--- product_id: 119472968 title: "The Memory Police: A Novel" price: "$9.81" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 11 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/119472968-the-memory-police-a-novel store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # The Memory Police: A Novel **Price:** $9.81 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Memory Police: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** $9.81 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/119472968-the-memory-police-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The Memory Police: A Novel - Kindle edition by Ogawa, Yoko, Snyder, Stephen. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Memory Police: A Novel. Review: A Beautiful, Poignant, Brilliant, Strange, Captivating, and Terrifying Tale - Yoko Ogawa’s “The Memory Police” blends dystopian fiction, science fiction, and magical realism into a mesmerizing exploration of memory and identity. This beautifully written tale is simultaneously poignant, brilliant, strange, captivating, and terrifying. The novel takes place on an unnamed island where objects periodically “disappear”—not just from people’s memories, but physically as well. The Memory Police systematically remove items, even books, from society, ensuring these items cannot trigger remembrance. What makes this premise so chilling is the totalitarian enforcement of forgetting—a true Orwellian tale of government control and authoritarian rule. As these disappearances accumulate, Ogawa shows how every aspect of our lives, down to the smallest objects, anchors our sense of reality and personal history. Something vanishes every day, erasing little pieces of people’s lives. Most island inhabitants forget these items immediately, going about their lives as if nothing has changed. But some remember—and these individuals live in constant danger, hunted by the Memory Police who enforce the disappearances. The novel had me asking profound questions: What happens to identity when both physical objects and memories are stolen? What do people become under such oppressive control? And what happens to those captured by the Memory Police, never to return? These mysteries kept me intrigued and engaged throughout. Under constant government surveillance, island residents attempt to maintain normalcy in an increasingly abnormal world. The protagonist’s struggle, alongside those who still remember, creates a tension that builds toward an ending that continued to haunt me long after finishing the last page. I devoured “The Memory Police” in nearly one sitting, captivated by its eerie atmosphere and philosophical depth. The novel’s peculiar beauty lies in how it lingers in the mind, raising questions about memory, authoritarianism, and what remains when our connections to the physical world are forcibly severed. Any book that keeps me questioning and reflecting long after the story ends is, in my estimation, truly exceptional. Review: A cozy book that reminds you to not forget - Speculative science fiction that's light on science. Just like I like them. This is very reminiscent of Kazuo Ishiguori's take on science fiction (Never Let Me Go and Clara and the Sun), where the story is more about people and exploring concepts related to the human condition than it is about a deep dive into technology. It's not a cautionary tale in the traditional sense with sci-fi. But it is a cautionary tale. We follow a very small cast of character (only one of them named) through their day-to-day lives on a remote island that is plagued by objects "disappearing." They don't visually disappear. They disappear from comprehension. This concept reinforces the themes of the novel, which I'll let you discover on your own, but it's one that I appreciated. This story doesn't hit you over the head with plot. The plot is pretty thin, in fact. But I was fine with that because the setting and the characters are ones I wanted to spend time with. Some people might find this boring for the above reason. It's not going to take you by the hand and pull you through an elaborate plot with twists and turns. In fact, most of the plot beats don't end up the way you expect, which is a good thing in my opinion. While I did grasp some of the things Ogawa was exploring, some of them didn't seem to add up in my mind. That doesn't mean they aren't there. Since this book was written in Japanese and translated into English, we know that much of what she explores is rooted in Eastern culture. Maybe she was pulling from Eastern concepts, or maybe she wasn't. Despite its minor flaws, I really enjoyed this book. It's a good one to read on a rainy or overcast day, since it's full of that kind of atmosphere. At least for me. