This was a rather fascinating book mainly because of the concept and the thoughts it provoked in me, but the plot and the characters didn't satisfy me.

In this world, a lot of the older generation had been struck with a disease causing them to lose their memories, and as such, most people now have memory keys to preserve memories. Just like the real human brain, the chips make these memories harder to recall over time. There was little other information given about this world--while it would assumedly be in the future, people still go to the library to use the internet, which implies that it's more of a today type setting.

Our main character, Lora, had her mother die five years prior to the beginning of this book, and she laments this loss daily. She finds that as she loses the vivid memories of her mother she once had, she almost loses her mother again, something that many people can relate to. But one day, she bumps her head and the part of her key that affects her ability to recall memories gets screwed up and all of a sudden she can basically relive her memories.

What strikes her is the memories she has of the night before her mother's death when some strangers showed up at her house. However, I don't understand why this wasn't a big deal to Lora at the time. It seems like she's always been looking for a way her mother could have survived, so I'd assume that a younger Lora especially would have fixated on these events.

More interesting is her interactions with her friends Wendy and Tim after her key is affected. She can recall times she was angry with them and relive them directly, and she finds that her anger is just as fresh after going through these memories. This made me think of the human ability to forget as almost a gift.

I found that the plot became overly complicated. There were a lot of characters who had been friends with Lora's mother and who had been journalists using her mother as a source and who had been her mother's sister's husband an I never quite became invested enough to make a map of them all in my head. The final few chapters especially I kind of just rolled with instead of trying to really comprehend them.

Perhaps I wasn't as invested because Lora herself wasn't invested. She uncovers a pretty sinister plot but throughout the book, her focus is ONLY on her mother. I get that her mother is obviously an important character in her life, but I got kind of annoyed with her for being so self-centered and narrow minded. Honestly, Wendy should have been a lot more annoyed with Lora's actions than she was.

I did very much enjoy the idea of how memories function and how they could be used and abused, how they could be uploaded and stored, how brains could encrypt them in their own fashion, etc. I enjoyed the thoughts the premise provoked in me. But really, I could have read a one page philosophical paper summarizing the premise and been as satisfied and saved myself from dealing with the overly complicated plot and with Lora's single-mindedness. ( )

PopSugar '15 #31--Book with bad reviews. ( )

First of all, thank you to the author and goodreads for providing me with a free copy of The Memory Key.

There is a lot to love in this book. An awesome main character (who even works in a library! How cool is that?). A plot with twists that kept me guessing and occasionally gasping out loud. Awesome use of flashbacks. A sort of near-future dystopian setting that raises all sorts of questions about privacy.

But I think my favourite part of the book was the whole memory loss thing.

So, the premise of The Memory Key is that there's an illness like Alzheimer's but contagious. A number of years back, it swept through the population and, in an attempt to deal with the widespread memory loss, scientists invented the memory key: basically, an electronic chip that creates and stores memories.

These memory keys are great, if a little creepy... except when they malfunction or are removed. At that point, you're looking at extreme memory loss and difficulty creating new memories. Basically, like a devastating case of dementia today.

And the way characters deal with that memory loss happening to their loved ones? That was depicted so well.

When my grandfather developed Alzheimer's, I wasn't prepared for the amount of anger I'd feel. Anger at the dementia? Sure, I saw that coming. But I never guessed I'd be angry at him.

It doesn't make sense -- it's not the person's fault, it's not like they want Alzheimer's or are deliberately abandoning you by forgetting things -- but it happens. A little twinge when they forget your name, another twinge when they remember someone else's.

So, when I saw characters react to another's memory loss with frustration and resentment, my first thought was, Wow, that's a little insensitive.

Followed immediately by, Oh. Wait.

This book... I don't know, it got it. I wish I could send a copy back in time for my thirteen-year-old self -- firstly, because it's a fantastic book, and secondly, because it might have helped me deal with memory loss in my own family.

This was a really enjoyable read. I hope Liana Liu publishes more novels -- I'll be first in line. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Yet another dystopian read centered on a corrupt government with hidden agendas.

Opening Sentence: My earliest memory is of my mother.

The Review:

When reading The Memory Key, I was reminded of the Delirium series by Lauren Oliver. In Delirium, love is considered a disease so everyone over 18 must be immunised against it. It is essentially a way for those in power to control the general public’s minds. Similarly, in this story, the government / leaders are controlling their people through their memories by inputting memory keys into their bodies. Why don’t these people realise that anything that is artificially installed into the body and is a compulsory alteration is risky business. Especially if the main alteration is to the brain!

I liked the intrigue and mystery surrounding Lora’s mother and her death. Unfortunately, Lora irritated me most of the time because she needed things spelled out for her in order to understand. Her ‘damaged’ memory key was a good excuse for the most part but I felt she overused that excuse.

I stay there. I stay because I can’t move; the guilt and shame have completely cramped my muscles. I feel awful about it, all of it, large and small. For lying to him. For continuing to lie to him.
And for suspecting that he is lying to me.

The Memory Key is targeted for young adults but the writing was a leeetle amateurish. I may have found this because I am used to reading YA that is a tad more challenging, with confusing plots, so the simplicity of this story was tedious.

When Lora doesn’t get her memory key replaced she receives a few telephone calls and although they become more persistent, I expected more drama, or someone to physically track Lora down to force her into replacing her key. But then, confusingly enough, she goes and gets it replaced anyway and I just wondered, ‘what was the point in delaying it then?’ There were so many aspects to this story that just seemed pointless.

The first few chapters were fairly slow, but the middle of the book was fast-paced; thereby building up anticipation for a strong ending. Unfortunately, the ending was a complete disappointment. Without revealing any spoilers, it is safe to say that the conclusion was anticlimactic, leaving the reader wondering how they could have better used their time!

Notable Scene:

Besides, there is the mystery of those two strangers at our house the night before she died. And what if beneath the clouding grief, it’s there? The memory that will at last explain what happened, and how it could have happened, and why her. And why me.

I spent years obsessing over these questions, even though I knew there were no answers. No good ones.

But maybe I was wrong.

FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of The Memory Key. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

The idea of memory influencing our relationships - keeping things fresh in ways both good and bad - was such an interesting aspect of this novel. Lora's accident is the catalyst for a re-examination of the past and the realization that things aren't what they seem. The ending leaves a lot still unresolved - does this mean there is a sequel/series in the offing? ( )