The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

What would happen if everything we held close started to disappear, and our memories taken with them?

Synopsis

The Memory Police was originally published in 1994 with the release of the English translation in 2019. The novel is set up in a dystopian setting and is written in the vein of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and George Orwell’s 1984. It is an intimate portrayal of love and communal trauma due to strange forces that wreak havoc on the residents of an island. 

The community begins witnessing the disappearance of common objects. Birds, roses, and hats are among the first to disappear, but people’s memories of the disappeared also start to vanish. The novel’s protagonist is a young novelist who tries to preserve her fading memories. When she realizes her editor R is in trouble, she concocts a plan to hide him from a mysterious agency called The Memory Police. As more disappearances occur and life on the island becomes increasingly worse, the novelist desperately clings to her writing and R as a way of preserving her existence. 

Concepts

Within the novel, the act of writing becomes an essential method for retaining memory. Storytelling provides a space for truth and remembrance as history, culture, and individual experience become immortalized through the written word. Writing as a means of preservation is especially true in a political context when oligarchical and authoritarian governments destroy communities and enable great suffering. The Memory Police are, after all, a force tasked with the ability to infiltrate the mind and destroy people’s reasons for living. 

On a more intimate scale, the story is also an allegory for trauma, loss, and death - what it’s like to lose loved ones and how we might lose pieces of ourselves in the process. Over time memories fade, and we might become worried or anxious about forgetting both people and places, which is a necessary form of grieving for many. 

Appeal 

One of the reasons I loved reading this book was my inability to predict the outcome. It strays from heavy action as a science fiction novel but never failed to keep me guessing. At times the plot is slow, but it is also incredibly thoughtful and relatable in many ways. 

The protagonist is not a typical dystopian heroine and is often quiet and reserved. Her rebellious behavior comes in hiding her editor despite the severe consequences that may result from The Memory Police finding out. Despite her fading memories and increasing loss of self, the novelist is a resilient character fighting against the force that ultimately seeks to destroy her and the community.   

The Memory Police is a beautiful work that is not easily analyzed or understood but is definitely worth reading. If you like Kafka, Orwell, or even The Vegetarian by Han Kang, you’ll love The Memory Police.