Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early read of Tell Me An Ending by Jo Harkin.

What if you were offered the chance to erase a memory – would you take it? In the world of Tell Me An Ending by Jo Harkin, this is a possibility. A company called Nepenthe offers a service in which they will erase a single memory for you. Clients can chose to be “self-aware”, meaning they know that they had a memory erased or to be “self-confidential”, meaning they have the memory erased and then have no memory of doing it. Nepenthe has recently come under fire because clients are saying they are seeing traces, as in the memories seem to be slowly coming back. This forces Nepenthe to offer restorations to those that want them. The novel follows five people:
- Finn, whose wife gets the notice that she has had a memory erased as a self-confidential client and she is offered the chance to restore it;
- William, a former police officer who had to quit the force because of a PTSD reaction he had to a crime scene photograph and is planning to have the memory erased
- Mei, who is seeing traces of a city she thinks she has never visited and sets out to try to understand what happened to her there;
- Oscar, a rich and handsome young man, traveling the world with seemingly no memories at all. He is being pursued, but he doesn’t know why, just a vague sensation that a wrong has been done
- And finally, Noor, the psychologist at the Nepenthe memory removal clinic, who begins to suspect that something deeply suspicious is going on with the restorations and that her boss and mentor might be involved.

The book raises big questions: Does memory make us who we are, and how does that change us if we lose those memories? It’s about the need for story, connections and answers. This is a tale of thoughtful suspense – it reminded me of The Midnight Library in the way that it kept me turning the pages, but left me thinking after I finished it. A great read!

"The facts of love are gone- the biographical notes redacted- but the love is still there. There is no sunshine; there is no spotless mind."

As others have mentioned, this book is very Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind and Vanilla Sky-esque, and even references similar media in regards to the discussion of targeted memory loss.

At first, I was decently confused as there are multiple POVs, seemingly unconnected, but as time goes on, you see that they do have one big similarity: Nepenthe.

I do like that this book went further into specifics and the philosophy of memory erasure and the idea of self than most other similar works have. The topics that these movies/books usually make you think about afterwards were discussed from multiple POVs in the book, which I really enjoyed, as it felt like a discussion within the book itself. The specifics of exactly which memories could and couldn't be deleted was also discussed, mentioning that childhood traumas could/should not be erased because of everything that is linked to those memories throughout the rest of your life.

As anyone that has gone through a traumatic time/moment, I have thought about this topic often. Who would we be without the constant shadow of that trauma following us around?
I have often asked myself who I would even be without childhood trauma and the effects it had on me during such an important time in my developmental stage. It brings up the discussion of self, of who we are, what we are: is it our actions that are our selves? Is it a conscious thing or something deep within? Who are we without our traits and would we be the same "self" if those traits did not exist?

I'm getting into a whole discussion with myself, because this book really does make you think and I definitely won't be able to stop thinking about it for a while. Well written, compelling, thought provoking. The mystery kept me reading and there were moments when my jaw dropped open at revelations.

Rating: 3.5/5
Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for an eARC of this novel.

Tell Me an Ending is a Black Mirror-esque novel that follows several characters and their stories involving Nepenthe, a futuristic company that has invented the technology to erase memories.

Tell Me An Ending is very character driven. The writing style is largely based on characters’ inner monologues. However, there are five characters we get POVs (points of view) from, which is a lot, and because of this we don’t really get to know the them that well. I personally didn’t get attached to any of them, and it was hard to switch between all of them as they’re completely separate stories. The decision to make the book character-driven might have been more successful if we had been following fewer POVs. If I did have to pick a favorite character, it would be Oscar. I would have liked to hear more of his story.

What immediately drew me to this novel was the blurb comparing it to Never Let Me Go and Black Mirror. I definitely see the comparison, but I was also led expecting something darker than what the novel gave me. I would have liked to see darker content if the author decided not to further into the characters’ development.

What I did like that reminded me of Black Mirror was how the book explored many different avenues that this “memory erasure technology” suggests. The author explores how it would affect romantic relationships, families, PTSD survivors, and policemen. And it goes into what legal ramifications memory erasing would have. This was my favorite aspect of the book.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes the show Black Mirror and who doesn’t mind multiple POVs.

A thought provoking story which raises many questions. Nepenthe is a clinic that offers a memory deleting procedure. It also ends up offering a procedure to get the memory back. How does memory deletion affect our relationship with others? What is someone mentions the memory you had deleted? So many other questions arise. I just do not know if I would want the procedure.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Excellent, thought-provoking debut that explores the concepts of self and memory. The book follows five characters and is centered around a company, Nepenthe, that has learned how to delete specific memories from people's minds. Noor, an emotionally repressed psychologist at Nepenthe, idolizes her boss Louise even as she uncovers evidence that the company is behind some serious wrongdoing. The other four narratives follow people who have had memories erased, and what they will decide to do when offered a chance to get their memories back. Some of the narratives and characters connect in rather small ways, but I thought the book was heading towards a larger connection amongst all the narratives, and was disappointed when that didn't happen. Nevertheless, the writing is superb and the story will make you think hard about what makes a life fulfilling and meaningful. Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for a review copy.

