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The Memory Tree
2084: In a post-apocalyptic world controlled by UniCorp, where the memory of the "genetically inferior" has been chemically tampered with, Alowa escapes her captivity as a dispenser. She is sheltered in the reservation where dangers abound and her fears grow that she might be an "immigrant" - a bioengineered facsimile of a human being. She is told a boy called Solstice has her memories and she will have to enter History to find him.
1943: Max's family have been deported from England to Italy when Mussolini declares war on Great Britain. Max has Italian lessons with a Jewish woman and falls in love with her daughter. Then the Nazis arrive in the sleepy fishing village.
1890: Weayaya, living on the Standing Rock reservation, dances the ghost dance. Then Sitting Bull is killed and she and her young son are among the Lakota fleeing towards Wounded Knee.
The Memory Tree: four interlocking narratives which forge a thrilling path through time and heritage.
1943: Max's family have been deported from England to Italy when Mussolini declares war on Great Britain. Max has Italian lessons with a Jewish woman and falls in love with her daughter. Then the Nazis arrive in the sleepy fishing village.
1890: Weayaya, living on the Standing Rock reservation, dances the ghost dance. Then Sitting Bull is killed and she and her young son are among the Lakota fleeing towards Wounded Knee.
The Memory Tree: four interlocking narratives which forge a thrilling path through time and heritage.
276 pages, ebook
First published March 30, 2017
About the author
Glenn Haybittle
10 books76 followersLondon - Lerici - Florence.
Represented by Annabel Merullo at PFD.
The Way Back to Florence is my first novel.
Represented by Annabel Merullo at PFD.
The Way Back to Florence is my first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 1, 2017
"Tell me what it was like working for The Black Snake".
"The Black Snake?"
"UniCop. It's what we call them here in the reservation. They fucked up the whole world. They are a freemasonry of the rich and powerful. A complicit and elite minority
of greedy power-crazed executives. For decades they sponsored and organized terrorism and hazardous environmental projects that caused catastrophic natural disasters. And when they had whipped up enough fear and division and poverty they took over. One by one sovereign countries were replaced by militarized authoritarian states. All run by UniCorp. And that what we have now. The ethos of UniCorp is short term gain at the expense of long term consequence. Short term memory at the expense of any kind a detailed overview. Obviously they've erased your memory. I'm curious to know what it's like to be on the inside".
"Alowa has no idea what he's talking about. THE THINGS I HAVE THOUGHT. GONE.
THE THINGS I HAVE SEEN. GONE. THE THINGS I HAVE DONE. GONE. Her ignorance leaves her without a voice".
"That was their weapon. Ignorance".
Glenn Haybittle, author of "Way Back to Florence", one of my FAVORITE BOOKS has gone a little cuckoo with "The Memory Tree"
Science Fiction is a stretch for my mind - always is. I'm a little 'cuckoo', too,....for thinking I'd be a perfect match for "The Memory Tree".
I'm going to be gut honest here. I wanted to read this book because I kinda fell in love with author Glenn Haybittle. I melted over "Way Back to Florence". Loved it!!
This was harder for me to understand- but damn- I've such respect and thankfulness to this author - I just had to work a little harder.
To be honest - what stands out 'most' for me are the AWESOME DESCRIPTIONS- but I had NO IDEA WHERE THE BOOK WAS GOING. I wasn't sure how to contain my thoughts. There is a lot going on - I found it best just to keep reading and role with the ride as I read about:
swimming with Sharks - wagon trains - dancing with fiddles, banjos, and harmonicas, dancing girls, lions, a woman with beaded hair and bright painted clothes, smoke, fire, dance, friends and enemies, an Indian tribe, bare-chested old man wearing buffalo horns, panic in bodies, peyote dreaming medicine, eagle feathers, ghost shirts and ghost dance, the Elephant Mother, birds, spiders, ponies, decorated tepees with animal symbols, a sweat lodge, nakedness, 'teachings' from dreams about death, how to be a warrior, and salvation.....
etc. etc. etc. ITS A WHOLE NEW WORLD... in 2084!
A boy name Solstice not only has Alowa's memories - but he has his own troubles. He is having trouble formulating thought. He feels like a "weightless ball hurtling through eternity". - Why? Solstice is being controlled by a terrorist group.
and meanwhile Alowa was trying to figure out who she was and how to live in a new world....and trying to figure out who to trust.
Alowa had the feeling that she was not inside her body but rather hiding somewhere out in stillness all around her. MY GOD.... now I can relate!!!
At some point - when reading this nutty -story ... I put myself in nature with different elements: water, earth, fire, and air. I've had the experience of not being inside my physical body. No wonder Alowa had such a hard time 'feeling' her feet when she first escapes the glass dome - then has to swim into her new life.
Is it possible there is a message here in this book about us not being who we think we are? And worse yet - we haven't a clue about how we are being controlled by leaders of our world? If we have been captured by our own memories - what other trees in our community have captured us? - Just some thoughts which started to bounce around in my thinking.
Why would the literary gifted author dedicate his time with whimsical chaos - letting his wild imagination flow onto the page 'without' a purpose? I'm pretty clear he did had a purpose. I was raking my brain trying to understand Glenn Haybittle's message. Clearly the descriptions alone are wildly outrageous- fun once you 'get-in-the-mood'....
which I did after some shit news about the bomb threat at my Jewish Community Center yesterday --- but I hope I didn't fail in understanding Haybittle's bigger messages. I honestly enjoyed it at the level I did....taking longer to read it than most books this length.
I've taken away some special memories! ..... Like I was in a dream.....being dreamed by someone else.
Thank You Netgalley, Cheyne Walk, and Glenn Haybittle
"The Black Snake?"
"UniCop. It's what we call them here in the reservation. They fucked up the whole world. They are a freemasonry of the rich and powerful. A complicit and elite minority
of greedy power-crazed executives. For decades they sponsored and organized terrorism and hazardous environmental projects that caused catastrophic natural disasters. And when they had whipped up enough fear and division and poverty they took over. One by one sovereign countries were replaced by militarized authoritarian states. All run by UniCorp. And that what we have now. The ethos of UniCorp is short term gain at the expense of long term consequence. Short term memory at the expense of any kind a detailed overview. Obviously they've erased your memory. I'm curious to know what it's like to be on the inside".
"Alowa has no idea what he's talking about. THE THINGS I HAVE THOUGHT. GONE.
THE THINGS I HAVE SEEN. GONE. THE THINGS I HAVE DONE. GONE. Her ignorance leaves her without a voice".
"That was their weapon. Ignorance".
Glenn Haybittle, author of "Way Back to Florence", one of my FAVORITE BOOKS has gone a little cuckoo with "The Memory Tree"
Science Fiction is a stretch for my mind - always is. I'm a little 'cuckoo', too,....for thinking I'd be a perfect match for "The Memory Tree".