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | B077RG9JFX | | Accessibility | Learn more | | Best Sellers Rank | #402 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #4 in Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction (Kindle Store) #7 in Contemporary Literary Fiction #7 in Dystopian Science Fiction (Kindle Store) | | Customer Reviews | 4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars (9,315) | | Enhanced typesetting | Enabled | | File size | 3.8 MB | | ISBN-13 | 978-1101870617 | | Language | English | | Page Flip | Enabled | | Print length | 290 pages | | Publication date | August 13, 2019 | | Publisher | Vintage | | Screen Reader | Supported | | Word Wise | Enabled | | X-Ray | Enabled | ## Images ![The Memory Police: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91ceNjVmPpL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Beautiful, Poignant, Brilliant, Strange, Captivating, and Terrifying Tale *by E***B on February 27, 2025* Yoko Ogawa’s “The Memory Police” blends dystopian fiction, science fiction, and magical realism into a mesmerizing exploration of memory and identity. This beautifully written tale is simultaneously poignant, brilliant, strange, captivating, and terrifying. The novel takes place on an unnamed island where objects periodically “disappear”—not just from people’s memories, but physically as well. The Memory Police systematically remove items, even books, from society, ensuring these items cannot trigger remembrance. What makes this premise so chilling is the totalitarian enforcement of forgetting—a true Orwellian tale of government control and authoritarian rule. As these disappearances accumulate, Ogawa shows how every aspect of our lives, down to the smallest objects, anchors our sense of reality and personal history. Something vanishes every day, erasing little pieces of people’s lives. Most island inhabitants forget these items immediately, going about their lives as if nothing has changed. But some remember—and these individuals live in constant danger, hunted by the Memory Police who enforce the disappearances. The novel had me asking profound questions: What happens to identity when both physical objects and memories are stolen? What do people become under such oppressive control? And what happens to those captured by the Memory Police, never to return? These mysteries kept me intrigued and engaged throughout. Under constant government surveillance, island residents attempt to maintain normalcy in an increasingly abnormal world. The protagonist’s struggle, alongside those who still remember, creates a tension that builds toward an ending that continued to haunt me long after finishing the last page. I devoured “The Memory Police” in nearly one sitting, captivated by its eerie atmosphere and philosophical depth. The novel’s peculiar beauty lies in how it lingers in the mind, raising questions about memory, authoritarianism, and what remains when our connections to the physical world are forcibly severed. Any book that keeps me questioning and reflecting long after the story ends is, in my estimation, truly exceptional. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A cozy book that reminds you to not forget *by J***N on April 16, 2023* Speculative science fiction that's light on science. Just like I like them. This is very reminiscent of Kazuo Ishiguori's take on science fiction (Never Let Me Go and Clara and the Sun), where the story is more about people and exploring concepts related to the human condition than it is about a deep dive into technology. It's not a cautionary tale in the traditional sense with sci-fi. But it is a cautionary tale. We follow a very small cast of character (only one of them named) through their day-to-day lives on a remote island that is plagued by objects "disappearing." They don't visually disappear. They disappear from comprehension. This concept reinforces the themes of the novel, which I'll let you discover on your own, but it's one that I appreciated. This story doesn't hit you over the head with plot. The plot is pretty thin, in fact. But I was fine with that because the setting and the characters are ones I wanted to spend time with. Some people might find this boring for the above reason. It's not going to take you by the hand and pull you through an elaborate plot with twists and turns. In fact, most of the plot beats don't end up the way you expect, which is a good thing in my opinion. While I did grasp some of the things Ogawa was exploring, some of them didn't seem to add up in my mind. That doesn't mean they aren't there. Since this book was written in Japanese and translated into English, we know that much of what she explores is rooted in Eastern culture. Maybe she was pulling from Eastern concepts, or maybe she wasn't. Despite its minor flaws, I really enjoyed this book. It's a good one to read on a rainy or overcast day, since it's full of that kind of atmosphere. At least for me. ### ⭐⭐⭐ 1984 *by Q***N on January 28, 2026* Its an okay book not too great for me its very similar to 1984 --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/119472968-the-memory-police-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.us/products/119472968-the-memory-police-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-04-23*