This was my first novel by Harkin and also a genre I don't typically pick up. While I was intrigued by the premise and all the moral, ethical issues that were explored, I think I'm just not the right audience for this type of sci-fi esque novel. I would recommend it to someone more into the dystopian genre than myself.

Tell Me an Ending takes an interesting concept that all of us have thought about at some point.....what if we could just forget a horrible event ever happened? I loved the various perspectives and how they all came together to tell the story.

Not an original story idea, but one with value.

Often we feel that we'd like to forget events that were very hard to deal with. Then a company offers you a way to forget - but what if that memory still troubles you, but you can no longer fully access it?

It could cause more harm than the actual memory.

A very scary idea.

Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin
I was able to get an ARC thanks to NetGalley which I am so happy about because this book has been on every "Anticipated read" list for 2022 I've read and for good reason!!! I hated Eternal Sunshine and the Spotless Mind because it made no sense how you could get rid of a memory of a whole longterm relationship without many issues related to other memories/holes in your thoughts/etc. Well this book takes that idea and flips it on its head with science fiction backing it up; following multiple people's lives that have been affected by the currently available memory deletions in different ways but who are all tied together because of it. It is probably going to be one of the best books I read for the year and I could barely put it down. I will definitely recommend to anyone who asks for a good read this year.

The premise is clever: an organization exists that can take way an unpleasant memory... for a cost. Is it ethical? Moral? Are the scientists involved saving lives or harming them? Are people better off because the memory of their trauma no longer exists, or would they have been better off facing the past and learning to move forward? This novel tells a story that feels eerily realistic in it's possibilities and will leave me contemplating the questions that arose for a long time. I can't wait for my book club discussion!

This novel was a fast read as I didn't want to put it down. I was drawn into the lives of the characters as they were introduced and was curious to find out more as their stories developed. It was almost frustrating at times to only get a piece of the story from a character, and then have the narration move onto the next one, as I wasn't ready to be done with the character I was reading about. Even though each character wasn't fully developed in the way I would have preferred, I feel that each character's story had its purpose within the novel, raising a variety of moral questions. The alternating narrators of the story, although difficult to follow at first, ultimately added to the book by keeping me on my toes and making me want more.

If you enjoy dystopian, medical thrillers, or medical based science-fiction, you will be enraptured by the intriguing subject of this novel. I give it 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Simon&Schuster #Simon&SchusterBookClubFavoritesFriends for an ARC of #TellMeAnEnding by #JoHarkin in exchange for an honest review.

Wow wow wow. I don't even know where to begin...the story was so much more than I had anticipated. I can understand how people might give up on it, definitely, but I'm glad I hung with it through my initial confusion. I am still thinking about this one days later and I know a handful of students and faculty that will want to read this as soon as we get our copies from the vendor.

Never Let Me Go meets Black Mirror in this thrilling dystopian debut about a tech company that deletes unwanted memories, the consequences for those forced to contend with what they tried to forget to contend with what they tried to forget, and the dissenting doctor who seeks to protect her patients from further harm. What if you once had a painful memory removed? And what if you were offered the chance to get it back? Tell Me An Ending follows four characters grappling with the question of what to remember and what they hoped to forget forever. Finn, an Irish architect living in the Arizona desert, begins to suspect his charming wife of having an affair. Mei, a troubled grad school drop-out in Kuala Lumpur, wonders why she remembers a city she's never visited. William, a former police inspector in England, struggles with PTSD, the breakdown of his marriage, and his own secret family history. Oscar, a handsome young man with almost no memories at all, travels the world in a constant. Into these characters lives comes Noor, an emotionally closed-off psychologist at the memory removal clinic in London, who begins to suspect her glamorous boss Louise of serious wrongdoing.

No matter what I had done, I could not get into this book, I loved the description and the entire idea of the book. However, I don't want this to stray anybody from reading this but more-so about my particular interest and opinions. I was very impressed by the writing throughout the book but the storyline just left me lacking, I wanted more from the characters overall, but if your romance is dystopian dramas than I am begging you to read this book, as the world that Jo Harkin creates is quite possibly one of the most amazing worlds of all time.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC!

"Tell Me an Ending" is a thoughtful science fiction novel that asks the question: would you delete a troubling memory? Would doing so help your mental health? Or would it become a crutch to avoid dealing with PTSD and failing relationships? "Tell Me an Ending" follows five characters as they navigate a world in which memories can be deleted and memories of deletion likewise vanish, leaving characters uncertain what they have experienced and unable to trust their own minds. The book initially functions like a collection of loosely linked stories in a shared world, but as the plot unfurls, connections between the disparate characters become stronger, and surprising relationships emerge. My favorite story among them was of William, a troubled ex-cop, who is considering having a memory of a violent crime scene photograph from work deleted. His tale is delicate, sorrowfully told, as he tries to unravel his PTSD from linked memories that have been corrupted or made stressful by virtue of being near the memories that are troubling him.