I'm going to be gut honest here. I wanted to read this book because I kinda fell in love with author Glenn Haybittle. I melted over "Way Back to Florence". Loved it!!
This was harder for me to understand- but damn- I've such respect and thankfulness to this author - I just had to work a little harder.
To be honest - what stands out 'most' for me are the AWESOME DESCRIPTIONS- but I had NO IDEA WHERE THE BOOK WAS GOING. I wasn't sure how to contain my thoughts. There is a lot going on - I found it best just to keep reading and role with the ride as I read about:
swimming with Sharks - wagon trains - dancing with fiddles, banjos, and harmonicas, dancing girls, lions, a woman with beaded hair and bright painted clothes, smoke, fire, dance, friends and enemies, an Indian tribe, bare-chested old man wearing buffalo horns, panic in bodies, peyote dreaming medicine, eagle feathers, ghost shirts and ghost dance, the Elephant Mother, birds, spiders, ponies, decorated tepees with animal symbols, a sweat lodge, nakedness, 'teachings' from dreams about death, how to be a warrior, and salvation.....
etc. etc. etc. ITS A WHOLE NEW WORLD... in 2084!
A boy name Solstice not only has Alowa's memories - but he has his own troubles. He is having trouble formulating thought. He feels like a "weightless ball hurtling through eternity". - Why? Solstice is being controlled by a terrorist group.
and meanwhile Alowa was trying to figure out who she was and how to live in a new world....and trying to figure out who to trust.
Alowa had the feeling that she was not inside her body but rather hiding somewhere out in stillness all around her. MY GOD.... now I can relate!!!
At some point - when reading this nutty -story ... I put myself in nature with different elements: water, earth, fire, and air. I've had the experience of not being inside my physical body. No wonder Alowa had such a hard time 'feeling' her feet when she first escapes the glass dome - then has to swim into her new life.
Is it possible there is a message here in this book about us not being who we think we are? And worse yet - we haven't a clue about how we are being controlled by leaders of our world? If we have been captured by our own memories - what other trees in our community have captured us? - Just some thoughts which started to bounce around in my thinking.
Why would the literary gifted author dedicate his time with whimsical chaos - letting his wild imagination flow onto the page 'without' a purpose? I'm pretty clear he did had a purpose. I was raking my brain trying to understand Glenn Haybittle's message. Clearly the descriptions alone are wildly outrageous- fun once you 'get-in-the-mood'....
which I did after some shit news about the bomb threat at my Jewish Community Center yesterday --- but I hope I didn't fail in understanding Haybittle's bigger messages. I honestly enjoyed it at the level I did....taking longer to read it than most books this length.
I've taken away some special memories! ..... Like I was in a dream.....being dreamed by someone else.
Thank You Netgalley, Cheyne Walk, and Glenn Haybittle
March 2, 2017
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.
In which our worst nightmares about the end game of the Trump administration are realised! It’s 2084 and the world is controlled by UniCorp – “a complicit elite of greedy power-crazed executives. For decades they sponsored and organised terrorism and hazardous environmental projects that caused catastrophic natural disasters. And when they had whipped up enough fear and division and poverty they took over. One by one sovereign countries were replaced by militarised authoritarian states. All run by UniCorp.”
The novel begins with Alowa. Alowa has no long term memory. She keeps returning to one mysterious image she possesses of a boy dancing in smoke. She fears she might be an “immigrant”– slang in the novel for “a bioengineered facsimile of a human being, an individual whose neuropaths are plotted by computer chips.” When she escapes from her life in an “executive dome” as a “dispenser” she meets a mysterious old man who seems to know much more about her than she knows about herself. She is told the boy she sees dancing in the smoke is called Solstice and he has her memories and she will have to enter History to find him. History is a game the entitled have masterminded for entertainment. The edition of History Alowa enters is a recreation of the wild west. She is part of a wagon train, heading towards hostile Indian country. Rumour has it that these Indians, the Sa’i Tor Shyela tribe, are all immigrants. Solstice meanwhile is being managed by a terrorist organisation who might well be a tool of the government. He is haunted by his memories of Alowa. “Every night I build a fire for you, Alowa. Every night I dance on the rooftop for you. Look at the flames, Alowa. Aren’t they beautiful? Look at the smoke. I’m dancing in the smoke, Alowa.”
Part two is set in contemporary London and Italy and we are slowly fed clues as to how it relates to the dystopian world of part one. I loved this part, a moving story of a woman whose husband is betraying her, who is suffering panic attacks and whose child is being bullied at school. She will take her son with her to Italy to discover more about her family tree. Part three is set in Italy during WW2 and here the character who is perhaps the beating heart of the novel appears. It’s the story of a Jewish family who live in an Italian fishing village. Part four (the shortest) is set at Wounded Knee in 1890. A poetic account of the massacre. For the denouement we return to 2084.
The Memory Tree is the most imaginatively mischievous and playful novel I’ve read for some while. There’s so much going on that it’s bound to alienate some readers - there’s conspiracy theory, sorcery, artificial intelligence, American Indians, the German SS, two attempted genocides, lions, elephants and sharks. You could say, now and again, it’s almost too imaginative for its own good. However it’s extremely well written and fast paced and I enjoyed its imaginative exuberance. I noticed a few misgivings about the ending but I liked it. Alowa and Solstice discover who they are and accept their heritage and responsibility. Essentially it’s a novel about heritage - with warnings about how we are treating the planet and our fellow human beings. As one character says, “If there is one thing in life that is fated it is our birth, that far-fetched conspiracy of circumstances which have to occur in order for us to get born.”
In which our worst nightmares about the end game of the Trump administration are realised! It’s 2084 and the world is controlled by UniCorp – “a complicit elite of greedy power-crazed executives. For decades they sponsored and organised terrorism and hazardous environmental projects that caused catastrophic natural disasters. And when they had whipped up enough fear and division and poverty they took over. One by one sovereign countries were replaced by militarised authoritarian states. All run by UniCorp.”
The novel begins with Alowa. Alowa has no long term memory. She keeps returning to one mysterious image she possesses of a boy dancing in smoke. She fears she might be an “immigrant”– slang in the novel for “a bioengineered facsimile of a human being, an individual whose neuropaths are plotted by computer chips.” When she escapes from her life in an “executive dome” as a “dispenser” she meets a mysterious old man who seems to know much more about her than she knows about herself. She is told the boy she sees dancing in the smoke is called Solstice and he has her memories and she will have to enter History to find him. History is a game the entitled have masterminded for entertainment. The edition of History Alowa enters is a recreation of the wild west. She is part of a wagon train, heading towards hostile Indian country. Rumour has it that these Indians, the Sa’i Tor Shyela tribe, are all immigrants. Solstice meanwhile is being managed by a terrorist organisation who might well be a tool of the government. He is haunted by his memories of Alowa. “Every night I build a fire for you, Alowa. Every night I dance on the rooftop for you. Look at the flames, Alowa. Aren’t they beautiful? Look at the smoke. I’m dancing in the smoke, Alowa.”
