The cover is the result of a fascination with Highgate Cemetery.. a place I'd definitely visit next time I'm in the old Capital again.
The story is a classic Nicci French and for those who aren't acquainted with their stories (yes their stories, for Nicci French is actually a married couple, google it ^^), they are psychological thrillers, where a devastating crime or event has taken place and a commoner, just as ourselves, is trying to make sense of it all. Some of their stories have a touch of police investigation, but mostly they tend to linger into the emotional side of trying to solve a puzzle.
Combine that with unhealthy eating, drinking and smoking habits and the all-encompassing neglect to their own bodies, you got the gist of their stories.
Not that they aren't enjoyable, just know what you are getting yourself into. Also, in the end everything is neatly explained. Why is that so important? I admit I have a perverse longing for such explanations but they seldom make the book linger in my mind. I actually believe I read this book before but the only part that I could vaguely remember was the questionnaire our protagonist has to take. I remember it because it is supposed to be so that if you answered YES to more than 6 questions, there's a sign of an underlying childhood trauma. I had like 10 or 12 Yes's but I'm trauma free.. apart from maybe the occasional Christmas fiasco I think ^^ Probably explains my distaste of said holiday.
See.. the novel wasn't that bad. What it felt like most was watching through an episode of some crime drama, where you want to know where it all leads. It's all wrapped neatly around the solution. If you took one clue from the pile, it would mean a total collapse of the story. I guess in real life mistakes are bound to be made and the comfort one gets from these kind of novels is that there still is some pattern in our life for us to find.
Still... it only took me 2 wrong guesses and about halfway through the book when I was certain who had killed her. Yep.. still amazing that way
For me this novel is like skating a very thin layer of ice. Beneath the ice are the detective novels I dislike, above it the literary novels who can actually evoke some feeling beside repulsion (Yes, I'm being harsh here, don't take it personally and I'm far from being a purist - Hell my previous read novel was nothing less that a historically accurate tickler).
But there's an audience for everything and I'm not exaggerating when I say that I've read most of Nicci French' novels. So, don't let my arrogance get between you and The Memory Game and enjoy it! Or not.. It's all good, man!
