The Memory Police

This book works on a number of levels. A lot of other reviews pick up on the dystopian elements, and the authoritarianism of the Memory Police themselves, comparing the novel to Fahrenheit 451, 1984 or our own global lurch to the right, and that element is definitely there, but I found it resonated for me on a quieter, more personal level. Maybe due to circumstances in my own life, I couldn't escape the idea that the set up of the book is a metaphor for dementia, and the gradual erasure of self that brings about. It's full of lovely turns of phrase and poetic imagery (the rose petals in the river!), but it's an unsettling read, one that has lingered in my mind for several days after finishing.