Part two is set in contemporary London and Italy and we are slowly fed clues as to how it relates to the dystopian world of part one. I loved this part, a moving story of a woman whose husband is betraying her, who is suffering panic attacks and whose child is being bullied at school. She will take her son with her to Italy to discover more about her family tree. Part three is set in Italy during WW2 and here the character who is perhaps the beating heart of the novel appears. It’s the story of a Jewish family who live in an Italian fishing village. Part four (the shortest) is set at Wounded Knee in 1890. A poetic account of the massacre. For the denouement we return to 2084.
The Memory Tree is the most imaginatively mischievous and playful novel I’ve read for some while. There’s so much going on that it’s bound to alienate some readers - there’s conspiracy theory, sorcery, artificial intelligence, American Indians, the German SS, two attempted genocides, lions, elephants and sharks. You could say, now and again, it’s almost too imaginative for its own good. However it’s extremely well written and fast paced and I enjoyed its imaginative exuberance. I noticed a few misgivings about the ending but I liked it. Alowa and Solstice discover who they are and accept their heritage and responsibility. Essentially it’s a novel about heritage - with warnings about how we are treating the planet and our fellow human beings. As one character says, “If there is one thing in life that is fated it is our birth, that far-fetched conspiracy of circumstances which have to occur in order for us to get born.”
March 30, 2017
!! NOW AVAILABLE !!
Part One begins in the year 2084. A post-apocalyptic world, overseen by UniCorp, a conglomeration of the most powerful corporations. There’s a sense of absolute control, a sense of sameness that permeates everything, only harmony without discord. They must follow the ideals of the sacred Unity pledge of obedience. And then, of course, there are those who are in charge, who create the rules.
Alowa is without any memories. An incident occurs and in the process she is no longer inside the tightly controlled sphere of UniCorp, and has to learn to fend for herself. She knows only that she needs to find a boy named Solstice who is holding her memories for her, but first she will have to enter History to retrieve them.
The things I have thought. Gone. The things I have seen. Gone. The things I have done. Gone. My face in the glass.
Part Two begins in the year 2010, delving into history, at the funeral of young Felix’s grandfather, and Felix’s mother, Zinnia. After the funeral, going through old memorabilia, Zinnia comes across some of older photographs, a young woman, her father’s mother in a fine summer dress, another - a young man astride a bicycle, a marble statue behind him. On the back in faded ink is written Max, Lerici, 1942. She recognizes the image of her grandmother, Ada, but neither Zinnia nor her mother recognizes the young man. Within a year, the Nazis will arrive in the village when they were forced to move, leaving England for this sleepy little village when Mussolini declared war on Great Britain.
Another time, another era, this time the 1890s at Standing Rock reservation the stories follow the time after Sitting Bull has been killed and the Lakota have tried to flee. The ghost dance, and the ghost dance shirt are both factors that lead back and connect this era to the 1940s, to present day and beyond to 2084.
There were parts where I could visualize the story, the people, and there were a few parts where I felt where the story felt a bit too disconnected to me, too jumbled. Overall, I enjoyed this very imaginative glimpse into one possible version of the future. I genuinely appreciated getting to know the characters, their personal connections to other generations and their individual stories through different eras. Overall, when I was finished, things came together tightening the connections – perhaps a bit too quickly and a lot too late, but while reading it I found it to be too disjointed.
Our past, our great-grandparents past is part of our today, part of our tomorrows. Our memories connect us to our past, and if we’re lucky, our parents stories, our grandparents stories connect us to their past. Like an endless chain, today becomes tomorrow. Today affects what tomorrow becomes.
Memories. We like to believe we will hold onto ours forever, will have them forever, but for every experience there is a new memory crowding out some older, or less significant one. I’d like to believe that collectively we remember things, including historical moments, which should never be forgotten. I’d like to believe we’ve learned to be more tolerant, respectful, and humble. Kind.
Pub Date: 30 Mar 2017
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Cheyne Walk
Part One begins in the year 2084. A post-apocalyptic world, overseen by UniCorp, a conglomeration of the most powerful corporations. There’s a sense of absolute control, a sense of sameness that permeates everything, only harmony without discord. They must follow the ideals of the sacred Unity pledge of obedience. And then, of course, there are those who are in charge, who create the rules.
Alowa is without any memories. An incident occurs and in the process she is no longer inside the tightly controlled sphere of UniCorp, and has to learn to fend for herself. She knows only that she needs to find a boy named Solstice who is holding her memories for her, but first she will have to enter History to retrieve them.
The things I have thought. Gone. The things I have seen. Gone. The things I have done. Gone. My face in the glass.
Part Two begins in the year 2010, delving into history, at the funeral of young Felix’s grandfather, and Felix’s mother, Zinnia. After the funeral, going through old memorabilia, Zinnia comes across some of older photographs, a young woman, her father’s mother in a fine summer dress, another - a young man astride a bicycle, a marble statue behind him. On the back in faded ink is written Max, Lerici, 1942. She recognizes the image of her grandmother, Ada, but neither Zinnia nor her mother recognizes the young man. Within a year, the Nazis will arrive in the village when they were forced to move, leaving England for this sleepy little village when Mussolini declared war on Great Britain.
Another time, another era, this time the 1890s at Standing Rock reservation the stories follow the time after Sitting Bull has been killed and the Lakota have tried to flee. The ghost dance, and the ghost dance shirt are both factors that lead back and connect this era to the 1940s, to present day and beyond to 2084.
There were parts where I could visualize the story, the people, and there were a few parts where I felt where the story felt a bit too disconnected to me, too jumbled. Overall, I enjoyed this very imaginative glimpse into one possible version of the future. I genuinely appreciated getting to know the characters, their personal connections to other generations and their individual stories through different eras. Overall, when I was finished, things came together tightening the connections – perhaps a bit too quickly and a lot too late, but while reading it I found it to be too disjointed.
Our past, our great-grandparents past is part of our today, part of our tomorrows. Our memories connect us to our past, and if we’re lucky, our parents stories, our grandparents stories connect us to their past. Like an endless chain, today becomes tomorrow. Today affects what tomorrow becomes.
