The Memory of Things Review
The Memory of Things follows a teen boy named Kyle, who’s life has become intertwined with a mystery girl after fleeing the scene of the 9/11 attack. The girl doesn’t know her name or her story, but throughout the novel (a course of merely a few days) the two develop a strong friendship while experiencing first hand one of the most terrifying incidents in U.S. History.
In this review, I will be breaking down elements of “The Memory of Things”. Minor spoiler warning, though I won’t be going into intense detail of the plot points!
The book opens with the main character, Kyle running from school during the 9/11 attack. Within only the first few pages, the reader is introduced to Kyle and a mysterious girl donning fake angel wings, standing on the side of the bridge, threatening suicide. Kyle takes her arm and makes sure the girl gets to safety by keeping her at his empty house. Although the action seems overwhelming, Polisner does an amazing job at pacing in the novel. Nothing feels like it’s happening too fast or too slow. The reader is simply following along with the protagonist and how he is reacting to the world around him. TMOT takes its time to stop and reflect on the tragedy of 9/11, with moving scenes of the main characters expressing the horror of the situation. However, the novel isn’t surrounded with the attacks. Although it is a significant part in the book, the novel more centers around the relationship between Kyle, the girl, and his family. The story takes place over the course of about a week, yet everything falls into place nicely. It takes it’s time to show the events rather than tell them.
The characters don’t seem overused or unnatural. They each just try to make sense of the world and in their own way, perfectly. The novel highlights the unique characteristics between Kyle and the missing girl, and the two of them don’t seem forced.Â
The girl is trying to remember who she is, she’s making her way out of her shell, and she’s dealing with guilt and horror- it’s natural to see her sometimes be friendly and talk to Kyle but other times stay reserved in her bedroom. Her emotions make sense, as she cannot remember anything about herself besides bits and pieces. Every once in a while, like when they sit together watching cartoons, the reader sees her letting go of her worries and be a kid. I find this to be one of the best scenes in the novel, as the two of them seem like they’re at the end of the world, but they keep just being kids.
Kyle is one of the best protagonists I have seen in a YA Novel for a while. He isn’t overplayed or “superman”, nor is he reliant on one character trait (“brave”, “nerdy”, the “cool guy”, etc.). He’s dynamic, and relatable to almost every teenager. The reader understands his concerns. They can easily relate to his sense of humor, realness, and worries. For example, Kyle is now the “man of the house” and has to make meals and take care of his handicapped uncle. For some teens, taking care of other family members is their norm. His love for his uncle and ability to rise up to realistic challenges make him likable. Additionally, Kyle is obviously a teenager in the best way possible. In most YA novels, characters in tragedy rise up, or do something outrageous (I’m looking at you, Divergent series). Instead, Kyle can be seen listening to U2 or watching Nickelodeon. He feels like a real character, someone the reader would hang out with on a Saturday afternoon.
Both of the protagonists are written so well and the reader wants to know what happens next. I thoroughly enjoyed whenever the two talked to each other, as they seemed like real people going through life.
The writing style of TMOT was unique and insightful. The novel switches between both Kyle and the girl’s POV. Kyle’s chapters are written like a regular narrative, but the girl’s in written in stanza. At first, I had a hard time getting used to the language change and overall, I enjoyed Kyle’s POVs more than the girls. However, I give major credit to her chapters, as they were usually well-written, meaningful, and gave her side of everything in a more poetic output.
*:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: *:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: * *:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: *:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: * *:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: *:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: *
Overall, I really loved The Memory of Things. I couldn’t put the book down, I kept reading and reading…
It was a respectful, meaningful narrative centered around the 9/11 attacks. More so, the novel was a creative, beautiful story of the relationship between two strangers and how tragedy brings people together. At times like this, it’s the perfect read. TMOT is a fantastic reminder on the positives of humanity, and how we all need to band together when things become bad.
Rating: 9/10
Recommendation: Aimed more at the teen audience, but adults can definitely enjoy it too.