I really enjoyed this book - I feel like it's a breed of realistic, easy-to-see-happening science fiction that is more character-driven than interested in explaining its pseudo-science. My only complaint was that it felt a little long - the ending might have been tightened up (Louisa's final section felt a bit like a villain monologue). But other than that... definitely recommended for someone wanting a character-driven tale that is as likely as it is chilling.

This is a sprawling book with surprisingly interconnected characters. I appreciated the limited-perspective narration (literally limited, due to memory loss!) and thought the characters were compelling. The concept isn't completely original (Eternal Sunshine, of course), but it's provocative, and the characters and settings make this worthy. Though this is speculative/providing an alternate reality, enough of the environment is contemporary, and there's a lot of empathy, to ground the story. I'd feel comfortable recommending this to any lover of long reads and contemporary yet quality fiction.

What if a technology company could give you relief from your deepest regret or the cause of your PTSD by erasing that memory? Would you take them up on that offer regardless of the cost?

At first, I struggled with this story. I don’t know if it was because of the multiple POVs or what seemed like an unreliable narrator in the main character (Noor), but I got confused several times and had to reread certain sections.

I eventually decided that it may have been intentional as a device to keep the reader off balance, possibly to provide a similar experience to that of the clients at the Nepenthe clinic who had their bad memories removed.

My perseverance paid off as by pushing through I was rewarded in the end. For all the confusing and thought provoking multi-threaded story lines and emotional subtexts, it was worth the effort to reach the final pages.

The skillful resolution at the conclusion left me with a positive feeling and pleasant memory of the overall reading experience.

Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for the free review copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

If you could erase your most terrible memories with a simple procedure, would you do it?

In this novel, Harkin creates a parallel world where a company called Nepenthe gives everyone an opportunity to forget memories they would rather not hold onto. Noor, a Nepenthe psychologist, has just discovered her company is not as transparent as she once thought. While secretly investigating them, she begins to think deeply about her own choices and relationships and questions whether she is really on the "right" side.

We also explore the stories of multiple characters whose lives are changed when they find out they were unknowingly Nepenthe patients. When given the chance to return their memories, each character faces a difficult question: Is it better to remember something I wanted to forget, or live the rest of my life without knowing what I forgot?

In the end, the different stories were woven together in a way I wasn't expecting, and I was really surprised by each character's ending. This is a great suspense-driven book that also makes you think hard about the ethical consequences of advanced scientific procedures. I won't tell you the ending, but I definitely recommend for fans of sci-fi and dystopian reads!

A highly disturbing book about a company who removes peoples worst memories and the lasting effects this has on the person, as memories are entertained with other memories. For example, Imagine knowing a city that you never remember going to before. One person begins to realize the harm being done. It is a thought provoking book, but the psychological and philosophical implications of a technology like this could be disturbing for readers who have experienced trams. It is well written and an interesting although disturbing read

This was a very interesting book, it was pretty slow at the beginning and then confusing with all the different storylines and it was longer than the average book. Overall i liked it and it brought up lots of questions about how our lives would be if we got some or all of our memories deleted. And then what would happen if we had the chance to restore them. what is our identity and how do our memories shape who we think we are. The main character had a lot of personal growth in the story. While the story was unfinished in some ways, it also was finished and like life left us with questions

When I read the description of the book which included an analogy to Black Mirror, I knew I had to read it. This book is told from the POV of five different people- Noor, William, Oscar, Finn, and Mei. We don't know how their stories are interconnected until the end of the book but each has an Interesting and compelling storyline from the start.
The plot focuses on Nepenthe, a chain of clinics that deals in memory deletions or "wipes". It has recently come to the light that some patients of Nepenthe are experiencing "traces" of their deleted memories. Tell Me an Ending is about the ramifications of these deletions and subsequent restorations and how they impact both the Nepenthe clients and the people around them.

From Noor's storyline we see an employee of Nepenthe grapple with the ethics of this memory work.

From the other storylines we see direct consequences of the "wipe" as it relates to relationships, sense of self, and satisfaction with daily life.

As I read, I couldn't help but think "Would I delete a memory if given the chance?" And also what would I do if I received a letter stating that I had a memory deleted and would I like to have it restored?"

I really enjoyed this book and felt that all 5 of the main characters were very compelling. The premise of the book is fascinating and brings up great ethical and philosophical topics for discussion.

I highly recommend this book especially if you are a fan of Black Mirror or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or if you enjoy ethical debates.

When I first read the premise for this book I couldn’t wait to read it. If you had the chance to take a painful memory and erase it from your mind would you do it? This book is about Nepenthe clinic which is deleting unwanted memories from people’s minds. Crazy thought but so intriguing for a book.

I loved reading the five different POV. I liked how you can really feel the turmoil each one faced and how it effected their relationships. I couldn’t help but wonder would I remove a memory? If so how does that one event change your life. Each one is struggling because of having memory removed and questioning if it was right thing to do and curious as to what they chose to erase from the past.

Each one of the characters gets a letter that they have had a memory removed and now they can have it back. Each one goes through a debate of do I restore the memory or am I better off not knowing? I loved this part as it really made you think what would you do?











I loved how unique each of the five main characters are that you felt their turmoil in making decisions on to get memory back and stay with it removed? Really intersting to think what would I do in