Memories. We like to believe we will hold onto ours forever, will have them forever, but for every experience there is a new memory crowding out some older, or less significant one. I’d like to believe that collectively we remember things, including historical moments, which should never be forgotten. I’d like to believe we’ve learned to be more tolerant, respectful, and humble. Kind.
Pub Date: 30 Mar 2017
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Cheyne Walk
March 29, 2017
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.
The Memory Tree has four timelines and narratives. All of them connecting to each other through memory or first nations spiritual rituals. Part one starts with Alowa not remembering anything from her past.
The only thing she remembers is a boy’s voice in his head asking her to look at the flames and sees him. She escapes UNICorp and meets Janitor a mysterious old man who knows her. With the help of him she starts to dream and knows about Solstice, the boy she hears. It’s kind of a spiritual journey for Alowa and Solstice.
Part two is nowadays world in London. Zinnia has lost his father and her son Felix is being bullied in the school. She also fears that her husband is cheating on her. To run away from all misery she decided to have a trip to Italy to also knows more about her roots having a Jewish grandmother who herself is a daughter of a Indian. The only guide she has is a man named Max. She is trying to find him.
Part three is from view of Max. How he fell in love with Ada the Jewish girl, and how he was twisted into games of Nazis.
The final part is about ghost dance, people who have been killed and those who tried to flee. It connects all three previous parts and gives a clean ending to the book.
I found this book imaginative and liked it. It not an easy read though. Don’t get it to read it on a beach. It’s more like to be read in a quiet place absorbing it.
It’s in our dreams that we pull people towards us.
The Memory Tree has four timelines and narratives. All of them connecting to each other through memory or first nations spiritual rituals. Part one starts with Alowa not remembering anything from her past.
Look how beautiful the flames are, Alowa. Look how beautiful my naked body is, Alowa. Are you looking at my naked body? I’m dancing towards you.
The only thing she remembers is a boy’s voice in his head asking her to look at the flames and sees him. She escapes UNICorp and meets Janitor a mysterious old man who knows her. With the help of him she starts to dream and knows about Solstice, the boy she hears. It’s kind of a spiritual journey for Alowa and Solstice.
Part two is nowadays world in London. Zinnia has lost his father and her son Felix is being bullied in the school. She also fears that her husband is cheating on her. To run away from all misery she decided to have a trip to Italy to also knows more about her roots having a Jewish grandmother who herself is a daughter of a Indian. The only guide she has is a man named Max. She is trying to find him.
Part three is from view of Max. How he fell in love with Ada the Jewish girl, and how he was twisted into games of Nazis.
The final part is about ghost dance, people who have been killed and those who tried to flee. It connects all three previous parts and gives a clean ending to the book.
I found this book imaginative and liked it. It not an easy read though. Don’t get it to read it on a beach. It’s more like to be read in a quiet place absorbing it.
February 10, 2017
“Look how beautiful the flames are, Alowa. Look how beautiful my naked body is, Alowa. Are you looking at my naked body? I’m dancing towards you.”
This is the only memory Alowa has of Solstice. Alowa is a slave worker for UniCorp, the corporation that exercises a totalitarian rule over the world – it’s 2084. Her memory has been erased. She escapes her workplace and meets an old man who tells her Solstice has her memories and she needs to find him. This has to be achieved in the post-apocalyptic world of the reservation and then the crazy and perilous world of History. Her prevailing fear, and a nod to the film Bladerunner, is that she might be an “immigrant” – a slave clone engineered by UniCorp.
The Memory Tree consists of four interlocking timelines and narratives. One of the links connecting these narratives is a ghost shirt -
The longest narrative by far is a dystopian story. The other three narratives set in present day London and Italy, WW2 Italy and the USA in 1890 add clues to what is going on in this futuristic scenario. The author has a lot of fun playing around with conspiracy theories. But at heart reminds us how crucial memory is if we’re not to repeat the prejudices and shirking of responsibility of the past. My only complaint was it ended a bit too soon. I would have liked another three or so chapters. Definitely recommended.
Thanks to the publisher Cheyne Walk for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is the only memory Alowa has of Solstice. Alowa is a slave worker for UniCorp, the corporation that exercises a totalitarian rule over the world – it’s 2084. Her memory has been erased. She escapes her workplace and meets an old man who tells her Solstice has her memories and she needs to find him. This has to be achieved in the post-apocalyptic world of the reservation and then the crazy and perilous world of History. Her prevailing fear, and a nod to the film Bladerunner, is that she might be an “immigrant” – a slave clone engineered by UniCorp.
The Memory Tree consists of four interlocking timelines and narratives. One of the links connecting these narratives is a ghost shirt -
The longest narrative by far is a dystopian story. The other three narratives set in present day London and Italy, WW2 Italy and the USA in 1890 add clues to what is going on in this futuristic scenario. The author has a lot of fun playing around with conspiracy theories. But at heart reminds us how crucial memory is if we’re not to repeat the prejudices and shirking of responsibility of the past. My only complaint was it ended a bit too soon. I would have liked another three or so chapters. Definitely recommended. Thanks to the publisher Cheyne Walk for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
March 23, 2017
Every once in awhile one has the truly delightful pleasure of reading an author that confirms the belief that really good writing makes any story far grander, more enjoyable, and demonstrably head and shoulders above the vast majority of other novels. Glenn Haybittle’s new novel, “The Memory Tree” explicitly fits in this category. What a joy to read! HIs use of language, his wonderfully evocative descriptions of interior thoughts and exterior landscapes is just so delightful I can’t say enough about how much I look forward to reading his next book. I did have a few misgivings, slight as they are. The shift in character perspective in the different sections of the book was sometimes disappointing. The very high quality of the writing in the first section, Part One 2084, and the delightful characters Lady Lydia and son Hugh in chapter 13, Part Two, made any small concerns I had for the rest of the book minimally significant. The ending is a bit abrupt, but I can’t help but think it is a lead into a second book. I can only hope so.
August 2, 2020
The author writes with such imaginative prose and wonderful description. I was there right with Alowa feeling red mud painted on my feet, pebbles between my toes, and a spider crawling around my ankles. Beautiful imagery as we the reader try to piece together exactly what is happening in the narrative. It’s meant to be very disjointed, with only bits of concrete information offered. There is the sense of a dystopian world we assume to still be Earth as Alowa and Solstice struggle to find answers through periods of consciousness and sleep.
My favorite part was when the narrative switched over to present day in the second section and became more clear. Zinnia and her son Felix, who is being bullied, were compelling characters and we follow them backwards in time as they connect to characters in other timelines.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.
My favorite part was when the narrative switched over to present day in the second section and became more clear. Zinnia and her son Felix, who is being bullied, were compelling characters and we follow them backwards in time as they connect to characters in other timelines.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.
