Claire Fuller's 'The Memory of Animals' is a suspenseful (and often frankly terrifying) dystopian/science fiction novel about a group of five vaccine trial volunteers who find that they are the lone survivors when the raging 'Dropsy' pandemic develops a deadly new variant.

The novel is set in a medical unit in contemporary London. In order to pay her debts, 27-year-old marine biologist Neffy has agreed to be given a vaccine which has not been tested on humans and then infected with the virus. Confined to her room, she becomes ill after receiving the vaccine and virus. After several days, she discovers that only she and four other trial volunteers remain in the unit, and that only she received the vaccine. The streets are abandoned and the internet, radio and TV are all down; as their food supplies dwindle, they must decide whether to brave the outside world or stay put and wait to be rescued, At the same time, Neffy cannot escape the lingering suspicion that the other four are hiding something from her.

We also learn more about Neffy's past thanks to a device called the Revisitor which one of the other volunteers has been developing, which allows people to relive past memories. Neffy becomes increasingly drawn to the Revisitor as she retreats back into past relationships, particularly with her father and with her stepbrother Justin, as well as her intense bond with different aquatic life forms and in particular her love of octopi.

There is a lot going on in this novel. The various science-fiction elements are imaginative but also feel plausible and well-realised on the whole. The descriptions of the unfolding pandemic are harrowing but riveting. Fuller also evokes the claustrophobia of the medical unit and the complex moral dilemmas faced by the five protagonists. There is much that is moving in Neffy's back story, especially her relationship with her father.

Personally, I felt that this was a good novel but perhaps not a great one. I wasn't sure how fully the different elements cohered. The Revisitor and the octopus elements are both interesting in their own right but I wasn't fully convinced that they belonged in the novel. At times it also feels a little contrived, for instance the way that Neffy agrees to take part in not one but two highly experimental untested medical procedures. And there have been some other brilliant novels about deadly pandemics and other dystopian apocalypses - Emily St John Mandel's 'Station Eleven' in particular but also YA titles such as Erik J Brown's 'All That's Left in the World' and Manon Steffan Ros's 'The Blue Book of Nebo' - and for me, this didn't live up to the same standard.

Nonetheless, it is never less than a gripping read and the end contains some clever twists which I didn't see coming. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

This is a pandemic book done perfectly! I absolutely loved it!!
It was heartbreaking, raw, creepy and beautiful - all in one!
I felt how memory was played with really worked, exploring life and how perceptions change.
The octopus content was just amazing and I wasn’t expecting that - I would read a book purely about them now! Obsessed!
Claire Fuller is immediately an auto-buy author now.
Thanks for the E-ARC NegGallery - this is my honest review!

The Memory of Animals, Clare Fuller

Neffy offers herself up as a volunteer in a controlled vaccine trial. Running from her grief and trauma she finds herself locked inside the unit as the world below falls silent to the virus.
As she and the other volunteers weigh up their futures in the unit she explores a pioneering technology. Capable of allowing her to revisit the past, she turns from the present.
But Neffy could be the only chance at survival…

Clare Fuller is a skillful writer. She walks the line of human emotion and action beautifully. Placing herself in the dark thoughts that others fear to tread, the things that are unsettling and uncomfortable. Her writing is pristine, hard to escape from and always leaves you struggling to escape.
The Memory of Animals takes a huge topic and brings it down to the bones, peeling away the flesh until all that is left is exactly what the story requires. Remarkable.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Penguin for my AC.

Neffy is a young woman running away from grief and guilt and the one big mistake that has derailed her career. A pandemic is raging and she answers the call to volunteer in a controlled vaccine trial, as a way to pay off her many debts and, perhaps, to make up for the past.

When a new variant of the virus wipes out most of the population, only Neffy and four other volunteers remain in the test facility. With food running out, and a growing sense that the volunteers she is with may be holding back secrets, Neffy has questions but can’t find answers.

One of the volunteers, Leon, introduces her to Remembered Reality, a pioneering and controversial technology, which allows her to revisit memories from her life before, and she becomes hooked, increasingly turning away from the present to revisit her past. But in this new world survival rests on the bonds between strangers - Neffy needs to think about the future rather than the past, and decide who to trust in order to survive.

