The Memory of Things

by Gae Polisner

On the morning of September 11, 2001, sixteen year old Kyle Donohue watches the first twin tower come down from the window of Stuyvesant High School. Moments later, terrified and fleeing home to safety across the Brooklyn Bridge, he stumbles across a girl perched in the shadows. She is covered in ash and wearing a pair of costume wings. With his mother and sister in California and unable to reach his father, a New York City detective likely on his way to the disaster, Kyle makes the split second decision to bring the girl home. What follows is their story, told in alternating points of view, as Kyle tries to unravel the mystery of the girl so he can return her to her family. But what if the girl has forgotten everything, even her own name? And what if the more Kyle gets to know her, the less he wants her to go home? The Memory of Things tells a stunning story of friendship and first love and of carrying on with our day to day living in the midst of world changing tragedy and unforgettable pain - it tells a story of hope.

• ISBN10: 1250095522
• ISBN13: 9781250095527
• Publish Date: 6 September 2016
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 19 October 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
I will say that I did like more than I didn't with this one, it just wasn't a complete win for me. Either way, there was good stuff, so let's start with that, shall we?

What I liked:

• Kyle was a really stand up character. He was a good narrator in the face of the tragedy, and most of his reactions seemed pretty realistic. He was worried about his dad, who was a first responder, and his mom and sister who had been ready to board a flight back to New York from Los Angeles.  As a kid himself, he just wanted to do the right thing by everyone in the wake of the events that unfolded, even though he definitely wished that this hadn't all fallen to him. He ends up having to care for his disabled uncle, and a girl he finds on the street while the world around him is in shambles.


• The focus on family was not only wonderful, but critical. In those post-9/11 days, people were undeniably and understandably worried about their family and loved ones. Kyle is worried about those he loves and cannot reach, and those whose care falls to him. The relationship he has with his Uncle Matt is so fabulous, it might be my favorite thing about the whole book. He has a bit more of a strained relationship with his father, but seeing their love prevail in such a devastating time is definitely moving.


• The portrayal of New York in the days post-9/11 were quite accurate, and I think the author did a tremendous job in her research. It felt authentic, yet sensitively handled.

What I didn't:

• I just didn't feel as much as I'd hoped. I was expecting a lot of emotions, but I didn't really have as many as I'd have liked. The story takes place mainly outside the city, and in relative seclusion, so I felt like Kyle and the gang didn't really experience too much firsthand. Kyle also tried to keep both his uncle and the girl from being too upset, so he too was a bit detached.


• I kind of saw where the story with the girl was going from the start. Not down to the exact detail, but the general idea, and I was right. That took away a bit from the urgency for me, and kind of slowed the story a bit.

Bottom Line: The Memory of Things was a sweet story, and a hopeful one, which is very fitting. I'd have liked to feel a bit more strongly, but it was still worth the read.

*Copy provided for review