Shelved as 'dnf-shelf-of-shame'
September 1, 2020How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
DNF @ 18%
Not enough worldbuilding, not enough description. There is only telling and not showing, and the telling isn't sufficient either. It seems as though the author had a good picture of the world they were writing, but forgot to tell us about most of it.
But that's not the problem. I stopped reading at the part where a guy wonders if a woman is an android, and to prove she is not, she strips bare (outside..?) and puts his (actually dirty) hand between her legs to show it's not plastic. (Before that, she blindfolded him with her panties. Just because, you know. To obscure where they were going.)
YEP. Done reading. Thanks, but no thanks.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
DNF @ 18%
Not enough worldbuilding, not enough description. There is only telling and not showing, and the telling isn't sufficient either. It seems as though the author had a good picture of the world they were writing, but forgot to tell us about most of it.
But that's not the problem. I stopped reading at the part where a guy wonders if a woman is an android, and to prove she is not, she strips bare (outside..?) and puts his (actually dirty) hand between her legs to show it's not plastic. (Before that, she blindfolded him with her panties. Just because, you know. To obscure where they were going.)
YEP. Done reading. Thanks, but no thanks.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
March 3, 2017
“Every night I build a fire for you, Alowa. Every night I dance on the rooftop for you. Look at the flames, Alowa. Aren’t they beautiful? Look at the smoke. I’m dancing in the smoke, Alowa.”
The author has lots of fun with conspiracy theory. Most conspiracy theories are whacky and the author permeates the narrative with implausible scenarios, often employing sorcery as a device. I think, essentially, he was showing the links between personal and collective memory – how patterns repeat themselves and, by focusing on two acts of genocide (Wounded Knee and WW2), he’s giving us a warning about what’s happening politically in the western world at the moment. That perhaps some conspiracy theories aren’t quite as nutty as we think. He does a good job of sustaining tension and curiosity. However, I think ultimately there was too much going on in this novel and it eluded his command to tie everything up satisfactorily. But four stars for its vitality, imagination, mischief and the quality of the writing.
The author has lots of fun with conspiracy theory. Most conspiracy theories are whacky and the author permeates the narrative with implausible scenarios, often employing sorcery as a device. I think, essentially, he was showing the links between personal and collective memory – how patterns repeat themselves and, by focusing on two acts of genocide (Wounded Knee and WW2), he’s giving us a warning about what’s happening politically in the western world at the moment. That perhaps some conspiracy theories aren’t quite as nutty as we think. He does a good job of sustaining tension and curiosity. However, I think ultimately there was too much going on in this novel and it eluded his command to tie everything up satisfactorily. But four stars for its vitality, imagination, mischief and the quality of the writing.
February 15, 2017
Begins in 2084 - a world reminiscent of the film Bladerunner - where two characters, Alowa and Solstice are separated but share a mysterious bond. They need to find each other again to complete the knowledge they have stored in their memories – there’s the suspicion both are androids.
The part I enjoyed most was the modern section (Part Two) – centring on a woman whose husband is betraying her and her young son is being bullied at school. When her father dies she becomes keen to learn more about her family history. This takes her to Italy where, in Part Three, we learn about the plight of a Jewish family hunted by the Gestapo.
For such a short book there’s heaps of things going on here. Lovely imaginative and frisky storytelling. That said I preferred the author's last book - The Way Back to Florence
The part I enjoyed most was the modern section (Part Two) – centring on a woman whose husband is betraying her and her young son is being bullied at school. When her father dies she becomes keen to learn more about her family history. This takes her to Italy where, in Part Three, we learn about the plight of a Jewish family hunted by the Gestapo.
For such a short book there’s heaps of things going on here. Lovely imaginative and frisky storytelling. That said I preferred the author's last book - The Way Back to Florence
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July 15, 2017
2048: Alowa searches for a boy called Solstice and her lost memories. 2010: Zinnia travels to Italy to uncover her family's past. 1945: Max falls in love with a Jewish girl as the Nazis invade. 1890: Weayaya dances the ghost dance to save her son's life. Four narratives, one path through time and heritage.
As soon as I had read the description of The Memory Tree, I knew that I had to read it! Interlocking narratives, set in different time periods, telling one story... Sounded like a match made in heaven!
The first part of the novel tells the story of Alowa and Solstice in 2048, and it's set in an post-apocalyptic world controlled by UniCorp. Taking up almost half of the novel, this part is both the longest, and hardest to get through. You have to work hard to get through it, as it's quite chaotic. This post-apocalyptic world is confusing, and there's little insight into the hows and whys of it- it just is. The narrative tumbles through the pages almost without purpose. The writing style is wild, outrageous and often whimsical. The descriptions are beautifully captivating, but also hard to follow. To be honest, I never really understood what the hell was going on; I just rolled with it. Perhaps I should have worked harder, but there's only so much you can do before you're pulled out of the narrative all together.
The second part, which tells the story of Zinnia and her son Felix, was more enjoyable. The whimsical writing style is still present, and it reads beautifully now that it's following a clear path. The characterisation of 10 year old Felix was perfectly executed, as was the one of Max, in part three. I dare you not to fall in love with these boys.
The narrative for Max's story is even better. Part three was probably my favourite out of all six, and the one with the biggest emotional resonance. My heart just kept breaking for Max, from the moment he is introduced, to long after his story has ended. The passage describing Max's possessions being searched and seized before he boards the ship to Italy will stay with me for a long time.
The final three parts really tie up the first three, providing details and insights that complete all four stories, and even shed some light into that chaotic first part. The ending is short and abrupt, and doesn't provide all the answers. The novel may end here, but it's clear the story doesn't. However, this works. A few more chapters would have felt unnecessary; you know what happens next, even if you're not told explicitly.
The Memory Tree is imaginative, well written and fast paced, but it won't be for everyone. If you're looking for an easy read, The Memory Tree is not for you. But if you're willing to put in the work, you'll find this a rewarding read.
This review was also posted at: The Bookworm Mummy
*I received this ARC free from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review*
As soon as I had read the description of The Memory Tree, I knew that I had to read it! Interlocking narratives, set in different time periods, telling one story... Sounded like a match made in heaven!
The first part of the novel tells the story of Alowa and Solstice in 2048, and it's set in an post-apocalyptic world controlled by UniCorp. Taking up almost half of the novel, this part is both the longest, and hardest to get through. You have to work hard to get through it, as it's quite chaotic. This post-apocalyptic world is confusing, and there's little insight into the hows and whys of it- it just is. The narrative tumbles through the pages almost without purpose. The writing style is wild, outrageous and often whimsical. The descriptions are beautifully captivating, but also hard to follow. To be honest, I never really understood what the hell was going on; I just rolled with it. Perhaps I should have worked harder, but there's only so much you can do before you're pulled out of the narrative all together.