I love Claire Fuller’s novels. They are all so very different, in plot, style and setting, yet are unfailingly engaging, superbly written, populated with intriguing and well-drawn characters, and they all leave you with much to think about. This one is no exception. With pervading elements of dystopian or speculative fiction, it is a remarkably topical novel in which a pandemic is raging. It looks at themes of freedom and captivity, with strong parallels between the situation of the vaccine volunteers now, and the octopus specimens used in a scientific experiment which Neffy was working on in the past.

It also explores the themes of sacrifice and survival. There are parallels between Effy’s proffered sacrifice to help her sick father, and the sacrifice made by the vaccine volunteers, as well as the sacrifices made to survive within the unit and those needed to make a life afterwards. It is all very clever how the threads of the past and present are linked and reflected.

The author beautifully captures the intensity of the claustrophobic setting of the unit, as she explores group dynamics and power: how individuals adopt specific roles, claim specific powers, and assume leadership roles. In this respect the novel is distinctly Orwellian, and the tension is imperceptibly built as the story unfolds.

All of the characters are well realised, rounded and believable, and with Neffy, Claire Fuller cleverly uses both the Remembered Reality machine and the letters she writes to H, to reveal her backstory and different aspects of her personality and character.

It is several days now since I finished this novel, and it has left me with so much to think about and mull over, such was its impact. It is an astonishingly good, thought-provoking read and fully deserves the five stars I have awarded it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Fig Tree for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was an interesting and well written book. Some of the facts about Octopuses clever and fascinating creatures are not for those of a nervous disposition they are true. The main character was believable and the story was good. A good read, that kept me guessing.

Wow, this could not have been more different from Unsettled Ground, almost as if Fuller decided that this book would have as much plot as she could fit in it. She's a very skilled writer and, for all the hectic multi-stranded plot, there was still a lot of character development, beautifully atmospheric prose and touching relationships. I liked the parallels between octopuses in captivity/the vaccine trial subjects confined on their floor of the hospital/the heroine's mother's and stepfather's Grand Designs-style glass cube of a house. I also liked the play on Animals - the humanity of the sea-creatures she worked with and the descent into animalistic behaviour in the post-pandemic world.
What did I not like? Well, I probably should not have read it while I had Covid! As the heroine herself says in the middle of the book 'I don't feel able to read someone else's drama when I'm living my own.' The post-apocalyptic pandemic strand of the novel felt a bit too close to home and I'm not sure that what the world needs now is to relive something in fiction that we are still going through, it certainly wasn't a pleasant read for me in my sick bed. I have mixed feelings about the sci-fi element. In some ways the time travel element, where Neffy was experiencing past events both as herself at the time and as her older self, brought up some of the most perceptive writing. At the same time, as a plot device, I'm not sure this added a huge amount to the story and it could have been achieved by a standard flashback. I didn't like the ending - it felt like rather a neat and emotionless tie-up to lots of loose ends.
The flashbacks to life in Greece were my favourite part - very Deborah Levy - atmospheric and nostalgic. As a whole, I liked this book. I can't help feeling though that there are too many different genres mixed up in one and it would have made a more satisfying whole if Fuller had pulled all the threads a bit tighter and jettisoned some of the sub-plots. On a positive note, I think that fans of more plot-led fiction will find a lot to like.

This book was really interesting, and covers topics that are bang up-to-date. The characters are good including the non-human ones, the situations either realistic or believable.
As is quite normal nowadays three stories are told alternatively, with some other stories intermingled with them.
Just before the end of this book I felt sure that I would be giving it a five star review as I was really enjoying it.
For me the ending let it down. I don't know whether that is because it is preparing a follow up book, or just because it just ran out of steam.
In any case a cracking good read.
A big thank you to the author for hours of enjoyment and quite a bit of edification, and thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy for honest review.

Neffy is participating in a clinical trial for a vaccine during a pandemic. While Neffy is in isolation, a new strain breaks out and the world descends into chaos. This is woven with Neffy’s letters to her beloved H and memories of her past.

While it is quite a departure from Unsettled Ground in terms of genre, fans of Fuller’s previous work will find a lot to like here. Fuller excels in creating a claustrophobic, small, detailed setting, filling it will entirely believable, flawed characters, and full of humanity and compassion.

I haven’t read anything dystopian/apocalyptic/pandemic based since 2019 but had trust in Fuller to handle this with care. This was well founded, the tragedy was not lost in the story. I found the early part of the novel eerily familiar.

