Book Club #14 Recap: The Memory Police
Thoughts, quotes and further inspo on The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
The book was first published in Japan in 1994 and only translated into English in 2019. It was shortlisted for the 2020 International Booker Prize.
Yoko Ogawa’s slow-paced dystopian novel split opinion in our book club like no book before it. Interestingly, the discussions in our two groups diverged significantly: the English group responded much more positively, with an average rating of 4.14 compared to the German group’s 2.96. (I personally rated this book a 4)
The main points of criticism were its slow pace and minimalist world-building, which left some readers impatient or indifferent. The lack of narrative developments and Ogawa’s reduced portrayal of emotions made the characters feel somewhat dull and monotonous. Apparent inconsistencies in the plot also disrupted the reading flow for some and dominated much of our discussion in the German group. (What about the ferry? Was it a translation issue that it didn’t disappear with the other boats? Please help us out :)
Readers who appreciate a slower pace, and who see the book more as a long poem or allegorical treatise, will likely have a better time with its constant white noise in the background. One could interpret the monotony and emptiness in this book as the lived reality of life on the island. The collective amnesia creates a void, an empty space that swallows everything and everyone who is not part of the authoritarian forces or who forget to fight for their lives. The constant snowfall and never-ending winter in the book evoked the image of a nuclear winter. With Japanese culture and history in mind, this also led us to discuss the impact of atomic bombs and nuclear disasters on collective memory and the environment.
In my opinion, the book serves as an exploration of the concept of Shifting Baseline Syndrome that describes “chronic, slow, hard-to-notice changes in things, from the disappearance of birds and frogs in the countryside to the increased drive time from L.A.”
It refers to accepting change without resistance, because one has forgotten — or never even known —how things used to be. Baselines often shift from one generation to the next and each following generation accepts a new normal. We already live in an age of acceleration where such shifts happen more frequently, and this book takes that to the extreme. For the reader, it’s heartbreaking when birds were disappeared overnight and are reduced to “nothing more than a simple creature, moving through space as a function of the vertical motion of its wings” (p. 11). In the book, most island inhabitants shrug off each new memory loss because they can no longer even remember the concept. How many new normals have we already accepted in our lifetime? That unsettling question lingers long after the book is closed.
Highlights from our discussion
From the English group:
I really like the pace. I am a slow appreciator. I liked how she described the things she couldn’t remember. As a lover of objects I was like “Yes, I totally get it!”
It felt like reading a really honest poem.
This would have worked better for me as a short story.
From the German group:
It's not bad writing, probably all intentional, but you don't have to like it.
A lot is happening, but it feels like nothing.
Perhaps it is the complete dissolution of the ego?
Favorite quotes from the book
⭐ When I was a child, the whole place seemed... how can I put this? ... a lot fuller, a lot more real. But as things got thinner, more full of holes, our hearts got thinner, too, diluted somehow. I suppose that kept things in balance. And even when that balance begins to collapse, something remains. Which is why you shouldn't worry.
⭐ But here on the island, writing novels is one of the least impressive, most under-appreciated occupations one can pursue.
⭐ If you read a novel to the end, then it's over. I would never want to do something as wasteful as that. I'd much rather keep it here with me, safe and sound, forever.
⭐ And what will happen if words disappear?" I whispered to myself, afraid that if I said it too loudly, it might come true.
⭐ A heart has no shape, no limits. That's why you can put almost any kind of thing in it, why it can hold so much. It's much like your memory, in that sense.
⭐ But even if you can't resist them, you don't have to burn your photographs. Important things remain important things, no matter how much the world changes.
Holistic Reading
💬 The Booker Prize reading guide inspired some of our book club questions
🎶 We created another shared Spotify playlist for The Memory Police that became the soundtrack of our bookclub meeting.
📚 Books by Kazuo Ishiguro (The Buried Giant, Never Let Me Go) were mentioned as a likely inspiration for The Memory Police.
🦤 Explore more about the Shifting Baseline Syndrom: https://sciencenotes.de/weisst-du-noch-wies-frueher-war/ and
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-nov-17-op-olson17-story.html
📖 If you enjoyed The Memory Police, you might also like our companion book club pick: I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman.
Have you read The Memory Police? Share your thoughts in the comments - we would love to hear them! And if you’re still looking to read it, there are some copies left in the shop :)
On Saturday, September 27 we’re discussing Beloved by Toni Morrison. Get yourself a waitlist spot and or drop by the buddyread table – you don’t need to sign up for those. Simply join the community channel on Instagram or Whatsapp for all the updates and stop by for chats and reading time.
Keep reading and stay curious! 📚☕
Yours,
Caroline 💚