384 pages. Published August 28, 2024 by CamCat Books. Fiction.
You’ll spend ages as you read this novel wondering what’s going on. Hope Nakano has been admitted to a mysterious facility that seems to be trying to help her recover her memories about a really bad event—or are they? Because there’s something pretty sinister going on, even though on the surface it’s a bright and sunny health facility focused on providing the best care for its patients. Maybe what’s creepy is that the techniques they’re using are experimental, including pills, strange scents, and something very much like hypnotherapy.
I liked The Mechanics of Memory, but feel I should have liked it more. The premise is great, and the novel has so many interesting ideas in it, as well as a very cute romance (at least, it seems cute at first). Some of the characters are really fun—like one of the patients at the facility, Quinn, who is quirky and sensitive and emotionally honest and supportive, and as grounded as one can be in that situation. But something about the novel never really gelled for me, and I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because the implications of corporate memory manipulation are never fully explored, with the story instead leaning on the emotional aspects from the perspective of the patients—which works for readers who fully invest in those emotional aspects, and I did not. And then the mystery and reveal did not really work for me, nor did the science (even with the suspension of disbelief).
Still, an interesting thought experiment. Thank you to CamCat Books and NetGalley for early access.
Harare Review of Books 
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