*Light spoiler in this paragraph* I don’t typically enjoy sci-fi elements in books, I thought Fuller’s use a ‘revisiting’ machine to connect Neffy to the past was clever. It worked to both increase our understanding of Neffy and makes us think about technology, memory, nostalgia and perspective.

Pick up this book up if: you’re looking for grounded, profound speculative fiction

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is what was once called speculative fiction, a sort of thought provoking sci-fi or dystopia.
There's a dystopia background and there's a lot about memories, living, and surviving.
The author did an excellent job in making me feel the emotions of the characters including the claustrophobia and nostalgia of past experiences.
Great storytelling, plot and character development.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Read through netgalley for an honest review.
I’ve read a couple of books now by this author and really liked them so was excited to give this one a go. It’s very very different to her other books (still quite bleak).

If you liked 28 days later crossed with my octopus teacher then this is the book for you. It’s the story of neffy who volunteers for a vaccine programme which doesn’t go to plan. The letters are an interesting addition and I’m not sure how to describe them without giving away too much plot!!
While the book was well written and interesting, I didn’t understand the end. I don’t know what I would have liked but something different.
Overall and interesting book that is still very relevant and relatable after our own recent pandemic experiences.

I've really gotten into dystopian novels recently with a majority of them being centered around a virus.

This one though has the twist of the main character being on a drugs trial for the vaccine.

I really enjoyed it and the variations in the characters personalities.

I found the Revisiting side really interesting, and how she wrote to H. Which gave insight into her past memories and how she coped with being stuck inside the unit.

What I really love about Claire Fuller is that her books are so diverse. She does not follow a particular formula and stick with it. I like that she writes different genres, and does it well!

I would definitely recommend this.

4.5* The Memory of Animals is a brilliant ‘next book’ from
Clare Fuller following on from Unsettled Ground which won the Costa and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize.

The world has been engulfed by a pandemic which started in South America and spread globally. Debt ridden and racked by a pre-pandemic loss, Neffy is one of a handful of people accepted onto a vaccine trial. However, as Neffy has the vaccine administered to her, outside the clinic the virus mutates into a more sinister strain. When Neffy wakes, her world is smaller and very different, one where she is bound by walls, memories and links to a very special previous relationship. Marooned with her fellow vaccine trial volunteers, Neffy forms bonds but suspects she isn’t fully in their trust.

I wasn’t sure if I was ready for a pandemic book, but here we have something very smart. Deftly weaving the current timeline with 2 previous timelines (one of which is magical but needs to be spoiler-free) the book zips along. The characters anchor the story, as Neffy explores her losses, foreboding circumstances and what it is like to be ‘captive’.

Thanks to Penguin, Vintage and Netgalley. It’s a great read and highly recommended.

As ever with this hugely talented writer this was imaginative, complex and beautifully written. Set during another pandemic, this follows a group of people who have agreed to be part of a vaccine trial. I found the early scenes; the fear and lack of knowing - quite difficult to read )it not being very long since we all felt that way!) and I wondered if it was too soon, but the story and writing kept me going and I’m glad it did.

I was a little dubious about another pandemic novel, but I really enjoyed Claire Fuller's well-written, engaging novel. I flew through the book in two days, which is how I know I enjoyed it. I sometimes find novels that have a present/past narrative annoying, but the way this was written was intriguing.
I highly recommend this novel, and also Fuller's Unsettled Ground which I also highly rated.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An unusual book and yet anything that focuses on a pandemic and vaccines these days is fascinating to read.

Well written but I just never found myself fully engaged. Looking at other reviews, likely to be me rather than the book so do give it a try.

I did learn a lot of facts about Octopus.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I have always enjoyed Claire Fuller's novels and The Memory of Animals was no different.

I have read a lot of pandemic / apocalyptic novels lately, however, so I feared I may have reached a point where the situations and plots have become a bit tired or too familiar.

Neffy has volunteered for a vaccine programme to find the antidote to a new pandemic which suddenly develops a deadly new strain that as well as a flu causes inflammation and memory loss before death. As the world collapses, she and a handful of young test subjects survive in the treatment clinic.

