The Memory Police by Yōko OgawaMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
What in the actual mindfcuk is this novel? I thought this is supposed to be plot-driven, but this speculative fiction is more reminiscient of the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Haruki Murakami, with a splash of Jose Saramago's Blindness. It is very metaphorical! The main character is a novelist who has published books about disappearances. Her last work, about a typist with a disappearing voice, was made throughout the timeline of her life with a draconian world in Memory Police.
I am a bit disappointed with the lack of a plot development on the Memory Police's point-of-view, but I believe Yoko deliberately wrote it this way for us to realize that a fascist regime really hates disclosing their activities and plans. This rings true when a state is under a Martial Law (i.e. Philippines and South Korea) or even under the State of Emergency (i.e. Singapore).
What I loved in the translation is how simple the words were made, and yet, it cuts deep. Perhaps the employment of passive voice bears more power in translating the Japanese soul of the characters rather than the usual active voice (as how the West creates their prose). Also, I love the allegory of holding a ritual when a thing disappears. Remarkable parts are (1) the roses floating in the river and (2) the burning of the library. I am not much aware of the most Japanese, but they really are into hoarding mementos / souvenirs, and as one lets go of it, a ceremony of hand-off is being held.
If only this is more of an action film-like prose, I might get through this novel in one sitting.
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