement? 🤔😆) I enjoyed it, nevertheless.

    • I hope you will, I’d love to hear your opinion. It’s quite clear, that the story can be read in different ways. Some people compare it to 1984 and similar novels, but to me the whole surveillance state thing was an important part of the setting, rather than the key theme.

  2. Haha, adopted the ‘Murakami approach’ is also how I got used to reading novels by Japanese authors 🤣 There’s really no making sense of it in the usual Western litcrit way; you just have go along for the ride! I found it interesting that you pointed out memory as the central theme, and how this one took on a more dreamlike feeling that made you feel distanced from the characters and events, because The Housekeeper and the Professor had the exact opposite effect on me—I was so emotionally bowled over by that book, I was in tears by the end. I’m excited to read this so I can also see how they compare in terms of themes. Great review! 🙂

    • I know! 🤣 If you don’t relax your natural tendency to look for explanations and connections, some of these Japanese novels will do your head in! It is quite interesting how both these books have memories and their impact on our lives and identity as a theme. You make me want to pick up The Housekeeper and the Professor even more to be able to compare. I believe it was quite intentional that a certain distance was created to the characters. They didn’t even get any names (how important are names for our identity?) Anyway, perhaps we’ll have to compare notes, when we have both managed to read the two novels. Thanks 😀

    • Thanks! I certainly intend to read more of her books as well. Most likely, I’ll start with The Housekeeper and the Professor. I am intrigued by the connection to math and to Paul Erdos, since I love math (yes, I am weird 🤓😁)

  3. Sounds fascinating even if it was a bit distancing. I suspect we are conditioned to “see” things in certain ways because of all the poems and stories and songs we remember about them, usually from a young age. Although I’m always intrigued to know how other animals, without those things, seem to be able to pass on basic knowledge to their young, and wonder which bits of what we know come from generational instinct as opposed to acquired memory. See, you’ve made me get all philosophical too now – I’ll need to go for a nap now… 😉

    • Haha, sorry to inspire you to get philosophical, but it is so much fun! I agree, of course, that living creatures are born with certain instincts, but even for animals, a surprising amount is learned by experience and from their parents. That part can of course be researched by science. But unlike many modern scientists (in the old days philosophy and science were more or less the same thing) I don’t believe philosophy has outlived itself (yet) and I wonder if we will ever be able to explain everything reg. the human condition with science. See what happened now – you should never get me started on philosophy! 😆

  4. I think I have The Housekeeper and the Professor on my shelf unread! I enjoyed your way of reviewing what sounds like a quirky, quirky book! I love a book that leaves some (a lot of) room for thinking but I have to be in the right mood for it. Terrific review, Stargazer!

    • Ah really, if I were you, I think I would dig it up and start reading! Quirky might be an understatement – extremely odd would perhaps be a better description. However, I can’t seem to get it out of my head (and wow, the ending, I didn’t see that coming) so I’m starting to think, I could have been a bit more generous with my star rating. Thanks! 😀

  5. WHOAA!!! You know when I saw this book on Amazon and added it to my wishlist, I didn’t know the title was to be taken literally! DAMN I WAS JUST SOLD ON THAT PRETTY COVER!!!! BUT OH. MY. GOD! I think I need to buy it asap now! SUCH A GORGEOUS REVIEW, Star! LOVED IT SOOOO MUCHHH!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

    • I love the cover as well and somehow it fits the story perfectly! 😀 The stamp symbolises the surveillance state and the sketching hints at the missing bits, which are taken away from you. Thanks so much Rain, I am glad you enjoyed the review! 😊

  6. I like the idea behind the book and how you explained it. Amazing review. I do believe memories make us. I’m watching my gran disappear through Alzheimer. I usually don’t enjoy Japanese writers’ style though, so I will pass! x

    • Japanese writer seem to have quite a unique style, but for some reason, I seem to get on very well with it. Ah, I’m so sorry to hear about your gran – Alzheimers really is a terrible condition.

  7. Fantastic review! I’m glad to see that this one didn’t fail to impress you. I am definitely intrigued by the ideas here and look forward to giving this one a try someday too. I love that it also has an otherworldly quality to it. 😀

    • Very otherworldly indeed 😀 I loved the ideas and concepts behind the book, it really was unique. And the ending!! Let’s just say, I didn’t see that coming. 😉

    • Ah, I hope you manage to read it. I found it quite unusual and I would love to hear what you think. Thanks! 😀

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