Can one moment alter the course of your life – and what happens if you lose that moment? Rachel Keener’s The Memory Thief is a captivating story, one that interweaves two opposite roads of life, connecting them with threads of drama, pain and loss. Keener’s poetic use of language raises the bar for literary fiction. She effortlessly draws readers first into the life of Hannah, a devout Pentecostal-like scholar whose love of adventure pulls her into the heat of passions she’s only heard mentioned in whispers. In her world almost everything is a sin, from wearing a shirt without sleeves to admiring the opposite sex. But Hannah follows her heart and turns from what she is told, to open herself to what she knows.
If Hannah personifies innocence, then Angel is redemption. From birth Angel is greeted by the underbelly of Southern life. Her mother and father spend their days scheming, while her older sister plots the best use of her underage body to aid in her escape. Angel isn’t like the rest of her family, even though she tries continuously to fit in. She’s cut from a different cloth, and the result is that she’s not very good at being bad. Angel doesn’t know how to lie to herself, even when she can’t help, or change, her situation. She’s lost, alone with only a pocketful of memories to haunt her. Much like Hannah, Angel must choose which path to take, but with little direction, she cannot find the road that will lead her home. But with loss, with death, rebirth and the chance of a new life are found.
Keener’s creative use of narration and imagery blend - the perfect symmetry to breathe this spellbinding story to life. The Memory Thief is an honest, empathetic and colorful journey of how fate can bend your will and reshape your soul when you least expect it. We are all capable of choosing which road to travel - Keener underlines that elements may try to prevent your journey home, but the truth will eventually find and set you free. A beautiful tale of loss, redemption and ever after, The Memory Thief is a novel every reader should travel through at least once. You won’t forget it.
Image courtesy of author's website
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