The Memory Artists

I didn't like this book at all to begin with: words like 'glabrous' and 'pullulating' were used and it felt pretentious. But I'm glad I stuck with it, because it got a whole lot better once Noel's memory-bereft mother, Stella Burun was introduced. I enjoyed the multiple viewpoints and the element of mystery about the attacks on Samira, JJ, and Norval. The denouement was satisfying, too.

So different! I loved the uniqueness of the book. It is a novel, but designed to be a compilation of narrations and diary entries "written" by a neuropsychologist as if it were actually an academic work, complete with the narrator's endnotes (for once you actually need to read the endnotes!) Vorta, the doctor is a complete nut job, but you only really meet him through the endnotes and the character's discussion of him. Noel is a synesthesia and hypermnesia dealing with his mother's Alzheimer's. Noel, Samira, Norval, and JJ are all patients of Vorta and he sees it as some sort of experiment, them all coming to live in Noel's house. There's lots of discussion about poetry, chemistry, alzheimer's, synesthesia, and of course psychology in show more the book, minimal romance, plenty of cynicism and optimism, wit and chaos. If you're looking for something unusual, this is it! show less

This is a quick and engaging book to read. The characters are fabulous; they are interesting and sympathetic. But the plot gets more and more confusing as the book goes on. By the end, I had no clue what was happening. In fact, I found the ending very disappointing. The writing style isn't well-developed, and in my opinion could have benefited from more vigorous editing. Too much of the plot in the book seems to fall back on literary cliches. The dialogue is stiff and hackneyed.

That being said, the characters were so interesting that I still enjoyed reading this book. And many of Moore's ideas are fascinating. Jeffrey Moore definitely shows potential, he just isn't there yet with The Memory Artists.

Moore creates interesting characters with believable relationships, but over all I found the book uneven. Some moments of friendship are absolutely *perfect* and Noel's relationship with his dying mother is extremely well-done. But other parts of the book seem irrelevant and I found many passages difficult to get through. There's lots of potential here, but in the end, Moore doesn't quite deliver.

The Memory Artists by Jeffrey Moore is one of those books that has been growing on me the longer I read it. Noel Burun has a condition called synaesthesia which causes him to attach colors to events from his past and part of the story is told from his point of view. (By the way, I looked up this condition and it does exist.) His mother has Alzheimers and part of the story is told from her point of view not to mention the points of view of other "unusual" characters that are also represented. This is another book for the more experimental reader.

A fabulous mystery by a new Canadian writer, a psychiatrist reflects on his past, an immoral experiement he conducted on young people with a specific and rare psychologocal disorder. Unput downable (sic). Looking for his next book.

Interesting book, could do with more development in the end, felt a little cut short. Great characters otherwise.