What makes the narrative different is the means in which the author builds Neffy's character:
Leon, one of the other subjects, has a Revisit device - it enables receptive users to revisit memories. In a world of loss and devastating change, Neffy understandably becomes addicted to staying in the past - but she cannot control the memories, and what is gradually revealed is her motivations for volunteering for the trial and ultimately her reasons for leaving the building.
I am used to characters reminiscing about their past in order to give a pre-pandemic backstory so I wondered why use this rather contrived macguffin but it does have a place in the narrative.structure.

I enjoyed this take on the pandemic genre and learned a lot about octopuses at the same time!

Following the world of lockdowns and the Covid pandemic and the success of Unsettled Ground ,Claire Fuller returns with a new novel that takes a look at a world where a pandemic has cast a much darker shadow across the planet. Neffy, a marine biologist, signs up to be part of a vaccine trial for the ‘ Dropsy virus’ only to awaken from an adverse reaction to find a new world where she and four other people in the trial are alone in a world where food and communication is diminishing and millions have died. The four hold a secret but Neffy cannot determine what it is. Is it safer inside or outside the clinical trial building? Whilst within the clinic, Neffy takes up the opportunity to use a device that enables her to regress and explore previous events in her life and it is through this we learn of past events ; visiting Greece where her father lives , the distant relationship with her mother and subsequent relationship with her step brother .It is the letters to H and the exploration of her work exploring the world of the Octopus and the captivity of these creatures that is the most fascinating juxtaposing the limited freedom of the five vaccine trial volunteers and the human entrapment and study of the cephalopods.
This is an intriguing novel and as much as it feels bleak in relation to recent events ( it may prove too heavy at this point in time to many readers) there is no denying Claire Fuller’s exploration of the human condition when pushed to the limit and for survival . It is the character of Neffy that is the book’s strength ; her compassion and vulnerability is beautifully described but ultimately her strength to survive and her love for the octopus is brings the heart to this dystopian novel

A brilliant novel. To ease you into the mood, I’d say it has shades of Never Let Me Go, The Road, Burntcoat – and maybe just a dash of Black Mirror gadgetry. But the original plot is threaded through with Fuller’s always acute sense of place, people and emotions. All the horrors of pandemic life are pushed to an extreme, yet written about in an utterly convincing way.
The compelling plot keeps the tension rising to an almost unbearable pitch, but interspersed with Neffy’s backstory, which is revealed through a space-age device that allows her to revisit key memories. Then there’s an epistolary element, with heartfelt letters to ‘H’, which offer moments of reflection and an environmental context. As it barrelled towards its (highly cinematic) denoument, I didn’t want this book to end.
This is a great example of a book that is literary in character and scope but deftly uses thrilleresque twists.
Fuller’s books all have very different settings, but a common theme is being trapped within a setting that is evoked in almost claustrophobic detail (Our Endless Numbered Days and Bitter Orange are prime examples - Unsettled Ground too in some ways), but in The Memory of Animals Fuller takes this motif to a terrifying extreme. I enjoyed being able to read it as an ARC but I’ll be buying it too, because it’s the kind of book I will enjoy taking down from my shelf and re-reading. Oh, and it also presents brilliant case for vegetarianism…

I have enjoyed Claire Fuller's previous books so was delighted to receive an ARC of this one from Netgalley. But it was a bit disappointing - perhaps I'm just not yet ready to read fiction about pandemics. The story of a group of young people who have volunteered - for various reasons - for a vaccine trial, but then become trapped in the medical facility as the pandemic takes hold, could have explored some interesting aspects of their situation but the plot seemed unoriginal - a toned down Lord of the Flies? - I wasn't drawn to any of the characters and the ending seemed rushed.

The Memory of Animals is a stunning book. It starts with scenes that are reminiscent of Day of the Triffids, chilling in their portrayal of a pandemic that results in vast and painful death. It moves towards something more like Piranesi, as it wrestles with the loneliness Nefeli experiences alongside the intense claustrophobia of being stuck with a small group of people in a clinical centre, there to trial a vaccine.
It is hard not to see Covid in much of the book. I would have said that I wasn't ready for a story like this, but in fact, I found it deeply moving and often shockingly familiar. It is a profound and clever book, and has some deeply poignant moments. Nefeli is obsessed with an octopus she once set free, and while the parallels are striking and sincere, I occasionally regretted the interruption of flow.
In all, this is a beautifully written, poignant and deeply thought-provoking book. I was delighted to have the chance to read it.