In an unnamed island, things constantly disappear: roses, hats, perfume, birds, and the list goes on. Its inhabitants wake up and upon realizing that something had gone missing will go about their day destroying what their memories have already lost. An authoritarian body ensures that these objects are forgotten forever - the Memory Police. They govern andw atch over the island but their motivations remain unclear.

In this novel we follow a woman as she grapple with the island's disappearances. Through her novel within the novel, we get to understand the importance of memory and its link to our sense of being and as well as to our collective understanding of the past.

The Memory Police was such a fever dream and its dream-like state is what prompts you to suspend your disbelief and let go of the whys - to just proceed with it like what you do with dreams. (yes i used the word dream too many times there 😂) Reading it felt like there was this dense fog that gets thicker and thicker as you move forward, making you stop and think about the things that you might've unknowingly lost along the way.

Ogawa gave me the imperative call to think about what I might be losing each day: something that myself might be shedding without taking notice: be it personal or something that has generational consequences.

Favorite character: the old man!!!!