Play Book Tag discussion

When I saw the new Edgar Award list, this book jumped out at me because it involves a favorite topic- memory. It’s a mystery thriller with both science and science fiction. I enjoyed the book and the audio, though the character sounded younger in the audio.

When the book starts, Hope is in a loving relationship with a nice man, and has a great relationship with his teenage daughter. Then, jump to one year later, she is a “guest” in a luxurious sanatorium with celebrity patients. She cannot remember the last year of her
Life. The facility uses a variety of therapy methods, including a virtual reality room called VICTOR. I got creepy vibes early on about the doctors and the facility, but there were no dead bodies or obvious crimes to solve. It takes a while to figure out what is happening. My favorite characters included some of the other patients (Quinn, spooky, Carter), who all work together to figure out what the doctors are hiding. The chapter titles are intriguing, and contain a few clues about what is coming up. Once it clicked, I couldn’t put it down. One part of the plot (and a couple characters) was too hard to believe, but I find this true of a lot of thrillers. Once I set that aside, I enjoyed the twists, and went along for the ride.

My favorite takeaway from the book is the information on changing memories. I found this interesting and consistent with research I read years ago in a memory course. The techniques can be used in therapy to help PTSD patients, but criminal investigators might use it to obtain false confessions. The rest of us might find it helpful to recognize when we are being manipulated or gaslighted. An oft repeated quote in the book was “There you go again, changing the narrative.” This came to mean different things to me, from an accusation to a mantra for self empowerment. For every big story you tell about your life, you could change the narrative to tell an equally true story, with a more positive or empowering message.