My Name Is Memory

By Ann Brashares


‘You are my first memory every time, the single thread in all of my lives. It’s you who makes me a person.’

‘My Name Is Memory’ has a very intriguing premise. It is a love story between two individuals which lasts across history and several lifetimes as each of them is reincarnated over and over again.

This gives rise to a novel structure which goes backwards and forwards in history gaining momentum and tension as it goes. From about halfway through the novel onwards, it really was impossible to put down.

The two main characters – Daniel and Lucy – are very likeable, and the extra layers of back story as we find out about their previous lives make them unusually rich and satisfying.

I enjoyed the writing in this novel very much. Some sections were very touching, for example when Daniel says, ‘There are short periods of joy you have to stretch through a lot of empty years, me more than most. You have to make them last as well as you can.’

Because the story moves through different time periods and travels around the world, it is complex and Ann Brashares displays great skill drawing it all together.

The events of the last few chapters are gripping and the nature of the ending means that the story lives on in the reader’s mind.

For an unusual and gripping story, I recommend this highly.

Reviewed by Helen M Hunt