The One Memory of Flora Banks

by Emily Barr

[Sam@WLABB]

For the past seven years, Flora has made no new memories. After having a tumor removed from her brain, Flora was left with anterograde amnesia. Although she is chronologically 17 years old, her most recent memories have her as a 10 year old. That is until she kisses a boy, and she remembers. This one memory prompts Flora to embark on an adventure to find this boy, who she believes can repair her memory.

I was wary when I began this book, because I had seen quite a few "meh" reviews, and I have to say, at first, it was difficult to adjust to the style. This story is told from Flora's point of view, so we spend a lot of time inside her head. It's sort of jarring at times. She is an amnesiac with limited short-term memory, so there is a lot of repeating and revisiting things over and over again. This took some getting used to, but I must say, Barr did a wonderful job helping me sort of understand Flora's daily struggles.

At the same time, we saw this spirited side of Flora. A part of her that wanted to break free and explore. To make new memories, even if she may not remember them. She had adaptations in place to cope with her daily life, and I was really impressed with what she was able to accomplish. The phrase, "Be Brave, Flora", kept popping up, and I love this idea that even if we have obstacles in our way, we can be brave, and try new things. We can change and grow and continue to hope.

During most of the book, I felt my heart breaking. Here is this young woman, who is stuck at the age of 10. It made me think really hard about not being able to have new memories or being able to learn new things. The whole idea of that weighed heavily on me, but not on Flora. It was almost sold as liberating, as she was forced to live in the now and enjoy the present to the fullest extent. Another great take away courtesy of Flora Banks.

I must say, I loved the relationship between Flora and her brother, Jacob. It was very special. Although they were separated by 7 years and lived in different countries, he was always trying to be her champion. He loved her fiercely and saw only the best parts of her. We get to know Jacob through letters, emails, texts, and flashbacks, and I really wish the story had been able to bring those two back together, but I am grateful for what we got. It was a lovely bond they shared, and heck, I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it.

Overall: An interesting coming-of-age story, which balances the sad with hope.