The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (2025)

By Yoko Ogawa

3.72

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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary

The Memory Police is set on an unnamed island where everyday objects start to disappear, seemingly erased from existence. The Memory Police enforce these disappearances, while a young novelist secretly preserves lost items. Her efforts to resist the erasures become perilous as the sense of identity and memory itself faces obliteration in this haunting tale of control and resistance.
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Format: Paperback / softback

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The Memory Police

$26⁰⁰

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're captivated by dystopian worlds where control and memory intertwine in mysterious ways. This story may appeal to you if you appreciate narratives that blend psychological intrigue with elements of suspense and a haunting atmosphere.

The Memory Police

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Memory Police is a compelling and surreal, Orwellian mystery by one of Japan's greatest writers.

Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2020, this enthralling Orwellian novel explores the terrors of state surveillance, showcasing the brilliance of its acclaimed author.

'Beautiful... Haunting' — Sunday Times
'A dreamlike story of dystopia' — Jia Tolentino

Hat, ribbon, bird, rose.

To the people on the island, a disappeared thing no longer has any meaning. It can be burned in the garden, thrown in the river, or handed over to the Memory Police. Soon enough, the island forgets it ever existed.

When a young novelist discovers that her editor is in danger of being taken away by the Memory Police, she desperately wants to save him. For some reason, he doesn't forget, and it's becoming increasingly difficult for him to hide his memories. Who knows what will vanish next?

Finalist for the National Book Award 2019
Longlisted for the Translated Book Award 2020
New York Times 100 Notable Books of the Year

'This timeless fable of control and loss feels more timely than ever' — Guardian, Books of the Year
'Echoes the themes of George Orwell's 1984, but it has a voice and power all its own' — Time
'A novel that makes us see differently... A masterpiece' — Madeleine Thien

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa is praised as a profound and thought-provoking novel, blending elements of fable and allegory. Critics highlight its ability to alter perceptions, explore human nature, and convey political and existential themes. The narrative is recognised for its beauty, emotional depth, and suspenseful storytelling, resonating strongly in contemporary contexts marked by rising authoritarianism.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781784700447

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 August 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage

Contributors:

Translated by Stephen Snyder
Translated by Stephen Snyder

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 205g

Pages: 288

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Yoko Ogawa

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About the Author

Yoko Ogawa (Author) Yoko Ogawa has won every major Japanese literary award. Her fiction has appeared in the New Yorker, A Public Space and Zoetrope. Her works include The Diving Pool, The Housekeeper and the Professor, Hotel Iris and Revenge. Her most recent novel, The Memory Police, was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize.Stephen Snyder (Translator) Stephen Snyder is a translator and professor of Japanese Studies at Middlebury College, Vermont, USA.He has translated works by Kenzaburo Oe, Ryu Murakami, and Miri Yu, among others. His translation of Natsuo Kirino's Out was a finalist for the Edgar Award for best mystery novel in 2004, and his translation of Yoko Ogawa's Hotel Iris was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2011.?