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moiramacfarlane's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Er zat genoeg interessants in dit boek, maar het nam me niet mee.
'Ik geloof in geen van deze dingen, in elk geval niet meer. Ooit heb ik er wel in geloofd, maar toen was ik een kind. Ik geloofde in het spookhuis in Mharapara Street. Ik geloofde ook in de God van zuster Gilberta en zuster Mary Gabriel, de God van de wierook en de mis, van de benedictie en de Drie-eenheid.
Het heeft jaren gekost, maar nu geloof ik nergens meer in. Ik vind het verschrikkelijk dat dergelijke opvattingen een mensenleven kunnen bepalen. Het is eng zoals een leven erdoor kan veranderen.'
v_de_quimper's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
stellahadz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a really enjoyable read. The theme of memory was obviously predominant throughout, but I never felt beat over the head with it, despite the narrator's name literally being Memory, which I think is a testament to Gappah's talent as a writer. I personally thought the story was missing a little something, and the ending felt a bit rushed, but still, the prose was evocative and compelling, and it was cool to learn more about modern Zimbabwean history. I also thought the choice of framing the book as communication with an American journalist was really interesting. I'd definitely recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Abandonment, Death, and Confinement
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Suicide, and Homophobia
londadbk's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
With a few tweaks this book could easily be a 5 stars. Well-written with an intriguing narrative and main character (as well as intriguing side-characters), it knows how to create and build mystery all whilst keeping you grounded in the narrative the author is crafting. I was disappointed to see her state so explicitly what happened at the end though. It killed a certain “magic” that the book had. After 250 pages of the narrator dropping hints that the reader can catch, it felt a bit (dumb, useless??) to have everything spelt out for us in such a way. Almost as if at first, the author was showing us things and then she just started telling us. The switch felt jarring. The end also felt rushed, especially after the author created this steady pace (very slow in the prison with jumps all over the time structure for outside the prison). It was slightly disorienting for her to move so quickly in the end. Still a great book though!!
idah_mrashui's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
drjoannehill's review against another edition
5.0
Written as a diary of a woman on death row in Zimbabwe. She recounts how she ended up where she is. The title of the book is appropriate in a few ways. The character's name is memory, but Gappah also plays with the concept of memory and how we remember things differently at different times: there are different tellings of the same event from the character's history, showing that memory is imperfect: and at the the end of the book she realises she has misremembered a significant event in her life that has shaped how she has acted ever since. Recent political events in Rhodesia / Zimbabwe play a minor role. It would be useful to know something of the country's history or look things up while reading!
jewelrybonney's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Grief, Child death, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Misogyny
Moderate: Colonisation, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Bullying
Minor: Rape and Dementia
kingarooski's review against another edition
5.0
Memory is an albino black woman, convicted of murdering the man who bought her from her parents and who raised her. As Memory awaits her death sentence in prison, she begins to write down her story and all she remembers from her childhood. I loved the rhythm of this book and Memory switching from writing about her past and her present experiences.