Memory, Memory, Go Away
Twisted motives related to personal vengeance run beneath a supposedly therapeutic program in the musing thriller Memory, Memory, Go Away.
Christopher W. Selna’s psychological thriller Memory, Memory, Go Away centers a procedure for eliminating trauma by manipulating memory.
A Seattle journalist, Malcolm, is chosen to interview Addison, the messianic figure behind the therapeutic program Memory, Memory, Go Away, on the eve of its merger with the federal government. The merger is meant to stop the suicide and opioid epidemic caused by pharmaceutical companies. But church officials are opposed to Addison’s work, and they incite a controversy, leading to riots the day of the merger. The public interview botched, Addison shares patients’ stories in a private setting with Malcolm, as well as his own story, which intersects with Malcolm’s.
After the book’s prologue, which focuses on a breakup that led to a murderous rampage and that promises to elucidate what went wrong and how it was fixed, the book jumps into the action of merger day in Seattle. What was meant to be Malcolm’s day off takes an abrupt turn when he’s summoned to work without warning. Already conflict arises, first between him and his family whose day-off plans he disappoints. During Malcolm’s trip downtown, he witnesses the increasing unrest. His fight-or-flight decisions deciding which subway stop to use and navigating crowds build tension that sets the stage for the drama to follow.
The book’s beginning sequences are covered in deft prose, and their emotional punch matches their frenzied settings. However, the subsequent chapters, which are set in cars, homes, and labs, are less involving. Their emotions are restricted to people’s inward thoughts and conversations and to instances of exposition.
The discrete stories of Addison’s patients are shared at a driving pace, though there are also redundancies: All of the patients are bent on eliminating their debilitating feelings, and the program exploits their desperation. It is revealed that both the extraction and the storage of memories are part of the program’s master plan, and Addison enjoys impunity over his clients and with the law. Some patients’ stories connect the program to church officials and the pharmaceutical industry. Further, as the novel continues, the patients’ storylines give way to the protracted interview; the patients themselves are rendered mere foils. Anger and depression are all of their dominant traits; their stories bleed together. In addition, the women’s characterizations are reductive, focusing too much on their beauty or lack thereof.
Addison’s and Malcolm’s stories are more distinctive. Still, the revelation of twisted motives related to personal vengeance running beneath the program compromise the book’s throughline, as do its instances of monologuing. And secrets and lies play an oversized part in the story. Malcolm is told to avoid extemporaneous questions in his interview. Still, revelations come, including about pharmaceutical industry lies about the addictiveness of their drugs and gaslighting from religious officials. People’s delusions and fears of espionage, though, complicate the credibility of the narrative on the whole. Emotions are warped because of the drugs, and happiness remains elusive. The vast conspiracy that undergirds all is horrifying, but ultimate satisfaction proves elusive.
A miracle procedure built on a revenge plot leads to nightmarish situations in the psychological thriller Memory, Memory, Go Away.
Reviewed by
Mari Carlson
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
