The Memory Collectors
By Kim Neville
Editorial Reviews
“In The Memory Collectors, Neville creates a richly imagined world that seamlessly merges the magical with the everyday. Her characters will feel very real to anyone who has sensed the haunting power in objects and places that awaken deep emotions from their past. This inventive debut is a hopeful tale about the possibility of recovery after childhood trauma, and about learning how to trust and forgive—especially oneself. I guarantee you will never feel the same about that box of keepsakes stored in your attic after you read this book.” (Glendy Vanderah, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Where the Forest Meets the Stars )
“In this atmospheric and beautifully written novel, Neville weaves for us a world in which ordinary objects retain the imprint of strong emotions and influence the moods and actions of the people they touch. By turns heartbreaking, terrifying, and beautiful, The Memory Collectors is ultimately a triumphant tale of redemption and forgiveness.” (Kerry Anne King, bestselling author of Everything You Are and Whisper Me This )
JENA’S REVIEW
The Memory Collectors by Kim Neville
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Memory Collectors is characterized on Amazon as “Women’s Fantasy Fiction”. Magical realism is a special part of this story that involves three women who live in Vancouver. Or is it a book about everyday objects?
I don’t always comment on the pacing of a book in my reviews. But in the case of The Memory Collectors, the pacing is what made me like this book. This is a book that is slow, moody, evocative. Because the writing is steady and beautiful, the plot unfolds slowly, and I found the book to be mesmerizing.
Evelyn is a young woman of about 20. She has the ability to sense the “feelings” that an object gives off. For example, a small statue of a bird might be friendly and loving. A ball might be cold and deceitful. Evelyn has a younger sister, and she looks out for her. Their parents are dead and the mystery of how they died preys on the two sisters. They meet Harriet, on older woman who we might call a “hoarder”. She has the ability to recognize the “brightness” of objects but is not as advanced as Evelyn. As the lives of the three women slowly connect and then unravel, can their connection to objects and the past create a better future for them?
Intriguing, puzzling, and well-written are words that I would use to describe this fascinating tale. Thanks to NetGalley & Atria books for an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
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Kim Neville is the Vancouver-based author of THE MEMORY COLLECTORS, coming March 2021 from Atria Books.
Kim’s short fiction has appeared in Imaginarium 3: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing, Shimmer and On Spec.She attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in 2012. Her creative interests include everyday magic, hauntings, in-between spaces, abandoned buildings and people, family and relationship dynamics, the meaning of home and finding that which has been lost. Most of her stories take place in real-world settings with a twist of strangeness to cast the everyday in a new light. Kim’s current work in progress blends LITTLE WOMEN with PRACTICAL MAGIC.
Besides writing and reading, Kim enjoys very amateur photography, regular yoga practice and cooking for family and friends.
About the Author
