And it's been a while since I posted a review, which is strange, because I finished a book a while ago (but not that strange, because last month I literally posted nothing but reviews, so it would make sense that I would want a break from reviews!)
But today I feel like I need to, so here is my review!
The One Memory of Flora Banks, by Emily Barr
Title: The One Memory of Flora Banks
Author: Emily Barr
Genre: Contemporary
Release date: 12th December, 2016
Pages: 303
Blurb: "How do you know who to trust
when you can't even trust yourself...?
Flora has amnesia.
She can't remember anything day-to-day:
the joke her friend made, the instructions
the parents gave her, how old she is.
Then she kisses someone she shouldn't-
and the next day she remembers it.
It's the first time she's remembered
anything since she was ten.
I look at my hands. One of them says
FLORA Be Brave."
My Thoughts
Okay, so when I heard about this book (on Booktube, funnily enough), it sounded interesting. I didn't know if I would get to read it, but it looked short, and it had an interesting premise, and I wanted to see whether the book itself, matched the synopsis (sometimes you think a book is about something from the synopsis, and then it turns out completely different.) But I can tell you, even before you read it, it is exactly as it says on the synopsis. The book is actually that blunt, that forward. And it never once lost that throughout the book, which is one thing that I really liked about it.
This book is about Flora, a girl with amnesia. She has had amnesia from when she was 10, after she had a brain tumour, and part of her brain had to be operated on. But from that operation onwards, Flora's ability to remember day-to-day things is gone. She writes things on her arms, so she can remember, but at the start of the novel, she kisses a boy, and she remembers it.
And from then, the repercussions start.
I thought this book was going to be kind of like Everything Everything, for some reason. The main characters both start off as naïve and incredibly inexperienced, and there is a boy in the scenario in pretty much the first chapter. It was totally and completely unlike Everything Everything, but even though it turned out to have absolutely nothing in common with Everything Everything, I still really enjoyed it.
Because even though the writing was blunt and honest, and my interest level dwindled at times, and the pacing was kind of slow at times, you become invested in Flora, and her interesting way of thinking. I mean the fact that she couldn't remember anything, even how old she is, you start to think of her as a child, as someone you need to protect. And Flora is also really stubborn and determined, and mix that with the adult things she tried to do in this book, with the goal of finding the boy she kissed, who is hundreds of miles away, you just become so invested in Flora's character, because you're constantly worrying about her, and thinking if she'll be okay. But if you're reading this book, be prepared to feel frustrated, angry, or intrigued with wonder. Because all though not a lot happens in this book, and the pacing is slo at the beginning, this is a book worth reading.
Even now, when I'm just reviewing it, the way I felt at certain points in the book are so fresh in my brain, it's scary.
This story isn't just about Flora though. There are other characters, though the centre is on Flora most of the time. Saying that though, the other characters and their plotlines are written very well into the book. Here's the whole picture:
- There's Flora, who doesn't remember anything, except the things she writes on her arms. She has amnesia after a brain tumour. She kissed a boy and remembered it, which never happens.
- There are her parents, who are gone for most of the story, because they have to go to Paris to take care of her sick brother who left when Flora was 11. They leave her with Paige, her friend.
- But what her parents don't know is that Paige isn't with her, because the boy that Flora kissed is her ex boyfriend, who just broke up with her.
But those are the main plots throughout the story. But there are little questions behind these plots, that are the reason I enjoyed this book so much. I'm not going to tell you any more because that would ruin some of the later plot-lines, and I want you all to read it.
As for the writing, Barr totally embodied the personality of Emily, and the writing didn't feel like words at all. It felt like Flora's story, like she was telling the story, because it was so truthful, and almost brutal in the honesty of the writing. I can't fault the writing.
But overall, I really enjoyed this book and I urge anyone who thinks they might be vaguely interested in reading it, to pick it up because, it may be short, but it definitely packs a punch. It teaches you to not let anything stand in your way if you are determined to do it, and that you should trust your own judgement by what you saw, and try to find things out for yourself.
I highly recommend this book.
So that was my review on The One Memory of Flora Banks, by Emily Barr! I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you pick it up yourself, because it is amazing!
I hope you have a wonderful day and I will see you all on Wednesday!
Byeeeee!
-Abi xxxxx
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