Book: Memento Nora
Author: Angie Smibert
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Children's Books
Release date: April 1, 2011
Source: I Read Banned Books ARC Tour
Summary: (from www.mementonora.com) Nora, the popular girl and happy consumer, witnesses a horrific bombing on a shopping trip with her mother. In Nora’s near-future world, terrorism is so commonplace that she can pop one little white pill to forget and go on like nothing ever happened. However, when Nora makes her first trip to a Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic, she learns what her mother, a frequent forgetter, has been frequently forgetting. Nora secretly spits out the pill and holds on to her memories. The memory of the bombing as well as her mother’s secret and her budding awareness of the world outside her little clique make it increasingly difficult for Nora to cope. She turns to two new friends, each with their own reasons to remember, and together they share their experiences with their classmates through an underground comic. They soon learn, though, they can’t get away with remembering.
First impressions: This book is under 200 pages, so it doesn't waste any time getting moving. The opening scene is quite haunting and really sets the stage for the events to come.
Lasting impressions: I'm having a really hard time deciding exactly how I feel about this book. I think the length kept me from truly connecting with the material, if only because it was such a quick read.
Conflicting impressions: To me, this was really Nora, her mother, and Micah's story. I would have enjoyed seeing the third perspective of this book told through Nora's mom and not Winter, to whom I felt significantly less connected.
Overall impressions: I really loved the idea of this world, with a society of people who have been trained to forget. How many of us would like to cut our bad experiences from our memories? I think some more backstory could have helped me fully understand how things got to this point, but I still bought into it quite easily.
The pacing really keeps things moving. Smibert is direct while still being mysterious, and it serves the dystopian theme well. Though Nora no longer takes pills to forget what is happening around her, she can only watch in horror as others around her experience painful things only to never remember they happened at all. It's a terrifying notion, and on this point Smibert really delivers.
There is a love story between Nora and Micah, but I felt the exploration of Nora's relationships with her parents was much more touching. Smibert beautifully captures those moments when you start to see your parents from an adult perspective. Watching how Nora handles those moments is truly compelling.
A great dystopian read, and I'm looking forward to the sequel!
Rating: 4/5 stars
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But wait! There's more! Angie Smibert was kind enough to do a short, fun This or That interview for me.
Who would win in a fight:
Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte? Austen.
Stephen King or Dean Koontz? King.
Dan Brown or Robert Ludlow?Brown.
J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer? Rowling.
Lauren Conrad or Snookie? Snookie.
Which would you rather read:
Newsweek or Time? Time.
Genre or literary fiction? Genre.
The New York Times or The Guardian? NYT.
Poem or sonnet? Poem.
Ebook or paper? Paper.
Do you prefer to eat/drink:
Cupcakes or cake? Cupcakes.
Bacon or sausage? Bacon.
Coffee or tea? Tea.
Sweet or salty? Both.
Beer or wine? Wine.
When you write, do you prefer:
Quiet or noisy? Quiet, but with noise way in the background.
Computer or pen and paper? Both. First pen and paper, then computer.
Outlines or notecards? Outlines.
At home or in public? Home, but sometimes I go to a coffeeshop.
Pronto or procrastination? Pronto. Most of the time.
When you read, do you prefer:
Savoring or speeding through? Savoring.
Chair or bed? Comfy Chair.
Dog-ear or bookmark? Bookmark--but it's usually just a scrap of paper.
Long or short? Either as long as it's good.
Hardcover or paperback? Hardcover, but depends on the book.
Love is:
A battlefield or a many splendored thing? A many splendored battlefield.
Dreamy or complicated? Complicated.
Slow and steady or fast and fleeting? Slow.
Calm or turbulent? I prefer calm but doesn't always work that way.
Uplifting or frustrating? Frustrating.
Which is cuter:
Pandas or koalas? Both.
Babies in costumes or dogs in costumes? Babies.
Puppies or kittens? Both, but since I have a kitten in my lap as I type, I'll say kittens.
Gizmo or E.T.? E.T.
Stitch (from Lilo & Stitch) or Toothless (from How to Train Your Dragon)? Neither.
Which team do you support (for whichever of these books you’ve read):
Team Stefan or Team Damon? (Vampire Diaries) Damon.
Team Edward or Team Jacob? (Twilight) Jacob.
Team Peeta or Team Gale? (Hunger Games) Gale.
Team Bill or Team Eric? (Sookie Stackhouse) Eric.
Thank you for being with us today Angie and congratulations on the upcoming release of Memento Nora!
9 comments:
enjoyed reading thru your blog. shall return, new follower. check me out when you can.
I didn't realize this book was so short! That makes it a lot more appealing to me. I also like the dystopian aspect here. I can believe it, whereas so many scenarios popping up in dystopians now don't seem all that likely to me.
LOVED this book! I am so excited for it to come out! Great fun, interview, too, Logan!
Ohhh, this sounds really good! Sometimes I prefer smaller reads for the quick zap.
FY Eric Northman!
OMG! Super fun interview (and Logan, I used the OMG just to annoy you cuz I'm a good friend like that)! I wouldn't be able to pick between pandas or koalas either.
I've gotta say, I didn't know what to expect from Memento Nora, but something about it sounds similar to Matched (which I loved), with the taking pills to forget and the exploration of family. Looking forward to checking it out.
Sadly I havent heard of this but seems to go a long with my current obsession in dystopias! Thanks for the post! and love the interview
It's hard to find anything better then a great banned book to read. A good read plus defiance makes this Mad Scientist a happy Scientist!
Thanks for missing me! *hugs*
Mad Scientist
http://madsteampunkery.blogspot.com
Love the interview questions and responses-- such a unique way to get to know Angie a little better. (And yes to Team Eric!)
I'm looking forward to this book because the idea of wiping away memories really grabs me. And, um, it also creeps me out! Sounds like a perfect dystopian.
I think this one may be a bit too short for my tastes. I really actually love longer reads when you get emerged in a story... on the other hand, shorter reads means more reviews on the blog. You know, I probably will check this one out, if only because I like the concept and I like what you had to say in favour of this book in your review.
Love the interview! I love the lightning-style questions. Very quick and yet still interesting.
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