The second part, which tells the story of Zinnia and her son Felix, was more enjoyable. The whimsical writing style is still present, and it reads beautifully now that it's following a clear path. The characterisation of 10 year old Felix was perfectly executed, as was the one of Max, in part three. I dare you not to fall in love with these boys.
The narrative for Max's story is even better. Part three was probably my favourite out of all six, and the one with the biggest emotional resonance. My heart just kept breaking for Max, from the moment he is introduced, to long after his story has ended. The passage describing Max's possessions being searched and seized before he boards the ship to Italy will stay with me for a long time.
The final three parts really tie up the first three, providing details and insights that complete all four stories, and even shed some light into that chaotic first part. The ending is short and abrupt, and doesn't provide all the answers. The novel may end here, but it's clear the story doesn't. However, this works. A few more chapters would have felt unnecessary; you know what happens next, even if you're not told explicitly.
The Memory Tree is imaginative, well written and fast paced, but it won't be for everyone. If you're looking for an easy read, The Memory Tree is not for you. But if you're willing to put in the work, you'll find this a rewarding read.
This review was also posted at: The Bookworm Mummy
*I received this ARC free from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review*
March 3, 2017
I admit that for the first 100 pages or so of The Memory Tree, I had no idea what was happening - and yet I couldn't stop reading. The prose was so rich and engaging, the character development outstanding - I cared about these people, whoever they were, whatever they were trying to do - that I was compelled to continue, sure that with the next turn of the page everything would be made clear. That said, around the halfway point, the veil became clearer, finally lifting, and culminating in a memorable volume of intertwined stories set in both future and past. I am looking forward to a reread someday in the near future.
September 22, 2018
I picked up this book because I enjoy looking into who we are as humans and the impact our memories have on us. Are they what makes us? what happens when they are lost, or changed?
The memory tree is a fast paced novel, of action and adventure. I enjoyed the alternating character points of view and time jumps. Though it usually took me a few minutes to change from one time to another.
I'm not usually a big fan of historical fiction but with fantasy/scifi elements thrown into the mix it turned out to be an intriguing novel.
The memory tree is a fast paced novel, of action and adventure. I enjoyed the alternating character points of view and time jumps. Though it usually took me a few minutes to change from one time to another.
I'm not usually a big fan of historical fiction but with fantasy/scifi elements thrown into the mix it turned out to be an intriguing novel.
February 2, 2018
DNF @25%, I started this book a handful of times and just couldn't get into it. Just not my cup of tea apparently.
**I got this for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review from NetGalley**
**I got this for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review from NetGalley**
October 13, 2023
Title: The Memory Tree
Author: Glenn Haybittle
Genre: Adult Science fiction
Format: eARC from Netgalley and Cheyne Walk
Series: NA
Star Rating: 2 stars
tw: blood, animal attack, drug addiction, sexual assault, animal abuse, drug use, cheating, murder, gun violence, bullying, holocaust horrors, torture, arrest, and false imprisonment
A special thank you goes to Netgalley and Cheyne Walk for giving me a copy of this book. Please know that this does not influence my rating or thoughts on the book itself.
In an effort to get my Netgalley percentage up so I can be on St. Martin’s Press auto-accept list for arcs, I am going through my Kindle and catching up on all my eARCs. This book has been on my Kindle since 2017. So it’s been on there a good while. I had every intention of reading it and being a good noodle, but I think this was around the time when the Kindle I did have started to crap out on me, and at the time, I didn’t realize I could read books on my phone thanks to the kindle app. Plus I also think I was in the process of switching schedules or something. I honestly can’t remember. All I know is that I was naughty and didn’t read the book until now.
I am going to be completely honest. I had absolutely no idea what this book was about at all. The plot made zero sense. In the synopsis, it said that the three different stories of the main characters would be connected but they literally didn't. Or they did but I didn’t understand how they did. It was just a mess of different characters and they were all just intolerable. Not to mention, the characters were obsessed with sex or the anatomy of the opposite sex's body parts. I couldn’t read one page without one of the main characters thinking about having sex with another character or getting all hot and bothered by another character.
I think one problem was the so much Native American lore and tradition. It was like you had to have an extensive knowledge of Native American practices, which I honestly don’t. But since it was such a major part of the story, I was lost. It would have been lovely if they had taught you a little bit about the Native American lore, like why they were doing the things they were doing. I was just so lost.
The world-building also wasn’t good. I had no sense of what the world was supposed to be. Is it supposed to be dystopian? Was it futuristic? I literally couldn’t tell you. Our main characters were so unreliable, that I couldn’t trust anything they said. Plus, they were so sheltered, that they had no idea of the real world. So, of course, as the reader, we must suffer from the main character's lack of knowledge.
In my notes, I also mentioned how sexual this book is. I do not have a problem with sexual books but they got to have a reason behind it. I read a ton of erotica and romance books. I may know a thing or two about sexual things relating to books. There were so many sexual acts; a lot of touching that for sure wasn’t consensual. It was very hard to tell what was considered consensual because no one knew how to talk to anyone. I think they were supposed to be part of the different spells or whatever. It was just really out of place and not needed at all.
Overall, this book wasn’t it. I had no idea what was going on for almost the entire book. It was weirdly sexual and I was getting some anti-immigrant vibes as well. The stories of the main characters didn’t connect in the slightest. It was just not a good book at all.
Author: Glenn Haybittle
Genre: Adult Science fiction
Format: eARC from Netgalley and Cheyne Walk
Series: NA
Star Rating: 2 stars
tw: blood, animal attack, drug addiction, sexual assault, animal abuse, drug use, cheating, murder, gun violence, bullying, holocaust horrors, torture, arrest, and false imprisonment
A special thank you goes to Netgalley and Cheyne Walk for giving me a copy of this book. Please know that this does not influence my rating or thoughts on the book itself.
In an effort to get my Netgalley percentage up so I can be on St. Martin’s Press auto-accept list for arcs, I am going through my Kindle and catching up on all my eARCs. This book has been on my Kindle since 2017. So it’s been on there a good while. I had every intention of reading it and being a good noodle, but I think this was around the time when the Kindle I did have started to crap out on me, and at the time, I didn’t realize I could read books on my phone thanks to the kindle app. Plus I also think I was in the process of switching schedules or something. I honestly can’t remember. All I know is that I was naughty and didn’t read the book until now.
I am going to be completely honest. I had absolutely no idea what this book was about at all. The plot made zero sense. In the synopsis, it said that the three different stories of the main characters would be connected but they literally didn't. Or they did but I didn’t understand how they did. It was just a mess of different characters and they were all just intolerable. Not to mention, the characters were obsessed with sex or the anatomy of the opposite sex's body parts. I couldn’t read one page without one of the main characters thinking about having sex with another character or getting all hot and bothered by another character.
