The Memory of Things Review

The Memory of Things by: Gae Polisner

Pub Date: 9/8/16 by St. Martin's Griffin

Synopsis:

On the morning of September 11, 2001, sixteen-year-old Kyle Donohue watches the first twin tower come down from the window of Stuyvesant High School. Moments later, terrified and fleeing home to safety across the Brooklyn Bridge, he stumbles across a girl perched in the shadows. She is covered in ash and wearing a pair of costume wings. With his mother and sister in California and unable to reach his father, a New York City detective likely on his way to the disaster, Kyle makes the split-second decision to bring the girl home. 

What follows is their story, told in alternating points of view, as Kyle tries to unravel the mystery of the girl so he can return her to her family. But what if the girl has forgotten everything, even her own name? And what if the more Kyle gets to know her, the less he wants her to go home? The Memory of Things tells a stunning story of friendship and first love and of carrying on with our day-to-day living in the midst of world-changing tragedy and unforgettable pain—it tells a story of hope.

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Spoiler-Free Review Below!

I usually back away from books based around 9/11. They break my heart and make me ball my eyes out, but for some reason after I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I needed to read it.
The Memory of Things is about a teenage boy named Kyle who is at school very close to the Twin Towers when the first plane hits. Running home, he sees a girl crouching right at the edge of the railing on the Brooklyn Bridge. Thinking she was about to jump, Kyle runs and saves the girl. He's lost in the chaos and the only logical thing he can think of is taking her home with him.

Back at his house, the girl is covered in ashes and is wearing beautiful white costume wings. Kyle asks her what her name is and where she lives so he can get an idea of where to take her, but she seems to not remember anything. What comes next is their story as Kyle tries to find out more about her, trying to help her remember all the moments in her life leading up to this event while falling in love with her. Told in alternating points of view, Kyle and this mystery girl's story is heart wrenching and will bring you back 15 years to the place where it all happened, New York City.

I loved this story. The story was very unique and nothing I've ever read. Bringing romance into the mix of a very tragic event is difficult to do, there is a lot to focus on, but Gae did it wonderfully. I loved all the characters and how she put in the alternating points of view. Both Kyle and the girl had very different backgrounds and hardships throughout their lives, which made the alternating points of view perfect.

The writing was very raw and straight to the point. It was easy to read and understand the emotions the characters were feeling and how hard it was at the time to cope with this event in the moment. 
I also loved how there was so much more to the story than September 11th. Kyle's family gets involved quite soon and you learn about the accident with his uncle a couple months prior and how it has made Kyle much more mature and put a life into his hands. Kyle's dad is also a first responder, so Kyle is trying to stay calm and hope that his dad will come home alive. You slowly learn about the girl's past and why she has suddenly lost all her memories of her past. Pieces are put together slowly as the story unfolds and everything becomes real. 

Beautifully written, but an ugly tragedy, Gae Polisner delivers us a story about a girl and a boy who met and fell in love during one of the biggest catastrophes ever.

Star Rating: 4/5/5 Stars

-Savannah ( @abookowl )