The Memory Police

Literary dystopian fiction taking place on an unknown island where objects disappear suddenly. An unnamed young novelist is trying to save her editor, alongside her new manuscript, from the ominous and fascistic Memory Police who ensure the disappeared objects are eradicated completely. 
This novel absolutely floored me on every level and I literally cried at the ending.  As always Japanese fiction (visual or written) pierces my heart with its ability to portray emotions or moments with a quiet intensity and tender elegance.  It's always hard to judge the writing for a translated novel, as we say in Italian “traduttore,traditore”. Still, I absolutely felt melancholy in the main character, the existential dread of the disappearing objets, the bleak everyday life on the island and the authoritarian menace of the Memory police.  The author expertly weaves into the story the importance of memory, identity, family, grief, culture, the power of writing, revisionism, authoritarian governance, and overall the duty of remembering. I loved the inclusion of the main character's story into the book, as it drew parallels with the main plot but had a more twisted and dark fantasy tone to it.  I had read Ogawa's Revenge short stories before this and I loved it very much, so I'll definitely check out the author's other works.