[Review] The Memory of Things - Gae Polisner

Summary: On the morning of September 11, 2001, sixteen-year-old Kyle Donohue watches the first twin tower come down from the window of Stuyvesant High School. Moments later, terrified and fleeing home to safety across the Brooklyn Bridge, he stumbles across a girl perched in the shadows, covered in ash, and wearing a pair of costume wings. With his mother and sister in California and unable to reach his father, a NYC detective likely on his way to the disaster, Kyle makes the split-second decision to bring the girl home. What follows is their story, told in alternating points of view, as Kyle tries to unravel the mystery of the girl so he can return her to her family. But what if the girl has forgotten everything, even her own name? And what if the more Kyle gets to know her, the less he wants her to go home? The Memory of Things tells a stunning story of friendship and first love and of carrying on with our day-to-day living in the midst of world-changing tragedy and unforgettable pain—it tells a story of hope. (Pub Date: Sep 6, 2016)


Review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. I want to also thank the publisher for giving me this opportunity.

Soon after the attacks against the Twin Towers, Kyle is running from Manhattan back to his home in Brooklyn when he sees a girl with wings seeming about to jump the bridge. Even though she doesn't remember who she is, he takes her home. In the middle of chaos and change, one becomes invaluable to the others.

More than being about the September 11th, this is a coming-of-age story. As Kyle's family is scattered—his father is a policeman and his mother is stuck in California—, he needs to step up and take care of his uncle, who has suffered a serious accident a little before, and now the girl.

The narration is partly in Kyle's focus and partly in the girl's. For the latter, the author used an interesting style, which resembles a poem in the beginning and makes a close picture of how scattered the girl's thoughts. It can be confusing in the first changes of POV's but you soon get used to it, and then you fall in love. Different, simple, and genius.

The characters are also a big draw-in. Kyle's voice is perfect as a terrified teenager who doesn't know what to do but keep going. And as mentioned, the girl's voice was brilliant. The third most important character was the uncle. When he was introduced, I thought he would be more of a bitter person, who'd annoy me all through the book. Was I wrong! He came to be my favorite in there. The author knew how to turn each person unique and uniquely lovely.

Another misconception of mine was one from when I read it would take place in the days following the September 11th. That this would be about patriotism to face adversities. Not that I was entirely wrong but I would have never foreseen how sensitive this author would be. While the story progresses, Kyle reflects on conflicts happening in other countries as well as notices the prejudice against the Arabs in New York. The notion to insert such details was golden and made this a story worth reading to non-Americans as well.

I was able to read this very fast—I'm not the type to do things in one-read but I could even have. However, the story can be a little slow for some parts. Notwithstanding, the narration is beautiful enough for you not to feel bored. Still, I don't recommend it for someone yearning for "eventful"or even "dramatic"—this is no tearjerker despite the theme.

The lowest point for me was the romance. This is supposedly about first love. Albeit aware since I read the summary, I didn't feel enticed to that development. I confess I even cheered against it. I grew to accept the couple but that would have been something I would have done without.

Lastly, the conclusion was satisfying, with no bad surprises—I confess at one point I feared where were were going.

This is really an YA, also a romance between two teenagers, but this is the type of stories any adult can enjoy if you are up for something to warm your heart, and make you hopeful about how you can change reality even with just a little. I would also recommend it for book clubs. As I said above, I thought the author did a good job raising issues, which would be ideal for a group discussion.

Rate: 4 out of 5.