I think one problem was the so much Native American lore and tradition. It was like you had to have an extensive knowledge of Native American practices, which I honestly don’t. But since it was such a major part of the story, I was lost. It would have been lovely if they had taught you a little bit about the Native American lore, like why they were doing the things they were doing. I was just so lost.
The world-building also wasn’t good. I had no sense of what the world was supposed to be. Is it supposed to be dystopian? Was it futuristic? I literally couldn’t tell you. Our main characters were so unreliable, that I couldn’t trust anything they said. Plus, they were so sheltered, that they had no idea of the real world. So, of course, as the reader, we must suffer from the main character's lack of knowledge.
In my notes, I also mentioned how sexual this book is. I do not have a problem with sexual books but they got to have a reason behind it. I read a ton of erotica and romance books. I may know a thing or two about sexual things relating to books. There were so many sexual acts; a lot of touching that for sure wasn’t consensual. It was very hard to tell what was considered consensual because no one knew how to talk to anyone. I think they were supposed to be part of the different spells or whatever. It was just really out of place and not needed at all.
Overall, this book wasn’t it. I had no idea what was going on for almost the entire book. It was weirdly sexual and I was getting some anti-immigrant vibes as well. The stories of the main characters didn’t connect in the slightest. It was just not a good book at all.
July 5, 2017
This is one of those books that you finish and still think about weeks later.
This is one of those books you know you will end up re-reading because there is SOO much to wrap your mind around.
Part historical fiction, part sci-fi, part dystopian and all of it truly worth reading so why aren't you reading it yet???
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book for the first time. The second time will be coming!
This is one of those books you know you will end up re-reading because there is SOO much to wrap your mind around.
Part historical fiction, part sci-fi, part dystopian and all of it truly worth reading so why aren't you reading it yet???
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book for the first time. The second time will be coming!
December 1, 2017
Wow, this one is a doozy!
There is a lot going on in this novel, but most of the time, that's a good thing. I was honestly a bit confused and disoriented for the first section of the novel. But, I believe that was intended. There are a ton of terms and questions thrown at you and not explained. If readers can just go with the flow and get over this hump, they'll be pleased with the rest of the novel.
While I was insanely curious about the future world of 2084 that is introduced in the first section, my curiousity was never really quelled. I wanted to learn and understand more about this very dystopian society! On a positive note, I did really enjoy the following sections that all took place at some point in the past (until the very end). I'm always a sucker for well written historical fiction and the author did a great job! But, my absolute favorite aspect of the novel is how all the character's stories are woven together! It was exciting to start to see the pieces fit together as you read.
A final gripe I had was the ending. It was far too abrupt! Perhaps there could be a sequel in the future? I don't know, but it was a bit frustrating to have the novel just stop so suddenly. It felt like there should have been a bit more. And perhaps that "bit more" could have explained some of the confusing mechanisms that the story used, like the memories.
All in all, a very interesting and enjoyable read!
Thank you to Cheyne Walk for providing an ARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
There is a lot going on in this novel, but most of the time, that's a good thing. I was honestly a bit confused and disoriented for the first section of the novel. But, I believe that was intended. There are a ton of terms and questions thrown at you and not explained. If readers can just go with the flow and get over this hump, they'll be pleased with the rest of the novel.
While I was insanely curious about the future world of 2084 that is introduced in the first section, my curiousity was never really quelled. I wanted to learn and understand more about this very dystopian society! On a positive note, I did really enjoy the following sections that all took place at some point in the past (until the very end). I'm always a sucker for well written historical fiction and the author did a great job! But, my absolute favorite aspect of the novel is how all the character's stories are woven together! It was exciting to start to see the pieces fit together as you read.
A final gripe I had was the ending. It was far too abrupt! Perhaps there could be a sequel in the future? I don't know, but it was a bit frustrating to have the novel just stop so suddenly. It felt like there should have been a bit more. And perhaps that "bit more" could have explained some of the confusing mechanisms that the story used, like the memories.
All in all, a very interesting and enjoyable read!
Thank you to Cheyne Walk for providing an ARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 21, 2017
This beautifully written and challenging novel by Glenn Haybittle takes the reader into the future and then back through the ages following one family tree and their search for identity and meaning.
December 5, 2021
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.
In which our worst nightmares about the end game of the Trump administration are realised! It’s 2084 and the world is controlled by UniCorp – “a complicit elite of greedy power-crazed executives. For decades they sponsored and organised terrorism and hazardous environmental projects that caused catastrophic natural disasters. And when they had whipped up enough fear and division and poverty they took over. One by one sovereign countries were replaced by militarised authoritarian states. All run by UniCorp.”
The novel begins with Alowa. Alowa has no long term memory. She keeps returning to one mysterious image she possesses of a boy dancing in smoke. She fears she might be an “immigrant”– slang in the novel for “a bioengineered facsimile of a human being, an individual whose neuropaths are plotted by computer chips.” When she escapes from her life in an “executive dome” as a “dispenser” she meets a mysterious old man who seems to know much more about her than she knows about herself. She is told the boy she sees dancing in the smoke is called Solstice and he has her memories and she will have to enter History to find him. History is a game the entitled have masterminded for entertainment. The edition of History Alowa enters is a recreation of the wild west. She is part of a wagon train, heading towards hostile Indian country. Rumour has it that these Indians, the Sa’i Tor Shyela tribe, are all immigrants. Solstice meanwhile is being managed by a terrorist organisation who might well be a tool of the government. He is haunted by his memories of Alowa. “Every night I build a fire for you, Alowa. Every night I dance on the rooftop for you. Look at the flames, Alowa. Aren’t they beautiful? Look at the smoke. I’m dancing in the smoke, Alowa.”
Part two is set in contemporary London and Italy and we are slowly fed clues as to how it relates to the dystopian world of part one. I loved this part, a moving story of a woman whose husband is betraying her, who is suffering panic attacks and whose child is being bullied at school. She will take her son with her to Italy to discover more about her family tree. Part three is set in Italy during WW2 and here the character who is perhaps the beating heart of the novel appears. It’s the story of a Jewish family who live in an Italian fishing village. Part four (the shortest) is set at Wounded Knee in 1890. A poetic account of the massacre. For the denouement we return to 2084.
The Memory Tree is the most imaginatively mischievous and playful novel I’ve read for some while. There’s so much going on that it’s bound to alienate some readers - there’s conspiracy theory, sorcery, artificial intelligence, American Indians, the German SS, two attempted genocides, lions, elephants and sharks. You could say, now and again, it’s almost too imaginative for its own good. However it’s extremely well written and fast paced and I enjoyed its imaginative exuberance. I noticed a few misgivings about the ending but I liked it. Alowa and Solstice discover who they are and accept their heritage and responsibility. Essentially it’s a novel about heritage - with warnings about how we are treating the planet and our fellow human beings. As one character says, “If there is one thing in life that is fated it is our birth, that far-fetched conspiracy of circumstances which have to occur in order for us to get born.”
