If you have read the synopsis, you will understand why I was so excited about this book. There is something almost unbearably romantic about the plight of the main characters – romantic as well as tragic. To spend eternity falling in love and then being torn apart either by time or circumstances. Melancholy abounds when fate is that cruel to you. If you have read The Time Traveler’s Wife, you will perhaps have this sense of deja vu, not because these books are similar with regards to the plot, but because there is a certain sense of timelessness that envelops both narratives. The depth of feeling that both the authors attempted to convey with their books is identical. Critics are lauding My Name is Memory as one of the best books of the year. We will very possibly see a movie come out of it, people will talk about it and there will be a general brouhaha. You might hear an infinite number of superlatives attached to any discussion of this book and well, yes. This book is a success even in the loosest sense of the term. Now that I’ve talked about how the rest of the world feels about the book, let me talk about my opinion of it. I liked it. I thought it was well written, definitely well planned and paced. The research was superb and the author displayed her finesse in the artful manner she wove in the historic events into her narrative without breaking the rhythm of the story. David had an interesting narrative voice, managing to convey his desire, pain and sorrow convincingly. I had trouble with “Sophia/Constance/Lucy.” Out of all the reincarnations, I liked her best as Constance but she didn’t have much time in the book. Actually, now that I think about it, I really didn’t like her. Here’s why: 1. She pushes David away after being madly in love with for the entire school year. Not very realistic. I understand the context but come on now. Her reaction seemed melodramatic. 2. She sleeps with her best friend’s brother even while somehow being in love with David. What was the purpose of that? Did I miss something? Was that the author’s way of showing that Lucy’s life continued on without David? But what are we supposed to think about the heroine if she can sleep with someone else without having much feeling for him? What does it do for her character and that implied “one true love” with David? 3. She mistakes David’s brother as him. That does not say much for her intelligence. And she does not just mistake him as David, she goes away with him placing herself in mortal danger. Didn’t the way he made her feel tip her off? The whole issue with David’s brother is... well poorly handled. It started resembling a daily soap opera rather at the end and rang rather discordantly placed as it was amongst the other pages. The other pages that exuded such grace. The entire book is a teasing monologue (by David) as he narrates the times and lives he has been so close to Sophia/Lucy and not been able to have her. But in the present time, when they finally do meet, after almost a millennia, they are granted less than a chapter before they are separated again. The ending is a disappointment but it makes me fairly certain that there is going to be a sequel somewhere around a corner. Because we end with questions and a mission rather than that happily ever after the earlier pages hint at. So once again, when the world rejoices about a great book, I sit back and wonder what exactly is wrong with me that I can’t see it.