In which our worst nightmares about the end game of the Trump administration are realised! It’s 2084 and the world is controlled by UniCorp – “a complicit elite of greedy power-crazed executives. For decades they sponsored and organised terrorism and hazardous environmental projects that caused catastrophic natural disasters. And when they had whipped up enough fear and division and poverty they took over. One by one sovereign countries were replaced by militarised authoritarian states. All run by UniCorp.”
The novel begins with Alowa. Alowa has no long term memory. She keeps returning to one mysterious image she possesses of a boy dancing in smoke. She fears she might be an “immigrant”– slang in the novel for “a bioengineered facsimile of a human being, an individual whose neuropaths are plotted by computer chips.” When she escapes from her life in an “executive dome” as a “dispenser” she meets a mysterious old man who seems to know much more about her than she knows about herself. She is told the boy she sees dancing in the smoke is called Solstice and he has her memories and she will have to enter History to find him. History is a game the entitled have masterminded for entertainment. The edition of History Alowa enters is a recreation of the wild west. She is part of a wagon train, heading towards hostile Indian country. Rumour has it that these Indians, the Sa’i Tor Shyela tribe, are all immigrants. Solstice meanwhile is being managed by a terrorist organisation who might well be a tool of the government. He is haunted by his memories of Alowa. “Every night I build a fire for you, Alowa. Every night I dance on the rooftop for you. Look at the flames, Alowa. Aren’t they beautiful? Look at the smoke. I’m dancing in the smoke, Alowa.”
Part two is set in contemporary London and Italy and we are slowly fed clues as to how it relates to the dystopian world of part one. I loved this part, a moving story of a woman whose husband is betraying her, who is suffering panic attacks and whose child is being bullied at school. She will take her son with her to Italy to discover more about her family tree. Part three is set in Italy during WW2 and here the character who is perhaps the beating heart of the novel appears. It’s the story of a Jewish family who live in an Italian fishing village. Part four (the shortest) is set at Wounded Knee in 1890. A poetic account of the massacre. For the denouement we return to 2084.
The Memory Tree is the most imaginatively mischievous and playful novel I’ve read for some while. There’s so much going on that it’s bound to alienate some readers - there’s conspiracy theory, sorcery, artificial intelligence, American Indians, the German SS, two attempted genocides, lions, elephants and sharks. You could say, now and again, it’s almost too imaginative for its own good. However it’s extremely well written and fast paced and I enjoyed its imaginative exuberance. I noticed a few misgivings about the ending but I liked it. Alowa and Solstice discover who they are and accept their heritage and responsibility. Essentially it’s a novel about heritage - with warnings about how we are treating the planet and our fellow human beings. As one character says, “If there is one thing in life that is fated it is our birth, that far-fetched conspiracy of circumstances which have to occur in order for us to get born.”
August 27, 2017
A good read for fans of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake series. This book has some really compelling characteristics. It starts as a sci-fi or dystopian fiction, and I love a story that starts right in the middle of the action. This book really challenges the reader to develop their schema as quickly as possible so they don’t miss what’s happening. I know some people don’t like this, but it really works for me. The first two thirds of the book follow the story line of two characters who have had their memories taken away, and who seem fated to find each other. The suspense of this part of the book was extremely well-handled and as a result I found myself continuing the story despite lingering confusion based on some incomplete world-building.
The last third of the book follows two different, but connected stories, and this part veers hard into the historical fiction genre. While the connection between the stories themselves continues to have an element of science fiction, I really didn’t like the drastic shift, and given Glenn Haybittle’s previously published work, it really felt as though the author didn’t have the stamina to continue the fresh, edgy story and switched to something with which they were more comfortable. That being said, the first two thirds of the story had already invested me in seeing it through until the end, so the timing on taking this risk paid off. The ending is super open-ended.
I would be willing to recommend The Memory Tree to someone, but only if they are admitted fans of science fiction and historical fiction in equal measure. While I thought there were some interesting liberties taken in the dystopian fiction genre, I thought the execution fell flat and so while I finished, I didn’t feel pushed to in the exhilarating way that really exceptional fiction does.
The last third of the book follows two different, but connected stories, and this part veers hard into the historical fiction genre. While the connection between the stories themselves continues to have an element of science fiction, I really didn’t like the drastic shift, and given Glenn Haybittle’s previously published work, it really felt as though the author didn’t have the stamina to continue the fresh, edgy story and switched to something with which they were more comfortable. That being said, the first two thirds of the story had already invested me in seeing it through until the end, so the timing on taking this risk paid off. The ending is super open-ended.
I would be willing to recommend The Memory Tree to someone, but only if they are admitted fans of science fiction and historical fiction in equal measure. While I thought there were some interesting liberties taken in the dystopian fiction genre, I thought the execution fell flat and so while I finished, I didn’t feel pushed to in the exhilarating way that really exceptional fiction does.
August 31, 2017
DNF. I seem to be in the minority here but honestly could not get into this book. Maybe I'm missing something but I'm kind of shocked at how many people praised the writing and story. I found myself skipping chunks of passage to get to plot development and eventually realized what's the point?
When I first read the description I was intrigued. I pictured a twisty yet elegant sci fi story similar to Cloud Atlas but that was not the case. I found that the plot read more like fantasy with too many characters, insignificant dialogue and strange references to nudity and sex. The writing seemed somewhat juvenile to me and lacked depth. Overall I had a hard time understanding what exactly was going on and even harder time caring. Definitely not what I was expecting.
Thank you to publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Just wasn't for me.
When I first read the description I was intrigued. I pictured a twisty yet elegant sci fi story similar to Cloud Atlas but that was not the case. I found that the plot read more like fantasy with too many characters, insignificant dialogue and strange references to nudity and sex. The writing seemed somewhat juvenile to me and lacked depth. Overall I had a hard time understanding what exactly was going on and even harder time caring. Definitely not what I was expecting.
Thank you to publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Just wasn't for me.
November 29, 2017
I received this book on goods read giveaways. I was very surprised how gripping the book is. I loved it. I did not want to put it down. I read it in two days. It's very fascinating how all characters are weaved together and involves true history in it as well. I highly recommend this book. I became very attached to the characters and did not want the story to end. It would be great if there was a sequel to this book especially about Felix and his mother and the conspiracys she believed in And also would love to read more about max and ada as well. All in all great book and would recommend and def read again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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